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The slate for the 23rd Slamdance Film Festival has been fleshed out with three Special Screenings picks, five features in the Beyond, and a wide array of short films.
The opening-night film for Slamdance set for Friday, Jan. 20, at the Treasure Mountain Inn in Park City is the investigative documentary "What Lies Upstream," in which director Cullen Hoback looks into a massive chemical spill that left 300,000 West Virginia residents without drinking water for months.
"What Lies Upstream" is one of three films in Slamdance's Special Screening slate. The other two are:
• "After Adderall," writer-director Stephen Elliott's comedy based on his experiences when James Franco optioned the rights to Elliott's memoir, "The Adderall Diaries," and made a movie from it. Elliott stars with Mickaela Tombrock, Bill Heck, Michael C. Hall, Ned Van Zandt, James Urbaniak, Lili Taylor and Jerry Stahl.
• "You Never Had It: An Evening with Bukowski," writer-director Matteo Borgardt's documentary, which uses long-lost footage to recapture a night of drinking and talking with the writer and poet Charles Bukowski in his California house in 1981. (Michael Edwards' animated short "A Narrative Film" billed as "the most narrative narrative ever narrated" will precede the film.)
Here are the titles in the Beyond program:
"Automatic at Sea" • (U.S./Denmark) In writer-director Matthew Lessner's thriller, Swedish traveler Eve (Livia Hiselius) goes on a whim with Peter (David Henry Gerson) to his family's private island in New England. But when the other guests haven't arrived yet, Eve finds herself trapped with the erratic Peter, in a surreal state with bizarre visions and shifting dimensions.
"The Erlprince" • (Poland) A gifted teen (Staszek Cywka) starts studying at university, and comes to believe that his theory of parallel worlds may hasten the apocalypse. Written and directed by Kuba Czekaj.
"Future '38" • Jamie Greenberg writes and directs this screwball comedy, seemingly made in 1938 and set in the far-off future year of 2018. The cast includes Betty Gilpin, Nick Westrate, Robert John Burke, Ethan Phillips, Sean Young, Tom Riis Farrell, Sophie von Haselberg and Tabitha Holbert.
"Neighborhood Food Drive" • In this comedy, a group of idiots keep trying to throw a party over and over, and failing. Director Jerzy Rose co-wrote with Halle Butler and Mike Lopez; the cast stars Lyra Hill, Bruce Bundy, Ruby McCollister, Ted Tremper, Marcos Barnes and Jared Larson.
"Suck It Up" • (Canada) Faye (Erin Carter) and Ronnie (Grace Glowicki) go on a debaucherous trip to the mountains, after the death of the man they had in common Faye's love and Ronnie's brother. Jordan Canning directed this comedy, written by Julia Hoff.
Here are the shorts selected for the 2017 Slamdance Film Festival (with synopses provided by Slamdance). All titles are made in the United States, unless otherwise noted:
Narrative Shorts:
"August" • Written and directed by Caitlyn Greene: "Deep in Louisiana's swampland, a woman wakes from a fever dream where it has been August for 16 years."
"Birds with Human Heads" • Written and directed by Max Wilde: "Basking in the wildlife of a handmade universe, a girl receives her first stick and poke tattoo from her best friend."
"Brad Cuts Loose" • Written and directed by Christopher Good: "An uptight office drone seemingly discovers the perfect vehicle for letting off steam when an advertisement for a business catering to his innermost desires pops up one morning on his computer."
"Business" • Written and directed by Kati Skelton: "A terrified young man gets tangled up in a surreal and demoralizing 'business opportunity.' "
"The Cure" • Written and directed by Mike Olenick: "A mom cries, photos fly, cats spy, and bodies collide in this sci-fi soap opera that unravels the secret dreams of people who are desperately searching for ways to cure their fears of loneliness."
"A Doll's Hug" • (Taiwan/U.S.) Directed by Rob Chihwen Lo; written by Cheng-Han Wu, story by Lo: "A Taiwanese boy learns to fight back from the threatening violence in his Barbie doll world."
"Dr. Meertz" • Written and directed by Steve Collins: "A renegade psychotherapist has a brief window of time to cure a patient with ungodly dreams."
"E" • (Canada) Written and directed by Raphaël Ouellet: "5 women : 5 tales of ordinary oppression."
"Ford Clitaurus" • Written and directed by MP Cunningham: "An aspiring artist struggles to find his voice, his sexual identity, and the meaning of creativity."
"Get Out Fast" • Written and directed by Haley Elizabeth Anderson: "Alex's best friend, Coyote Boy, is missing and he doesn't know why."
"I'm in Here" • Written and directed by Willy Berliner: "When a man finds a family of strangers in his house who claim to have bought the place, he agrees to let them stay until they can get to the bottom of the mix-up. They never leave."
"The Investment" • Written and directed by Steve Collins: "A mysterious salesman offers an inadvisable investment opportunity to a lonely woman in need of a friend."
"Last Night" • Written and directed by Kent Juliff: "On the final night of their DIY stand up tour around Texas, five comics grow closer as friends."
