This morning, the eight edition of the IFP Narrative Labs kicked off in New York City, and the 10 films chosen to participate were unveiled for the first time. Projects chosen came from places as diverse as Vershire, Vermont and Miami, Florida.

Each year, 20 indie films with budgets under $1 million — 10 documentary and 10 narrative — are selected for participation in the IFP post-production labs, which gives filmmakers strategic help and guidance regarding the completion, marketing and distribution of their projects.

IFP’s  Executive Director Joana Vicente said, “We are thrilled to welcome another talented class of emerging filmmakers to the Narrative Labs. With the majority of films from the 2011 Labs premiering at international festivals and many garnering top awards, the Labs are truly helping filmmakers succeed by providing invaluable marketing, distribution, and engagement strategy resources and by connecting their work to new audiences.”

The selected projects for the 2012 Narrative Lab and Lab Fellows are:

 

Bastards of Young

Four early-30s friends meet at what ends up being their last annual Halloween party; but instead of celebrating career success are forced to confront darker realities: adultery, divorce, pregnancy – the basic issues that make adulthood more complicated than anyone expects it will be. Life in your 30s: not old, but definitely not young anymore. Fellows: Josiah Signor (Director/Writer), Robert Profusek (Producer), Ryan Silbert (Producer). Brooklyn, NY

 

Blue Caprice

Blue Caprice examines of one of the most charged and enigmatic events of the past decade: the 2002 shooting spree that terrorized the Washington, D.C. area and would come to be known as the Beltway sniper attacks. The film tells the story of the two snipers, Lee Malvo and John Williams, during the months leading up to the shootings, piecing together clues in an attempt to understand the circumstances and motives behind their horrific actions. Fellows: Alexandre Moors (Director/Writer), Kim Jackson (Producer), Stephen Tedeschi (Producer). New York, NY

 

Concussion

Abby is a lesbian housewife from the suburbs. By day, as her kids sit in school, she becomes a prostitute for women. Fellows: Stacie Passon (Director/Writer), Rose Troche (Producer), Anthony Cupo (Editor). Montclair, NJ

 

El Empantanado

Juan escapes after years in captivity at the mercy of FARC. His wife, Andrea, admits having an affair with his friend, Daniel. Not being free of sin, Juan decides to forgive. He and Andrea accompany Daniel to Key Largo for a diving weekend. There, Juan’s PTSD forces them to confront their darkest secrets. Fellows: Felípe Echavarría (Director/Writer/Editor), Maggie Drayton (Producer), David Marcus (DP). Miami, FL

 

Go Down Death

Based on the folktales of Jonathan Mallory Sinus, a man loses his leg to make himself whole, a frail boy learns the meaning of malignant, the village outcast must protect his precious face, ghosts haunt a war hero (but he’ll haunt no one), mysterious explosions kill everyone, and Mr. Severe the Overseer watches the whole thing on film. Fellows: Aaron Schimberg (Director/Writer), Vanessa McDonnell (Producer/Editor). Brooklyn, NY

 

Hide Your Smiling Faces

After a neighborhood tragedy, two adolescent brothers confront grief, love, violence, and their own mortality amid a surreal natural landscape. Hide Your Smiling Faces is an atmospheric exploration of rural American life through the often distorted lens of youth. Fellows: Daniel Patrick Carbone (Director/Writer/Producer), Matthew Petock (Producer), Zachary Shedd (Producer). Brooklyn, NY

 

I Believe In Unicorns

Davina escapes her obligations to her disabled mother by running away with an older boy in a whirlwind of romance and adventure. As their new relationship turns emotionally and then physically abusive, she attempts to escape to a fantasy world but ultimately must learn to face her stark reality and reconnect with the life she left behind. Fellows: Leah Meyerhoff (Director), Heather Rae (Producer), Becky Laks (Editor). Brooklyn, NY

 

Karaoke Girl

Balancing fact and fiction, dream and reality, Karaoke Girl follows Sa, a young country girl who works at a karaoke bar in Bangkok to support her family back home. Fellows: Visra Vichit Vadakan (Director/Writer), Samina Akbari (Co-Producer), Perry Blackshear (Editor). San Francisco, CA

 

Land of Tomorrow

Set in a rural community in America’s heartland, Land of Tomorrow tells the story of Betty, a wife and mother who fights to save her family’s farm-supply business. When her husband Frank falls ill and their son Finley gets into college, the financial pressures become too much, and Betty commits an unthinkable crime for the sake of her loved ones. Fellows: Kimberly Levin (Director/Writer), Kurt Pitzer (Producer), Francesc Sitges-Sardá (Editor). New York, NY

 

The Forgotten Kingdom

Atang Mokoenya is an aimless young man who spends his days idling in the slums of Johannesburg. When his father dies, Atang must give up his selfish ways and fulfill his father’s humble last wishes: to be buried in the rural mountain kingdom of Lesotho, the country they left 15 years earlier in hopes of a better life. Fellows: Andrew Mudge (Director/Writer/Editor), TR Boyce (Producer), Terry Leonard (Executive Producer). Vershire, VT