FESTIVAL CIRCUIT: FELLOWS AT SUNDANCE PART I
Film Independent fellows made a strong showing this year at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. Four films start the Sundance Recap off!
Your Sister’s Sister
Writer/director: Lynn Shelton (Someone to Watch Award)
Producer: Steven Schardt (Screenwriters Lab)
One year after his brother’s death, Jack hasn’t recovered. His best friend, Iris, prescribes solitary reflection and sends him to her father’s empty cabin. But she doesn’t realize her sister, Hannah, is there for similar reasons, having just walked out on a seven-year relationship. Over tequila shots, Hannah and Jack get acquainted. When Iris drops in unexpectedly, complications arise in the form of rivalry and more than a few surprising revelations.
What People are saying: Deadline put Film Independent Fellow Steven Schardt on their list of 10 Producers to keep watching.
Mosquita y Mari
Writer/director Aurora Guerrero (Project Involve)
Producer Charlene Agabao (Producers Lab)
Mosquita y Mari is a coming of age story that focuses on a tender love between two young Chicanas that struggles to find its place in their lives and in today’s world. Yolanda and Mari are growing up in Huntington Park, Los Angeles and have only known loyalty to one thing: family. Growing up in immigrant households, both girls are expected to prioritize the well-being of their families.
What people are saying: It’s a robust work of self-discovery for two girls at the most awkward and confusing years of their young lives, and a testament to Aurora Guerrero’s storytelling prowess. – Hollywood Reporter
Valley of Saints
Writer/Director Musa Syeed
Nicholas Bruckman (Producers Lab, Sloan Producers Grant)
Widely considered to be the crown jewel of Kashmir, Dal Lake is a sprawling aquatic community where erupting political violence often distracts from the natural beauty. Gulzar, a young, working-class boatman, plans to skip town with his best friend in search of a better life, but a weeklong military curfew derails their departure. Forced to wait it out, Gulzar takes a job assisting a pretty scientist named Asifa. As they navigate the floating landscape, collecting water samples for an environmental study, an unlikely relationship blossoms between the two. When Asifa’s research reveals harmful pollutants, Gulzar realizes that the ecology of the lake and an entire way of life face an alarming threat, and everything in his own life begins to take on a new hue.
What people are saying: Valley of Saints took home both the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Award and the World Cinema Audience Award: Dramatic
LUV
Writer/director: Sheldon Candis (Directors Lab, Fast Track, Project Involve)
Producer: Jason Berman (Fast Track)
Woody, an adorable 11-year-old boy awaiting the return of his missing mother, lives with his grandmother and Uncle Vincent, who is fresh off an eight-year prison stint. For Woody, the confident, charismatic Vincent is a titan among men. When Vincent notices that Woody could learn a thing or two about becoming a man, he brings him along as he ventures forth to open his own business. But when legit life fails to support Vincent’s vision, and his old Baltimore crime boss, Mr. Fish, haunts him, the pace of little Woody’s manhood lesson accelerates.
What People are saying: Candis generally displays solid skills, and clearly works well with actors… The film has a crisp, clean look that’s a refreshing change from the usual gangland grittiness. Hollywood Reporter
January 30th, 2012 • No Comments