"Losing It" • Written and directed by Henry Jinings: "High schooler Marshall hopes to seal the deal on prom night, but his date, Sarah, might not be as into it as he had hoped."
"Neon Lights" • Written and directed by Bradley Bixler: "After a seemingly ordinary transaction goes wrong, a young stripper encounters a violent customer on her way home to her father's birthday."
"No Other Way To Say It" • Written and directed by Tim Mason: "A voice over actor tries to deliver the right performance while receiving confusing text messages and confusing direction."
"Nonna" • (Canada) Written and directed by Pascal Plante: "Just another visit at granny's…"
"Oh What a Wonderful Feeling" • (Canada) Written and directed by François Jaros: "Stars, hide your fires, let not light see my black and deep desires. Nor any truck."
"One-Minded" • (France/U.S./South Korea) Written and directed by Forest Ian Etsler and Sébastien Simon: " 'One-Minded' tells the story of one fan's transformation from dog to God."
"The Package" • Written and directed by Benjamin Whatley: "An experimental narrative which follows the journey of a product from the factory line to a consumer and beyond."
"Paco" • Written and directed by Catalina Jordan Alvarez: "He wants you to bounce on his lap."
"Pedazos" • Written and directed by Alejandro Peña: "After a garish and violent ceremony, two lovers are thrown into a mysterious cave inhabited by flying creatures."
"Redmond Hand, Private Dick" • Directed by Todd Selby, written by Jason Kreher: "On her quest to find a beautiful woman's missing cactus, LA's most notorious detective gets caught up in some crazy shit and then dies."
"Sadhu in Bombay" • (India) Written and directed by Kabir Mehra: " 'Sadhu In Bombay' is a documentary portrait of a man, with ascetic origins, who has been radically transformed by city life . The film explores the grey zones between truth, fiction and the construction of reality; while vividly addressing contemporary life in India."
"Student Union" • (Hungary) Written and directed by György Mór Kárpáti: "The return journey on a train from a freshman summer camp, where 18-year-old Dóra has just been sexually abused."
"Voyage of Galactic Space Dangler" • Written and directed by Evan Mann: "A space man meets a cave man."
"We Together" • Written and directed by Henry Kaplan: "A zombie is awakened."
Documentary Shorts:
"Clean Hands" • Directed by Lauren DeFilippo: "On a Sunday morning the congregation of the Daytona Beach Drive-In Christian Church tunes in."
"Clip-135-02-05" • Directed by Sasha Gransjean: "Animals are used to express the dislocation, helplessness, and anger, while nature illustrates the lack of control that we have on events that come to pass."
"Commodity City" • Directed by Jessica Kingdon: "An observation of the daily lives of vendors who work in China's Yiwu Markets, the largest consumer market in the world. The film explores moments of tension between the fake and the real, between what is for sale and the humans who sell them."
"The Dundee Project" • Directed by Mark Borchardt: "In his long-awaited follow-up to 1997's 'Coven,' filmmaker Mark Borchardt steps behind the camera again with 'The Dundee Project,' a documentary chronicling a small town UFO festival in Wisconsin."
"Dust & Dirt" • Directed by Chris Stanford: "Mason Massey dreams of one day making it to the top level of racing but with a lack of big money sponsorship he knows that it is going to be a long, hard road."
"Eveready" • (Uganda/U.S.) Directed by Paul Szynol: "Uganda's most surprising boxer steps into the ring one more time."
"Irregulars" • (Italy) Directed by Fabio Palmieri: "Against a tellingly hypnotic factory backdrop, a refugee encapsulates the global immigration crisis in his own wrenching words."
"It Is What It Is" • Directed by Cyrus Yoshi Tabar: "As filmmaker Cyrus Yoshi Tabar digs deep into his family history for answers to questions that have shaped his life, he finds that there are some things that might be better off left in the past."
"Moriom" • (Switzerland) Directed by Francesca Scalisi and Mark Olexa: "Moriom, a beautiful but strange young woman, says her parents must be punished for holding her prisoner and torturing her. They have a different story."
"The Real Wi-Fi of Baltimore" • Directed by Julia Kim Smith: "Featuring the genre-busting talent of James Nasty and TT the Artist, The Real Wi-Fi Of Baltimore offers a punny and nuanced view of Baltimore neighborhoods in a short film edited from iPhone screenshots of Wi-Fi network names."
"Richard Twice" • Directed by Matthew Salton: "Richard Atkins, the singer and songwriter of the early 70's California psychedelic folk duo 'Richard Twice', was on his way to stardom and a huge success with his first debut album when he mysteriously walked away from it all."
"Searching for Wives" • (Singapore) Directed by Zuki Juno Tobgye: "A foreign worker from South India, whose customs says he is not allowed to marry at an even age, comes to Singapore in search of a job and a chance to find a wife before he turns 32."
"Sweet Pie" • Directed by Pierce Cravens: "Sweet Pie, also known as Paul Winer, revives his career as the baron of bare-assed boogie-woogie and blues at the Public Theater in NYC."
"This is Yates" • Directed by Josh Yates: "A reflexive analog-elegy that hates itself."
