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Festival coverage

Sundance Film Festival

2008

King Of Ping Pong won the World Cinema Dramatic Award
King Of Ping Pong won the World Cinema Dramatic Award

Sundance is the daddy of all independent festivals. Run in conjunction with the Sundance Institute - set up by Robert Redford to support independent film - it has continued to develop its brief for more than two decades. It championed documentary which has resulted in a slew of factual films hitting the multiplex and has recently turned its attention to short film, recently announcing a mobile phone pilot project.

Alamo We'd like to say a huge thank you to Alamo for helping Eye For Film out with our car hire again this year. For over 30 years, Alamo Rent A Car has been a market leader for leisure travellers to North America. With a network of nearly 300 branches across America, an industry-leading fleet and Alamo Choice enabling renters to select their own car from all those available within a group, Alamo is the first choice for travellers. Choose Alamo Gold for a full tank of petrol and up to three additional drivers. One-ways are free of charge throughout Florida and California and, for a real American adventure, get off the beaten track with the latest GPS model available from most US Alamo branches. With Alamo, the journey is as much fun as the destination. We have teamed up with Alamo to offer 10% off USA car rental. Simply visit or call 0870 400 4596 quoting ‘discount’.

Other years (21)

Box office and information

Latest reviews

  • Ballast
    Review preview for Ballast

    Ballast is absorbing because it bravely avoids dramatic cliches to deliver a more positive experience than might be expected.

    David Graham · 4 out of 5
    An emotionally frayed family find their lives torn apart in a small Mississippi Delta town.
  • I Always Wanted To Be A Gangster
    Review preview for I Always Wanted To Be A Gangster

    Benchetrit keeps a firm hand on the tiller, despite some of the film's more wild flights of fancy - including a perfectly pitched homage to silent film.

    Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5
    Existential comedy told in four vignettes linked by a roadside cafe.
  • Momma's Man
    Review preview for Momma's Man

    My patience with the central character expired long before the film eventually dragged itself towards the end of its running time.

    Adam Micklethwaite · 2 out of 5
    A man in mid-life crisis retreats to his parents' loft.
  • Frozen River
    Review preview for Frozen River

    Although it is an actual river which divides the two countries, Hunt aims to explore societal divisions that run much deeper than that.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
    Two women enter an uneasy partnership to smuggle illegal immigrants from Canada to the US.
  • Trouble The Water
    Review preview for Trouble The Water

    Something of a wasted opportunity, this is nevertheless a powerful reminder.

    Val Kermode · 1.5 out of 5
    Personal story of a rap artist and her husband who lived through Hurricane Katrina.
  • Sunshine Cleaning
    Review preview for Sunshine Cleaning

    While Adams and Blunt scrabble for subtext and a depth that simply isn’t there, the movie congeals around them.

    The Exile · 3 out of 5
    Two sisters try to forge a career in crime scene clean-up.
  • Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
    Review preview for Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson

    Gibney portrays the man’s excesses in a way that is not excessive and wisely lets the writing speak for itself.

    Daniel Hooper · 4 out of 5
    A documentary tribute to the legendary creator of gonzo journalism.
  • Good Dick
    Review preview for Good Dick

    Despite dealing with some very heavy issues Palka has a surprisingly light touch, levening the more bleak moments with some rich, dark comedy.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
    Offbeat romance between a damaged young woman and with Marianna Palka and Jason Ritter.
  • Choke
    Review preview for Choke

    Despite the busy plotwork, surprisingly little actually happens.

    Amber Wilkinson · 3 out of 5
    A sex-addicted med school dropout pays his mum's hopital bills by running a restaurant scam... but with her memory fading fast, will he ever find out the truth about his dad?
  • The Betrayal
    Review preview for The Betrayal

    This is a very moving story, and I wish I could give the film more praise.

    Val Kermode · 3 out of 5
    The epic story of a family forced to emigrate from Laos after the chaos of the secret air war waged by the US during the Vietnam War.

A–Z of Sundance Film Festival 2008 reviews

Features

  • Twisting time
    Director Nacho Vigalondo talks exclusively about his mind-bending feature debut Timecrimes... and the upcoming Hollywood remake.
  • All fired up
    Director Sharon Maguire on the impact of terrorism in the modern world - envisioned in her latest film Incendiary.
  • Giving British films some Punch
    Donkey Punch director Olly Blackburn and cast Jaime Winstone, Sian Breckin and Nichola Burley talk about the film.
  • No laughing matter
    Producer Chris Coen talks about remaking Funny Games.
  • Plight of the living dead
    As Diary Of The Dead is released on DVD read our exclusive interview with George A Romero about zombies, the perils of the internet and a Sound Of Music remake.
  • Sundance 2008: Awards ceremony
    British films triumph in short and documentary sections, plus all the other winners and a brief word with Quentin Tarantino.
  • Sundance 2008: Day Eight
    Hamlet 2 is hilarious, Triage hard-hitting and Ballast a let down, plus a chat with Marianna Palka.
  • Sundance 2008: Day Seven
    A kick out of Donkey Punch, excellent doc Man On Wire... plus gay porn zombies.
  • Sundance 2008: Day Six
    Funny Games no laughing matter, Brian Cox is The Escapist and more Good Dick.
  • Sundance 2008: Day Five
    The terrific Towelhead, Spurlock's search for Bin Laden, filmmakers' panel on black filmmaking and more.
  • Sundance 2008: Day Four
    Sean Ellis on The Broken, plus films including Red, Incendiary, Mancora and Phoebe In Wonderland
  • Sundance 2008: Day Three
    An Incendiary chat with Sharon Maguire, why Good Dick is great and a break down of The Broken.
  • Sundance 2008: Day Two
    Keaton's Merry Gentleman, a Brit of Frost & chat with Romero.
  • Sundance 2008: Day One
    Frustration, a flurry of films and George A Romero introduces Diary Of The Dead.
  • Sundance Film Festival 2008
    Buckle up folks, here we go - looking forward to a week of films and savouring the stress.

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