A dark character study of a girl escaping a cult, Sean Durkin’s feature Martha Marcy May Marlene is an impressive debut that also highlights the talents of this year’s Sundance breakout actress,
Elizabeth Olsen. By Jason Guerrasio | Photograph by Henny Garfunkel
Though Lars von Trier’s mouth gets him into trouble, the Dane’s incredible story-telling talents are well under control. Melancholia, his latest, is a masterfully beguiling tale of sisters, depression and the end of the world. By Zachary Wigon
Is independent filmmaking a calling, like a religion? The Rev. Megan Hollaway looks at the religious impulse in Todd Rohal’s priest comedy, The Catechism Cataclysm. Photograph by Henny Garfunkel
Welcome to the 14th edition of Filmmaker’s “25 New Faces of Independent Film.

For Evan Glodell, surviving a bad breakup by making a movie wasn’t enough — he also built the camera it was shot on and the car featured in its story. Dubbed the mad scientist of this year’s Sundance, he takes Septien director Michael tully through the apocalyptic fever dream that is BELLFLOWER. Photograph by Henny Garfunkel
Both actor and bona fide Hollywood star, Mark Ruffalo has made a surprising directorial debut with Sympathy For Delicious, a bold fable about religion and rock & roll, betrayal and friendship. By Scott Macaulay
The Myth of the American Sleepover has seduced audiences from Austin to Cannes with the intimacy of its look at a group of teenagers during one long, magical summer night. Writer-director David Robert Mitchell and his team discuss the film’s journey to the screen. By James Ponsoldt
With his second feature, the Gotham Award-winning Littlerock, California native Mike Ott explores the dreams of a small California town through the eyes of a visiting pair of young Japanese tourists. By Ray Pride.
From a screenplay by Leslie Dixon, Neil Burger takes us on a pharmaceutical-fueled joyride through a conspiratorially intelligent New York business world in Limitless. By Scott Macaulay PLUS: Leslie Dixon on nurturing your inner Tarantino.