Filly Brown “Filly Brown” – Directed by Youssef Delara and Michael D. Olmos, written by Delara. A Mexican girl achieves musical fame while coping with her mother’s incarceration in this hip-hop-driven drama. Features Lou Diamond Phillips, Gina Rodriguez, Jenni Rivera and Edward James Olmos. For Ellen “For Ellen” – Directed and written by So Yong … Continue reading “Sundance unveils dramatic, doc competition slate”
Filly Brown
“Filly Brown” – Directed by Youssef Delara and Michael D. Olmos, written by Delara. A Mexican girl achieves musical fame while coping with her mother’s incarceration in this hip-hop-driven drama. Features Lou Diamond Phillips, Gina Rodriguez, Jenni Rivera and Edward James Olmos.
For Ellen
“For Ellen” – Directed and written by So Yong Kim. A struggling musician fights his estranged wife for custody of their young daughter. With Paul Dano, Jon Heder, Jena Malone, Margarita Levieva, Shay Mandigo.
Keep the Lights On
“Keep the Lights On” – Directed by Ira Sachs, written by Sachs and Mauricio Zacharias. Two men share a passionate long-term relationship in this fact-inspired drama. With Thure Lindhart, Zachary Booth, Julianne Nicholson, Souleymane Sy Savane, Paprika Steen.
The Comedy
“The Comedy” – Directed by Rick Alverson, written by Alverson, Robert Donne and Colm O’Leary. An aging hipster searches for meaning in a world that values status, popularity and good looks above all else. Stars Tim Heidecker, Eric Wareheim, Kate Lyn Sheil, Alexia Rasmussen, Gregg Turkington.
Excerpted from Variety
“I’m almost starting to think a bad economy makes for better artists,” John Cooper noted as he unveiled the lineup of the 28th annual Sundance Film Festival, marking his third year as director of America’s premier independent-cinema event. “When things start to get crazy, it’s actually good for them. They start making the films they want to make.”
Certainly the economic slump has had little impact on the numbers. Set to unspool Jan. 19-29 in Park City, Utah, Sundance will present 111 features (88 of them world premieres) culled from a pool of 4,042 submissions; given that last year the fest received fewer submissions (3,812) yet accommodated more titles (115), the selection process can be termed the most competitive in recent memory. Packages and passes have sold out as quickly as ever, and sponsorship has held steady, director of programming Trevor Groth said. Read more here.
Excerpted from Variety
When Robb Topolski set out to share his collection of rare, turn-of-the-century barbershop quartet recordings over the internet, he found his uploads were blocked by his service provider, the nation’s largest cable company, Comcast. From this seemingly innocuous beginning, the surprising events of BARBERSHOP PUNK unfold as Topolski’s findings go public, casting him as a wry David against a corporate Goliath in a battle over how the First Amendment should function in the internet age. Inter-woven with the struggles of the Topolski family are FCC hearings on net neutrality, and discussions with politicians, musicians, critics and open Internet advocates-from the Christian Coalition to NARAL-who are striving to keep the Internet accessible to everyone. 
