We asked Sundance directors five questions about their films
SHUT UP AND PLAY THE HITS DIRECTORS DYLAN SOUTHERN AND WILL LOVELACE

By Dan Schoenbrun

Over LCD Soundsystem's ten-year career, the band grew from early blog darlings to lauded indie stalwarts. After telegraphing the group's demise years in advance, band-leader James Murphy officially disbanded LCD last April with a star-studded, marathon-length performance at Madison Square Garden. Now, less than a year later, Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace present Shut Up and Play the Hits, a documentary that follows Murphy and his band-mates in the run-up to and aftermath of their now-legendary final performance. Read the Interview

VALLEY OF SAINTS DIRECTOR MUSA SYEED AND PRODUCER NICHOLAS BRUCKMAN

By Dan Schoenbrun

Musa Syeed's Valley of Saints is a film warmly awash in setting and culture. Filmed in Kashmir, within the aquatic trading community of Dal Lake, Valley follows Gulzar, a young ferry driver who dreams of moving out of Kashmir, until the arrival of a beautiful American scientist begins to complicate things. Pairing with producer Nicholas Bruckman, Syeed's first narrative effort patiently probes into a fascinating community (and part of the world) rarely seen on the big screen.Read the Interview

SUNDANCE RESPONSES

We posed the question, "Why are you a filmmaker?"
CALIFORNIA SOLO DIRECTOR MARSHALL LEWY

I remember watching the end of Hannah and her Sisters as a teenager, when Woody Allen finds out he's not going to die from a terminal illness and then fails at a suicide attempt. How does he find the will to live again? He walks past a theater where a Marx Brothers comedy is playing, he slips in and loses himself in the magic of Duck Soup, and all his problems melt away. Of course, right? I mean, what better way for a person to celebrate life than to go sit in a dark room in the middle of the day for two hours and watch other people hit one another over the head on a giant screen. Read More

THE RAID WRITER-DIRECTOR GARETH EVANS

I'm the guy that makes stunt performers take multiple kicks to the head for the pleasure of what I hope is a captivated audience. I ask a lot of people. I deal in blood and mayhem. As a kid I was obsessed, and still am to this day with the incredible work done by my childhood heroes. My friends and I would re-enact everything we'd seen, doing remakes of our favorite films in my back garden. 8 year old kids running around swinging punches and kicks, diving across the lawn. Read More

THE LAST ELVIS DIRECTOR ARMANDO BO

I'm a third generation of filmmakers. When I was a boy I used to visit the sets of my father and grandfather. I worked as an extra, in production, in location scouting, in direction. I cannot say exactly why I do it. I only know that I enjoy it and I don't see myself doing anything else. I believe that cinema, being a combination of most of the other arts, if it is well executed, it is without a doubt the art that goes deeper and mobilizes more different feelings.Read more