Sundance Film Festival

“VICTORIA DAY” writer-director, David Bezmozgis

[PREMIERE SCREENING: Saturday, Jan. 17, 6:00 pm — Egyptian Theatre, Park City] I wrote the first draft of Victoria Day in 2001 before the existence of YouTube or the invention of the iPod. So, Victoria Day in its conception and execution wasn’t influenced by these things. But even if I were to conceive of it anew today, the story would take the same shape, simply because I don’t believe that the effect I hope to achieve — namely an emotional effect — can be achieved any other way. In my experience, the kinds of stories that I’ve seen told on […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Jan 17, 2009
“COLD SOULS” writer-director, Sophie Barthes

[PREMIERE SCREENING: Saturday, Jan. 17, 5:15 pm — Racquet Club, Park City] Maybe I’m a dreamer, but I still believe that watching a film should be a collective experience in the darkness of a movie theater, with the viewer floating in a mental state somewhere between consciousness and sleep. I feel that filmmaking as a creative process and as a medium is very close to the process of dreaming. A film is an association of images outside of our control interacting with our memories and emotions. So by replacing the big screen with miniature devices, we’re losing an aspect of […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Jan 17, 2009
“I SAW YOU CRYING” Frontier section artist spotlight: Maria Marshall

[PREMIERE SCREENING: Saturday, Jan. 17, 5:30 pm — Holiday Village Cinema III, Park City] As an artist I am at liberty to use everything as an influence to tell the story. I have made a three-minute wonder that was entirely filmed on a mobile phone. A series of three-minute films were commissioned by the British television stationChannel 4, and the films aired before the 7:00 p.m. news. I discovered early on how to be true to materials, and this awareness is reflected in my work. The Internet and YouTube are sources for information at our fingertips. I am, however, very […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Jan 17, 2009
“AMREEKA” writer-director, Cherien Dabis

[PREMIERE SCREENING: Saturday, Jan. 17, 12:15 pm — Eccles Theatre, Park City] I didn’t respond to the changes in the way people are beginning to view cinema today. My story development process, which began back in 2003, was very much influenced by my own personal experience and my need for authenticity, especially in light of the political issues that rose to the forefront after 9/11 and the subsequent invasion of Iraq. From the start I knew that I wanted to craft a universal story and imbue it with humor so that it was accessible and relatable to a mass audience, […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Jan 17, 2009
“THE QUEEN AND I” director, Nahid Persson Sarvestani

[PREMIERE SCREENING: Saturday, Jan. 17, 6:15 pm — Holiday Village Cinema IV, Park City] As a documentary filmmaker I am always telling a story, painting a picture of a reality that to some may be disturbing, to others offensive, but hopefully always eye-opening and informative. As such it will always be the content, the core and the soul of the film that is the driving force behind my creative process. The technological aspects and various formats are secondary. My latest doc The Queen and I is a simple story marked by extraordinary events. Whether my films are screened on iPods, […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Jan 17, 2009
“OVER THE HILLS AND FAR AWAY” director, Michael O. Scott

[PREMIERE SCREENING: Saturday, Jan. 17, 3:00 pm — Temple Theatre, Park City] Over the Hills and Far Away is a piece of true magical realism. A family struggles to cope with their son’s autism. In an act of inspiration and desperation combined, they travel to Mongolia and journey through the country on horseback in search of mysterious shamans who they believe can heal their son. It’s hard to believe that this is a documentary and not a dramatic narrative. It’s a filmmaker’s dream to be able to work with such material. So for me it wasn’t a question of finding […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Jan 17, 2009
“THE GREATEST” writer-director, Shana Feste

[PREMIERE SCREENING: Saturday, Jan. 17, 3:15 pm — Eccles Theatre, Park City] It probably would have been smarter if I had thought of kids on a subway watching my movie on their iPod — but then I would have come to the inevitable conclusion that they would never be moved by a drama where you can’t see an actors’ eyes and immediately gotten bored and turned it off. I wanted most of all to make a film similar to the character-driven dramas of the late ’70s that I loved so much as a kid. I can’t imagine those play well […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Jan 17, 2009
“500 DAYS OF SUMMER” director, Marc Webb

[PREMIERE SCREENING: Saturday, Jan. 17, 6:15 pm — Eccles Theatre, Park City] I think “story” is the same as it has always been. Maybe the delivery devices change, maybe the venues evolve, maybe the audiences can absorb information faster and maybe they’re more sophisticated in their demands. But the basic craft and fundamentals of story remain unchanged. We certainly didn’t adjust the concept of the film for YouTube, or any small screen for that matter. Maybe on some subconscious level, the short episodic nature of “the days” grew from watching too many YouTube video bursts. But I can’t say for […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Jan 17, 2009
“BARKING WATER” writer-director, Sterlin Harjo

[PREMIERE SCREENING: Saturday, Jan. 17, 2:15 pm — Racquet Club, Park City] I knew before we began making Barking Water that I wanted to try something different. The story is about an older couple who has had a very tumultuous relationship for the past 40 years. The woman, Irene, comes to the man, Frankie, on his deathbed and agrees to take him from the hospital and get him home. The problem, of course, is that Frankie is dying, so the film explores their relationship as she tries to get him home to see his daughter before he dies. Under the […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Jan 17, 2009
“CHAMELEON STREET” By Mike Plante

Mike Plante wrote about the DVD release of Chameleon Street in our Load & Play section in 2007. The film will screen at this year’s Sundance Film Festival in its Sundance Collection section. In Chameleon Street, the enigmatic Doug Street goes through a series of cons, sometimes to make money, sometimes to prove he can do more than what the world expects of him. In short time he goes from a simple extortion plot to complex impersonations, including as a reporter from Time, a Yale student, a lawyer and even a surgeon. Yes, a surgeon – who performed 36 successful […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Jan 16, 2009

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