The health and identity of American independent cinema has always been difficult to gauge and define, but Sundance is our default arbiter and explainer. Of course, indie film exists far beyond the limits of Park City in January, but the festival gives the nebulous American indie sector a test sample — and as any scientist will tell you, that’s the first step in making an accurate hypothesis. So what can the films of Sundance 2015 clarify about the state of American indies, now and in the future? Some trends can be attributed to random cycles and one-time events, but there […]

There’s a great tradition of acclaimed French actresses crossing over into larger budget Hollywood films, both good and bad: Isabelle Huppert in Heaven’s Gate; Catherine Deneuve in Hustle; Audrey Tautou in The Da Vinci Code. And while there’s a tradition too of French actresses appearing in American independent films — Huppert again in Hartley’s Amateur and, more recently, Adèle Exarchopoulos in, briefly, Matt Porterfield’s I Used to Be Darker — French stars appearing in such uninhibited, ultra-low budget comedies as Patrick Brice’s The Overnight, a Sundance premiere headed to theaters via The Orchard this June, are a far rarer occurrence. […]

Following 2014’s Song One and 2013’s Breathe In, cinematographer John Gulesarian returns to Sundance with his third film in three years, The Overnight. Directed by Patrick Brice and starring Adam Scott and Taylor Schilling, the film is set during a long Los Angeles night, one in which a chance encounter between two families leads to what the program calls “a painfully funny take on sexual frustration and parenthood.” The film premieres Friday, January 23 in the Dramatic Competition. Below Gulesarian talks about small crews, practical lights, and how a $10 piece of equipment can save the day. Filmmaker: How and […]