The US premiere of Glenn McQuaid's comedy horror I Sell The Dead starring Dominic Monaghan and Ron Perlman will open the 15th Slamdance Film Festival, which runs from January 15-23.
As always the festival will run concurrently with Sundance and screen roughly 100 features, short films and music videas. Twenty features from the narrative and documentary sections will compete in the main competition dedicated to first-time directorial entries that cost less than $1m to make and lack domestic distribution.
The five programmes are narrative features, documentaries, special screenings, the late night Twilight Screenings and shorts. Four writing prizes will honour feature screenplay, teleplay, horror screenplay and short screenplay.
NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION
The Ante (Canada)
Dir: Max Perrier
An innocent man becomes the killer everyone wants him to be when he gambles with his freedom in order to save it.
A Quiet Little Marriage (USA)
Dir: Mo Perkins
Cast: Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Cy Carter, Jimmi Simpson.
A loving young couple square off against each other in a covert, domestic battleground of their own making.
City Rats (UK)
Cast: Susan Lynch, Kenny Doughty, Tamer Hassan
A modern day Dickensian tale of eight haunted people who meet and fall apart while searching for redemption in each other.
I Sell The Dead (USA)
Glenn McQuaid
Cast: Dominic Monaghan, Ron Perlman, Angus Scrimm, Larry Fessenden.
A duo of hapless graverobbers in the late 19th Century begin to unearth peculiar corpses.
US premiere
Mississippi Damned (USA)
Dir: Tina Mabry
Cast: DB Woodside, Malcolm David Kelly, Malcolm Goodwin, Tessa Thompson, Michael Hyatt.
Three poor black children in rural Mississippi reap the consequences of their family's cycle of abuse, addiction and violence.
World premiere
Only (Canada)
Dirs: Ingrid Veninger and Simon Reynolds
One day shared between a young boy and girl, whose story unfolds as a study of pre-teen ennui and loneliness.
US premiere
Punching The Clown (USA)
Dir: Gregori Viens
Cast: Henry Phillips
A satirical songwriter comes to LA and puts his life's work in jeopardy.
World premiere
Son Of The Sunshine (Canada)
Dir: Ryan Ward
Cast: Ryan Ward
After an experimental surgery seems to curb the symptoms of his Tourette's Syndrome, a young man must confront the complexities of his life.
World premiere
Spooner (USA)
Dir: Drake Doremus
Cast: Matthew Lillard, Nora Zehetner, Shea Whigham, Christopher MacDonald.
Facing eviction from his parent's home on his 30th birthday, a thoroughly average guy meets the girl of his dreams and creates his own rules for growing up.
World premiere
You Might As Well Live (Canada)
Dir: Simon Ennis
Cast: Michael Madsen, Stephen McHattie, Joshua Peace.
Robert R Mutt, town loser, sets out to attain the three keys to success - money, a girl, and a championship ring.
World premiere
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
At Any Second (Germany)
Dir: Jan Fehse (Director), Jan Fehse & Christian Lyra (Writers)
Cast: Sebastian Koch, Mina Tander, Wotan Wilke Mohring
A handful of relationship-scarred individuals zigzag to a new beginning, but the danger of skidding off track is greatest in the home stretch.
International premiere
Drool (USA)
Dir: Nancy Kissam
Cast: Laura Harring, Jill Marie Jones, Oded Fehr
A woman goes on the run with her best friend after she accidentally kills her abusive husband during an escape bid.
World premiere
Finding Bliss (USA)
Dir: Julie Davis
Cast: Leelee Sobieski, Matthew Davis, Denise Richards, Kristen Johnson, Jamie Kennedy.
Davis' romantic comedy explores the adult film industry through the eyes of an idealistic 25-year-old award winning film school grad.
World premiere
Not Forgotten (USA)
Dir: Dror Soref
Cast: Simon Baker, Paz Vega
In a small town on the Texas-Mexico border a man and his wife must face their tortured pasts in order to save their kidnapped daughter.
World premiere
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Undead (USA)
Dir: Jordan Galland
Cast: Jake Hoffman, Devon Aoki, John Ventimiglia, Jeremy Sisto, Ralph Macchio. Music: Sean Lennon.
A theatre director takes a job directing a play that uncovers a 2,000 year conspiracy involving vampires, Shakespeare, and the holy grail.
World premiere
The Slammin' Salmon (USA)
Dir: Kevin Heffernan
Cast: Cobie Smulders, Michael Clarke Duncan, April Bowlby, Sendhil Ramamurthy, Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Paul Soter, Steve Lemme, Erik Stolhanske
The owner of a Miami restaurant indebted to the mob institutes a contest to see what waiter can earn the most money in one night.
World premiere
Weather Girl (USA)
Dir: Blayne Weaver
Cast: Tricia O'Kelley, Mark Harmon, Jane Lynch, Kaitlin Olson, Jon Cryer, Patrick J Adams, Ryan Devlin
A Seattle weather girl freaks out on-air over her cheating boyfriend, who happens to be the morning show anchor, and moves in with her little brother.
