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Sundance Film Festival · 2009

Sundance Film Festival 2009

US Documentary Shorts

This year's 47 US short films were selected from a record 3,267 submissions. They are split into dramatic, animation and documentary categories.

Programme

11 films · 1 review

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575 Castro St

Review preview for 575 Castro St

There's a mood of eerie melancholy as Milk lays out the reasons why he might become a target for someone who is "insecure, terrified, afraid" - a concept that has lost none of its resonance with campaigners in many fields of equal rights in the years that have passed since.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
A light and motion study accompanying a tape recording by Harvey Milk to be played "in the event of my death by assassination".

(Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Jenni Olson)

Full review

The Archive

Documentary about the world's largest vinyl record collection, examining the man who owns them and the current state of the American record industry.

(Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Sean Dunne)

Chop Off

An exposition of the dark, fearful recesses of the human psyche by filming the body modification of performance artist R K, who literally risks 'life and limb.' R K's body is his medium and amputation is his art.

(Year: 2008; Director: M M Serra)

Good: Atomic Alert

An examination of nuclear arms asking who has them, what are their intentions, and what would happen if a nuclear weapon hit New York City?

(Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Max Joseph)

Good: Internet Censorship

Internet censorship can take many forms, from restricting private internet access to blocking searches for politically volatile keywords. This film explores how different countries apply their bodies of censorship to cyberspace.

(Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Morgan Currie, Lindsay Utz, James Jones; Screenwriter: Mattathias Schw)

I Knew It Was You

John Cazale appeared in just five films - The Godfather, The Conversation, The Godfather, Part Two, Dog Day Afternoon, and The Deer Hunter - and all were nominated for Best Picture. This documentary is a fresh portrait of the acting craft and a tour through the movies that defined a generation.

(Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Richard Shepard)

The Kinda Sutra

A combination of interview and animation that explores the youthful misconceptions of a spectrum of people over the universal question: How are babies made?

(Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Jessica Yu)

Sister Wife

DoriAnn, a Mormon Fundamentalist, shares a husband with her younger biological sister. During a private bathing ritual, DoriAnn explores the surprisingly universal challenges of her marriage.

(Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Jill Orschel; Writer: Alexandra Fuller, Jill Orschel)

So the Wind Won't Blow it All Away

Two and a half years after Hurricane Katrina, wanting to graduate high school with their friends, a group of students return to New Orleans despite their parents' relocation and absence.

(Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Annie P Waldman)

SUSPENDED

The film documents and re-contextualises the experience and perception of suspended time, capturing a range of evocative moments that reveal states of emotional and physical suspension.

(Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Kimi Takesue)

Utopia, Part 3: The World's Largest Shopping Mall

A tour of the world's largest shopping mall, located near Guangzhou, China. Built three years ago, the South China Mall was supposed to be a celebration of consumerism and Vegas-like spectacle.

(Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Sam Green, Carrie Lozano)