The 2011 Sundance Film Festival is just a few weeks away, but if can’t get to Utah this year, don’t worry because the festival is coming to you!
The festival will take place January 20-30 in and around Park City, Utah and will include an eclectic mix of documentaries, like Michael Rapaport’s Tribe Called Quest documentary Beats, Rhymes and Life, and new films from up and coming film makers, like Vera Farmiga’s Higher Ground.
But this year, the fest is offering folks all over the country the opportunity to get a taste of the festival without leaving their hometown. On January 27, several cities across the country will host special screenings of movies premiering at Sundance as part of the Sundance Film Festival USA program.
Here are the details:
Win Win, Ann Arbor, MI @ Michigan Theater
Director and screenwriter: Tom McCarthy, based on the story by Tom McCarthy and Joe Tiboni – When a disheartened attorney moonlighting as a high school wrestling coach stumbles across a star athlete, things seem to be looking up. That is, until the boy’s mother shows up fresh from rehab and flat broke, threatening to derail everything. Cast: Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan, Bobby Cannavale, Jeffrey Tambor. World Premiere
My Idiot Brother, Brookline, MA @ Coolidge Corner Theatre
Director: Jesse Peretz; Screenwriters: Evgenia Peretz and David Schisgall – After serving time for being conned into selling pot, Ned successively moves in with each of his three sisters as he tries to get back on his feet. His best intentions quickly bring the family to the cusp of chaos and ultimately the brink of clarity. Cast: Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel, Emily Mortimer. World Premiere
Kaboom, Brooklyn, NY @ BAM
Director and screenwriter: Gregg Araki – A science fiction story centered on the sexual awakening of a group of college students. Cast: Thomas Dekker, Haley Bennett, Chris Zylka, Roxane Mesquida, Juno Temple. U.S. Premiere
The Music Never Stopped, Chicago, IL @ Music Box Theatre
Director: Jim Kohlberg; Screenwriters: Gwyn Lurie and Gary Marks, based on the story “The Last Hippie” by Oliver Sacks – A father struggles to bond with his estranged son who suffers a brain tumor that prevents him from forming new memories. He learns to embrace his son’s choices and to try to connect with him through the power of music. Cast: J.K. Simmons, Julia Ormond, Cara Seymour, Lou Taylor Pucci, Mia Maestro. World Premiere
The Details, Los Angeles, CA @ Vintage Cinemas Vista Theatre
Director and screenwriter: Jacob Aaron Estes – When a family of hungry raccoons begin feasting on the worms living under the sod of a young couple’s backyard, the pest problem sets off a wild and absurd chain reaction of anxiety, infidelity, organ donation and other assorted mayhem. Cast: Tobey Maguire, Elizabeth Banks, Laura Linney, Ray Liotta, Dennis Haysbert, Kerry Washington. World Premiere
Like Crazy, Madison, WI @ Sundance Cinemas Madison
Director: Drake Doremus; Screenwriters: Drake Doremus and Ben York Jones – A young American guy and a young British girl meet in college and fall in love. Their love is tested when she is required to leave the country and they must face the challenges of a long-distance relationship. Cast: Anton Yelchin, Felicity Jones, Jennifer Lawrence, Charlie Bewley, Alex Kingston. World Premiere
Letters from the Big Man, Nashville, TN @ The Belcourt Theatre
Director and screenwriter: Christopher Munch – An artist and government hydrologist surveying a remote part of southwestern Oregon befriends a sasquatch man and must take bold steps to protect his privacy, as well as her own. Cast: Lily Rabe, Jason Butler Harner, Isaac C. Singleton Jr., Jim Cody Williams, Fiona Dourif. World Premiere
Connected: An Autoblogography about Love, Death & Technology, San Francisco, CA @ Sundance Kabuki Cinemas
Director: Tiffany Shlain; Screenwriters: Tiffany Shlain, Ken Goldberg, Carlton Evans and Sawyer Steele – Connected is an exhilarating stream-of-consciousness ride through the interconnectedness of humankind, nature, progress and morality at the dawn of the 21st century. For centuries we’ve been declaring independence. With insight, curiosity, and humor, the film explores whether it’s time to declare our interdependence. World Premiere
Cedar Rapids, Seattle, WA @ The Egyptian Theater and special post-festival screening in Ann Arbor, MI @ Michigan Theater
Director: Miguel Arteta; Screenwriter: Phil Johnston – A wholesome and naive small-town Wisconsin man travels to big city Cedar Rapids, Iowa to represent his company at a regional insurance conference. Cast: Ed Helms, John C Reilly, Anne Heche, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Alia Shawkat, Sigourney Weaver. World Premiere