World premiere
TWILIGHT SCREENINGS
The Conjurer (USA)
Dir: Clint Hutchison
Cast: Andrew Bowen, Maxine Bahns, John Schneider.
A grieving young couple relocates to a rural farm and encounters disturbing occurrences surrounding an old cabin with a dark history.
Mum And Dad (UK)
Dir: Steven Shiel
A murderous and perverse family imprison a young woman in their suburban house of horrors where she discovers she has to become part of the family or die.
North American premiere
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION
Graphic Sexual Horror (USA)
Dirs: Barbara Bell & Anna Lorentzon
Insex.com is arguably the most notorious of the 'violent porn' websites. Bell and Lorentzon find out about the sites creator and ask hard questions of personal responsibility.
World premiere
Hard To Be An Indian (USA)
Dir: Beth Toni Kruvant
The trials and tribulations of an inner city school go under the microscope as Jewish alumni and gang members restore the school to its former glory.
World premiere
Lost Sparrow (USA)
Dir: Chris Billing
Billing probes his family history and investigates the tragic 1978 deaths of his adopted Crow Indian brothers.
World premiere
Oh My God, It's Harrod Blank (USA)
Dir: David Silverberg
A portrait of the eccentric art-car artist Harrod Blank, following him from his youth in the woods to his current multi-faceted career as creator and head of a nationwide art-car movement.
World premiere
The Road to Fallujah (USA)
Dir: Mark Manning
Mark Manning is the only Westerner to live with the people of Fallujah immediately following the November 2004 battle that destroyed their ancient and holy city.
World premiere
Second Sight (Scotland/Canada)
Dir: Alison McAlpine
A cinematic, non-fiction ghost story featuring the last generation of Gaelic storytellers on Scotland's Isle of Skye.
US premiere
Smile Til It Hurts (USA)
Dir: Lee Storey
The amazing true story of Up With People, the singing group that represented an establishment-friendly alternative to the counter-culture.
North American premiere
Strongman (USA)
Dir: Zachary Levy
A man strong enough to bend a penny with just his fingers, Stanless Steel reaches middle age, career disappointments and difficult personal relationships that begin to test his strengths and force him to confront his own weaknesses.
World premiere
Unwanted Witness (Switzerland-France)
Dir: Juan Jose Lozano
In the middle of Colombia's humanitarian tragedy, a journalist fights to report and disclose the barbarity of the conflict.
US premiere
Zombie Girl (USA)
Dirs: Justin Johnson, Aaron Marshall, Erik Mauck
An inside look at the two years that it took 12-year-old Emily Hagins to write and direct her feature-length zombie movie, Pathogen.
As always the festival will run concurrently with Sundance and screen roughly 100 features, short films and music videas. Twenty features from the narrative and documentary sections will compete in the main competition dedicated to first-time directorial entries that cost less than $1m to make and lack domestic distribution.
The five programmes are narrative features, documentaries, special screenings, the late night Twilight Screenings and shorts. Four writing prizes will honour feature screenplay, teleplay, horror screenplay and short screenplay.
NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION
The Ante (Canada)
Dir: Max Perrier
An innocent man becomes the killer everyone wants him to be when he gambles with his freedom in order to save it.
A Quiet Little Marriage (USA)
Dir: Mo Perkins
Cast: Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Cy Carter, Jimmi Simpson.
A loving young couple square off against each other in a covert, domestic battleground of their own making.
City Rats (UK)
Cast: Susan Lynch, Kenny Doughty, Tamer Hassan
A modern day Dickensian tale of eight haunted people who meet and fall apart while searching for redemption in each other.
I Sell The Dead (USA)
Glenn McQuaid
Cast: Dominic Monaghan, Ron Perlman, Angus Scrimm, Larry Fessenden.
A duo of hapless graverobbers in the late 19th Century begin to unearth peculiar corpses.
US premiere
Mississippi Damned (USA)
Dir: Tina Mabry
Cast: DB Woodside, Malcolm David Kelly, Malcolm Goodwin, Tessa Thompson, Michael Hyatt.
Three poor black children in rural Mississippi reap the consequences of their family's cycle of abuse, addiction and violence.
World premiere
Only (Canada)
Dirs: Ingrid Veninger and Simon Reynolds
One day shared between a young boy and girl, whose story unfolds as a study of pre-teen ennui and loneliness.
US premiere
Punching The Clown (USA)
Dir: Gregori Viens
Cast: Henry Phillips
A satirical songwriter comes to LA and puts his life's work in jeopardy.
World premiere
Son Of The Sunshine (Canada)
Dir: Ryan Ward
Cast: Ryan Ward
After an experimental surgery seems to curb the symptoms of his Tourette's Syndrome, a young man must confront the complexities of his life.
World premiere
Spooner (USA)
Dir: Drake Doremus
Cast: Matthew Lillard, Nora Zehetner, Shea Whigham, Christopher MacDonald.
Facing eviction from his parent's home on his 30th birthday, a thoroughly average guy meets the girl of his dreams and creates his own rules for growing up.
