Sundance Film Festival 2013
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A.C.O.D. | Director Stu Zicherman
[PREMIERE SCREENING: Wednesday, Jan. 23, 6:30pm — Eccles Theatre] In order to get A.C.O.D. made, I sacrificed a year of television work. I usually write at least one network or cable pilot per year, which is the one stream of income I can always rely on. But with A.C.O.D. close to getting made, I took a gamble and passed on pilot season in hopes of getting a green light. Then pilot season came and went without the film getting off the ground. Just as I began a phase of real self-loathing over my newfound unemployment, my producer called to say […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 22, 2013 -
Fall to Grace Director Alexandra Pelosi
From the ascension of George Bush (in Journeys with George) to the crash-and-burn of Ted Haggard (The Trials of Ted Haggard), director Alexandra Pelosi has been fascinated with the rise and fall of the men who comprise our political and social landscape. In her latest documentary, Fall to Grace, she finds elements of both narrative arcs in the story of New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey, who simultaneously resigned his position and announced his homosexuality in 2004, midway into his term. (McGreevey revealed an affair with a man he appointed as New Jersey homeland security advisor.) Following his resignation, McGreevey divorced […]
by Scott Macaulay on Jan 22, 2013 -
Very Good Girls | Director Naomi Foner
[PREMIERE SCREENING: Tuesday, Jan. 22, 6:15pm — Eccles Theatre, Park City] Time is not on my side. I came late to directing, although I’ve been writing screenplays for most of my life, so I am in a hurry. In my case, it was, grandma directs a movie. And that meant literally, limiting the time I got to spend with my favorite people on earth, my grand daughter Ramona, and her new sister, Gloria who arrived weeks before we began to shoot. That was a big trade off, but I am hoping that they will get to see this film, and […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 21, 2013 -
Family and Sacrifice in A River Changes Course
The challenges I’ve encountered in making this film – my struggles to support myself financially, the physical hardships of filming in extremely hot and humid conditions, getting sick in the middle of production, and the strain of being away from loved ones for extended periods of time – were all difficult. But I never considered any of the challenges as acts of sacrifice. At worst, they were inconveniences. At best, they were experiences that emboldened and strengthened me. On the other hand, the sacrifices made daily by Sari, Khieu, and Sav Samourn for their families are of a depth and nature […]
by Kalyanee Mam on Jan 21, 2013 -
3D Plane Crashes and Charlie Victor Romeo
They came up with a great idea. Within months, they received the highest critical acclaim. They continued to perform and planned to make a movie of it all. It took 13 years. At Sundance 2013, in the New Frontiers section, the 3D film version of the acclaimed performance piece about plane crashes, Charlie Victor Romeo, will have its premiere. A few weeks after the shoot was completed, and as an Associate Producer and behind-the-scenes documentarian of the film, I asked several of the projects principal creators to share an inside account of the transformation. First, Charlie Victor Romeo was a […]
by Matthew Kohn on Jan 21, 2013 -
Sundance is the World, and the World Speaks English
When I was buying groceries on my first night in Park City, throughout the supermarket were out-of-towners with red lanyards around their neck stocking up on food, hoping to eat well enough not to get sick. Ahead of me at the checkout was Focus boss James Schamus, who told me he already had the flu. While I was in line, the cashier remarked how Park City was being taken over by people from New York and California. “And Belgium. There was a guy from there in here earlier in my shift. And also one from West Africa.” At Sundance, you […]
by Nick Dawson on Jan 21, 2013 -
Five Questions with Pit Stop Director Yen Tan
It’s been five years since Yen Tan’s mournful, romantic drama debut Ciao, and the Texas-based filmmaker now returns with Pit Stop. If the early buzz surrounding the film is any indication, Pit Stop shares the emotional intimacy of its predecessor, this time tracking the relationship of two gay men in a blue collar small Texas town. The film premieres today in the Sundance Film Festival’s NEXT section. Filmmaker: Where did the inspiration for Pit Stop come from? Can you speak a bit about Gabe and Ernesto’s characters, and how you developed each? Tan: Pit Stop came about during my road trips between the […]
by Jane Schoenbrun on Jan 21, 2013 -
Five Questions with The Rambler Director Calvin Lee Reeder
Over the past half-decade, Calvin Reeder has carved out a filmmaking niche all his own. His debut feature, The Oregonian (which premiered at Sundance two years ago), as well as his much-praised early short films, are a strange mix of psychological horror, high-minded surrealism, camp, and a soundtrack and filmic texture that hint at both nostalgia and discomfort. His second feature, The Rambler, is an adaptation of his 2008 short film of the same name, and follows a man (Dermot Mulroney) recently released from jail who embarks on a journey to reconnect with his long-lost brother. It premieres today in […]
by Jane Schoenbrun on Jan 21, 2013 -
Five Questions with Computer Chess Director Andrew Bujalski
After taking a few years off from filmmaking to form a family and take on adult responsibilities (such as buying a house), Andrew Bujalski premieres his newest film Computer Chess in Park City today. Using an interesting combination of non-professional and professional actors, this crowdsourced movie centers around a tournament of chess players and computer programmers in the 1980s. Though Computer Chess is indeed a period piece, its interest in humans’ relationship with technology remains entirely pertinent as our culture, more than three decades later, finds itself hinged to computers but unable to answer some of the same questions the […]
by Alexandra Byer on Jan 21, 2013 -
The Rambler | Director Calvin Lee Reeder
[PREMIERE SCREENING: Monday, Jan. 21, 11:45pm — Library Center Theatre, Park City] I was really lucky and didn’t have to sacrifice too much creatively at all. However, for the first time in my career I was unable to shoot film! It was also the first time I found myself with enough money to have a real crew and pay actors and feed people and blah blah blah, but somehow when it was all run through the budget there was just no room for processing and transfer. I’m still a little baffled by this. I went ahead and shot on the […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 20, 2013