"Troll: A Southern Tale" • Directed by Marinah Janello: "An eccentric artist navigates self-expression through his experiences living and growing up in the South."
Animation Shorts:
"Auto" • Directed by Conner Griffith: "Cars dance on highways, crowds of people wash across sidewalk shores."
"Batfish Soup" • Directed by Amanda Bonaiuto: "Wacky relatives give way to mounting tensions with broken dolls, boiling stew and a bang."
"Chella Drive" • Directed by Adele Han Li: "A disembodied memory of adolescence in a Southern Californian suburb. The stuck-stillness of endless summer is disrupted only by a passing El Niño."
"Hold Me (Ca Caw Ca Caw)" • Directed by Renee Zhan: "Flap flapflapflapflap flap. A large bird and a small boy cohabit in an unhappy relationship, trapped by four walls and a mutual codependency. The fragile balance of their existence is cracked by an un-eggs-pected arrival."
"Insect Bite" • Directed by Grace Nayoon Rhee: "A tiny bug tries to figure out what it wants to become."
"It Is My Fault" • (China) Directed by Liu Sha: "This work utilizes the own approach of the digital medium itself to deconstruct, to form the subliminal synesthesia visually and to create a fictional experience for the mind."
"Monkey" • (China) Directed by Shen Jie: "One of the three monkeys died."
"My Father's Room" • (South Korea) Written and directed by Nari Jang: "Sometimes, family members can be worse than strangers."
"The Noise of Licking" • (Hungary) Written and directed by Nadja Andrasev, based on a short story by Ádám Bodor: "A woman is being watched every day by the neighbor's cat, as she takes care of her exotic plants. Their perverted ritual comes to an end when the cat disappears. Next spring a peculiar man pays her a visit."
"Plena Stellarum" • Written and directed by Matthew Wade: "Neon ghosts dreaming in dead landscapes."
"Q" • Directed by James Bascara: "A bashful encounter."
"Remember" • (Japan) Directed by Shunsaku Hayashi: " 'Leaving home, "I" got a phone call. As "I' answered it, the house exploded. "I" went to work and continued as normal'…"
"Serpentine" • Written and directed by Bronwyn Maloney: "A young woman's reflective fantasy arouses a surreal exploration of sensuality, self-esteem, and deeply rooted fears."
Experimental Shorts:
"Blua" • (Colombia) Written and directed by Carolina Charry Quintero: "What do we see when we really look at an animal? Certainly, not just what meets the eye."
"Experiments in Non-Cinema" • Written and directed by Spencer Holden and Noah Engel: "Making cinematic experiences without a camera apparatus."
"Girl Becomes Snow" • Written and directed by Ryan Betschart and Tyler Betschart: "An investigation into death induced dream ephemera or; a body (mind) dissolves into video signal memories."
"Press Play" • Directed by Kym McDaniel: "Discernment becomes crucial as a little girl negotiates an adult world where different forms of entrapment threaten reality."
"The Trembling Giant" • (U.K.) Directed by Patrick Tarrant: "The bark of the quaking aspen is thought to provide the cure for any fear who cause can't be named."
"Unknown Hours" • Directed by Calum Walter: "An observer journeys down a main street in Chicago towards a neighborhood known for its nightlife."
"UpCycles" • Directed by Ariana Gerstein: "Cycling from original footage shot on super 8mm, up to 16mm, 35mm, down again to 16, optically printed, hand processed, and then optically printed again using a digital still camera to end on digital video."
Anarchy Shorts:
"Ape Sodom" • (Canada) Written and directed by Maxwell McCabe-Lokos: "Three degenerates navigate the descending hierarchy of post-consumerist enlightenment."
"Hell Follows" • (U.S./Japan) Written and directed by Brian Harrison: "Betrayed by his clan and murdered for his past evil deeds, a sadistic killer's soul possesses his identical twin's body and sets out onto the road of vengeance for one final crusade of extermination... Everywhere he goes... HELL FOLLOWS."
"Horseshoe Theory" • Directed by Jonathan Daniel Brown, written by Brown and Travis Harrington: "A weapons deal between a white supremacist and a member of the Islamic State blossoms into more."
"In a World of Bad Breath" • Written and directed by Christopher Graybill: "Watch general confusion amongst an ancient presence."
"Lighter Click" • Directed by Robbie Ward: "An odyssey through a mysterious psychedelic landscape full of monsters and secrets both beautiful and dark."
"Silverhead" • Written and directed by Lewis Vaughn: "A deranged, 300 lb. masked ax murderer terrorizes the streets of Chicago as a calculated hunter tracks him."
"TheBox" • Directed by Jack Turpin and Davy Walker: "An expressionistic journey through the gilt-pop-entrapment in which we find ourselves."
"Vitamins for Life" • Directed by Grier Dill, written by T.R. Darling: "An educational film about some lesser known vitamins."
"What a Beautiful World This Will Be" • Written and directed by Tyler Walker: "While a mysterious disease called 'the Blank' ravages New York City, a young drunk must find his missing friend."
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