World premiere
You Might As Well Live (Canada)
Dir: Simon Ennis
Cast: Michael Madsen, Stephen McHattie, Joshua Peace.
Robert R Mutt, town loser, sets out to attain the three keys to success - money, a girl, and a championship ring.
World premiere
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
At Any Second (Germany)
Dir: Jan Fehse (Director), Jan Fehse & Christian Lyra (Writers)
Cast: Sebastian Koch, Mina Tander, Wotan Wilke Mohring
A handful of relationship-scarred individuals zigzag to a new beginning, but the danger of skidding off track is greatest in the home stretch.
International premiere
Drool (USA)
Dir: Nancy Kissam
Cast: Laura Harring, Jill Marie Jones, Oded Fehr
A woman goes on the run with her best friend after she accidentally kills her abusive husband during an escape bid.
World premiere
Finding Bliss (USA)
Dir: Julie Davis
Cast: Leelee Sobieski, Matthew Davis, Denise Richards, Kristen Johnson, Jamie Kennedy.
Davis' romantic comedy explores the adult film industry through the eyes of an idealistic 25-year-old award winning film school grad.
World premiere
Not Forgotten (USA)
Dir: Dror Soref
Cast: Simon Baker, Paz Vega
In a small town on the Texas-Mexico border a man and his wife must face their tortured pasts in order to save their kidnapped daughter.
World premiere
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Undead (USA)
Dir: Jordan Galland
Cast: Jake Hoffman, Devon Aoki, John Ventimiglia, Jeremy Sisto, Ralph Macchio. Music: Sean Lennon.
A theatre director takes a job directing a play that uncovers a 2,000 year conspiracy involving vampires, Shakespeare, and the holy grail.
World premiere
The Slammin' Salmon (USA)
Dir: Kevin Heffernan
Cast: Cobie Smulders, Michael Clarke Duncan, April Bowlby, Sendhil Ramamurthy, Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Paul Soter, Steve Lemme, Erik Stolhanske
The owner of a Miami restaurant indebted to the mob institutes a contest to see what waiter can earn the most money in one night.
World premiere
Weather Girl (USA)
Dir: Blayne Weaver
Cast: Tricia O'Kelley, Mark Harmon, Jane Lynch, Kaitlin Olson, Jon Cryer, Patrick J Adams, Ryan Devlin
A Seattle weather girl freaks out on-air over her cheating boyfriend, who happens to be the morning show anchor, and moves in with her little brother.
World premiere
TWILIGHT SCREENINGS
The Conjurer (USA)
Dir: Clint Hutchison
Cast: Andrew Bowen, Maxine Bahns, John Schneider.
A grieving young couple relocates to a rural farm and encounters disturbing occurrences surrounding an old cabin with a dark history.
Mum And Dad (UK)
Dir: Steven Shiel
A murderous and perverse family imprison a young woman in their suburban house of horrors where she discovers she has to become part of the family or die.
North American premiere
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION
Graphic Sexual Horror (USA)
Dirs: Barbara Bell & Anna Lorentzon
Insex.com is arguably the most notorious of the 'violent porn' websites. Bell and Lorentzon find out about the sites creator and ask hard questions of personal responsibility.
World premiere
Hard To Be An Indian (USA)
Dir: Beth Toni Kruvant
The trials and tribulations of an inner city school go under the microscope as Jewish alumni and gang members restore the school to its former glory.
World premiere
Lost Sparrow (USA)
Dir: Chris Billing
Billing probes his family history and investigates the tragic 1978 deaths of his adopted Crow Indian brothers.
World premiere
Oh My God, It's Harrod Blank (USA)
Dir: David Silverberg
A portrait of the eccentric art-car artist Harrod Blank, following him from his youth in the woods to his current multi-faceted career as creator and head of a nationwide art-car movement.
World premiere
The Road to Fallujah (USA)
Dir: Mark Manning
Mark Manning is the only Westerner to live with the people of Fallujah immediately following the November 2004 battle that destroyed their ancient and holy city.
World premiere
Second Sight (Scotland/Canada)
Dir: Alison McAlpine
A cinematic, non-fiction ghost story featuring the last generation of Gaelic storytellers on Scotland's Isle of Skye.
US premiere
Smile Til It Hurts (USA)
Dir: Lee Storey
The amazing true story of Up With People, the singing group that represented an establishment-friendly alternative to the counter-culture.
North American premiere
Strongman (USA)
Dir: Zachary Levy
A man strong enough to bend a penny with just his fingers, Stanless Steel reaches middle age, career disappointments and difficult personal relationships that begin to test his strengths and force him to confront his own weaknesses.
World premiere
Unwanted Witness (Switzerland-France)
Dir: Juan Jose Lozano
In the middle of Colombia's humanitarian tragedy, a journalist fights to report and disclose the barbarity of the conflict.
US premiere
Zombie Girl (USA)
Dirs: Justin Johnson, Aaron Marshall, Erik Mauck
An inside look at the two years that it took 12-year-old Emily Hagins to write and direct her feature-length zombie movie, Pathogen.
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