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| Markees Christmas in Morris From America - 13-year-old Morris, a hip-hop loving American, moves to Heidelberg, Germany, with his father. In this completely foreign land, he falls in love with a local girl, befriends his German tutor-turned-confidant, and attempts to navigate the unique trials and tribulations of adolescence. Photo: Sean McElwee |
Films in the line-up include Chad Hartigan's coming-of-age comedy Morris From America, which won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the festival, plus a Special Jury Prize for acting for Craig Robinson, and US political documentary Weiner - about the scandal-hit New York mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner - which won the Grand Jury Documentary Prize.
Also featured is Sian Heder's Tallulah - featuring excellent performances from Ellen Paige and Allison Janney - and Todd Solondz's Weiner Dog, which tells an assortment of stories concerning a dachshund.
There will also be a feature-length short films programme and one that focuses on UK shorts from this year's festival, along with retrospective screenings for Sundance break-out hits Winter's Bone, The Usual Suspects and Blood Simple, as well as a series of talks.
Main Features
Author - The JT LeRoy Story (Director: Jeff Feuerzeiq; US, 2016) International premiere The definitive look inside the mysterious case of 16-year-old literary sensation JT LeRoy – a creature so perfect for his time that if he didn’t exist, someone would have had to invent him. Perhaps someone did?
Goat (Director: Andrew Neel; Starring: Nick Jonas, Ben Schnetzer, Virginia Gardner; US, 2016) UK premiere. Reeling from a terrifying assault, a 19-year-old boy pledges his brother’s fraternity in an attempt to prove his manhood, testing their relationship.
Indignation (Director: James Schamus; Starring: Logan Lerman, Sarah Gadan, Tracy Letts; US, 2016) UK premiere. It’s 1951, and among the new arrivals at Winesburg College in Ohio are the son of a kosher butcher from New Jersey and the beautiful, brilliant daughter of a prominent alum. For a brief moment, their lives converge.
The Intervention (Director: Clea DuVall; Starring: Melanie Lynskey, Cobie Smulders, Alia Shawkat; USA, 2016) International premiere. A weekend getaway for four couples takes a sharp turn when one of the pairs discovers the entire trip was orchestrated to host an intervention on their marriage.
Life, Animated (Director: Roger Ross Williams; US, 2016) UK premiere. Documentary about Owen Suskind, an autistic boy who could not speak for years, but who slowly emerged from his isolation by immersing himself in Disney animated movies.
Morris From America (Director: Chad Hartigan; Starring: Markees Christmas, Craig Robinson, Carla Juri; Germany/US, 2016) UK premiere. Thirteen-year-old Morris, a hip-hop loving American, moves to Heidelberg, Germany, with his father. In this completely foreign land, he falls in love with a local girl, befriends his German tutor-turned-confidant, and attempts to navigate the unique trials and tribulations of adolescence.
Other People (Director: Chris Kelly; Starring: Jesse Plemons, Molly Shannon, June Squibb; US, 2016) International premiere. A struggling comedy writer, fresh from breaking up with his boyfriend, moves to Sacramento to help his sick mother.
Tallulah (Director: Sian Heder; Starring: Ellen Page, Allison Janney, Tammy Blanchard; US, 2016) A rootless young woman takes a toddler from a wealthy, negligent mother and passes the baby off as her own in an effort to protect her. This decision connects and transforms the lives of three very different women.
Weiner (Directors: Josh Kriegman, Elyse Steinberg; US, 2016) European premiere. With unrestricted access to Anthony Weiner’s New York City mayoral campaign, this documentary reveals the human story behind the scenes of a high-profile political scandal as it unfolds.
Weiner Dog (Director: Todd Solondz; Starring: Greta Gerwig, Kieran Culkin, Danny DeVito; US, 2016) International premiere. Several stories featuring people who find their life inspired or changed by one particular dachshund, who seems to be spreading comfort and joy.
The Greasy Strangler (Director: Jim Hosking; Starring: Michael St Michaels, Sky Elobar, Elizabeth De Razzo; US, 2016) International premiere. When Big Ronnie and his son Brayden meet lone female tourist Janet on Big Ronnie’s Disco Walking Tour — the best and only disco walking tour in the city — a fight for Janet’s heart erupts between father and son, and the infamous Greasy Strangler is unleashed.
Short Film Programme
2016 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Tour A 95-minute theatrical program of eight short films selected from this year’s Sundance Film Festival, showcasing a wide variety of story and style. Featuring: Affections, Bacon & God's Wrath, Edmond, Her Friend Adam, Jungle, The Grandfather Drum, The Procedure, Thunder Road.
2016 Sundance Film Festival UK Shorts A showcase of 7 UK shorts that screened at Sundance Film Festival 2016. Featuring: Manoman, Mining Poems Or Odes, Pombo Loves You, Over, Rate Me, Territory, Saturday.
Sundance Film Festival: Road To Stardom
Winter’s Bone
The Usual Suspects
Blood Simple
Special Events
Cutting Through The Festival Bullshit: Sundance Film Festival Meets London A short film discussion with Mike Plante (Sundance Film Festival), Philip Ilson (London Short Film Festival & BFI London Film Festival) and Katie Metcalfe (Nowness).
“Diversity as an Ethos” – Panel discussion What happens when diversity is built into the ethos and decision making behind film production and festival programming?
James Schamus on “the changing face of Independent Film” As the head of Focus Features, James Schamus was behind the production and distribution of some of the most critically acclaimed independent films of the last 15 years.
Short Film Master Class Recognising the important role shorts have in cinema, storytelling, and culture, Sundance Institute presents the Short Film Master Class to help empower the next generation of artists.
Festival passes will be available at sundance.org/london on Thursday, 5 May and individual tickets will be on sale from 9am on Monday, 9 May, with priority booking for Picturehouse members opening on Friday, 6 May. Customers can register for Festival and VIP Passes from today. For further details visit sundance.org/london.
