Slamdance announces narrative, doc programmes

“Our competition showcase reflects new approaches to filmmaking that mirror the challenging times in which we currently live,” Slamdance president and co-founder Peter Baxter said. “These films showcase filmmakers who have a tremendous ability to innovate, experiment, and lead us boldly into the future of independent filmmaking.”

Juried and audience awards will go to the winners of both programmes and there will be selections for Filmmaker Award For Spirit Of Slamdance and Kodak Vision Award for Best Cinematography. The festival is scheduled to run in Park City from Jan 20-27.

NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION PROGRAMME, PRESENTED BY KODAK.
All synopses provided by Slamdance.

BINDLESTIFFS (US, pictured), dir Andrew Edison
Three smart-mouthed high school virgins, suspended from school on a graffiti charge, flee to the inner city to live out the plot of The Catcher In The Rye.
Cast: Andrew Edison, Luke Loftin, John Karna
World premiere

Comforting Skin (Canada), dir Derek Franson
A lonely young woman’s desperate need for emotional and physical companionship draws her into a surreal and ultimately destructive relationship with a shifting and whispering tattoo she has willed to life on her skin.
Cast: Jane Sowerby, Tygh Runyan, Victoria Bidewell
US premiere

Doppelgänger Paul (or A Film About How Much I Hate Myself) (Canada), dirs Dylan Akio Smith and Kris Elgstrand
The unlikely relationship of two lonely men whose connection sets off a chain of events resulting in the loss of a thumb, the theft of a manuscript, and two appearances on a popular morning talk show.
Cast: Brad Dryborough, Tygh Runyan
US premiere

Faith, Love And Whiskey (Bulgaria), dir Kristina Nikolova
A young Bulgarian woman, engaged to a well-off American, panics and runs back home, reuniting with her drifter friends and the wild life of her past and falling in love with her passionate but alcoholic best friend.
Cast: Ana Stojanovska, Valeri Yordanov, John Keabler, Lidia Indjova, Yavor Baharov
World premiere

Heavy Girls (Germany), dir Axel Ranisc
Sven lives with his elderly mother; Daniel is her caregiver. When she wanders off, their misadventure to find her leads them to discover their confusing affection for each other.
Cast: Heiko Pinkowski, Peter Trabner, Ruth Bickelhaupt
US premiere

OK, Good (US), dir Daniel Martinico
A series of demoralizing auditions and a cultish movement workshop push a struggling actor over the edge.
Cast: Hugo Armstrong
World premiere

Roller Town (Canada), dir Andrew Bush
At the peak of disco-mania, three friends try and stop a local crime syndicate from turning their beloved roller rink into a video arcade.
Cast: Kayla Lorette, Mark Little, Scott Vrooman
US premiere

The Sound Of Small Things (US), dir Peter McLarnan
Sam and Cara’s attempt to navigate their young marriage is complicated by miscommunication, suspicion and her deafness.
Cast: Cara Krippner, Sam Hoolihan
World premiere

Sundowning (Singapore/USA), dir Frank Rinaldi
A story about the relationship between a young woman who has lost her memory and her mysterious caregiver.
Cast: Shannon Fitzpatrick, Susan Chau
World premiere

Welcome To Pine Hill (US), dir Keith Miller
A reformed drug dealer, now a claims adjuster by day and bouncer by night, receives earthshattering news that compels him to return to his past and seek transcendence beyond the Brooklyn concrete.
Cast: Shannon Harper, Mary Meyers, David Williams
World premiere

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION PROGRAMME.
All synopses provided by Slamdance.

Buffalo Girls (Thailand-US), dir Todd Kellstein
Two eight-year-old girls fight in rural Thailand’s underground child boxing economy to earn money to support their families.
World premiere

Danland (US), dir Alexandra Berger, Screenwriters: Ann Husaini, Alexandra Berger
Amateur porn producer Dan Leal, aka ‘Porno Dan,’ searches for intimacy despite his industry and in spite of himself.
World premiere

The First Season (US), dir Rudd Simmons
To achieve their version of the American dream, the Van Amburg family struggle as they fight against relentless toil, financial ruin and the harsh reality of dairy farming.
World premiere

Getting Up (US), dir Caskey Ebeling
After being diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease and rendered almost completely paralysed, Tony “Tempt” Quan, a legendary LA graffiti artist, regains his voice through technology that reads the movement of his eyes and enables him to create art and write once again.
World premiere

I Want My Name Back (US), dir Roger Paradiso
Thirty years after the historic recording of the iconic mega-hit “Rapper’s Delight,” Master Gee & Wonder Mike come back to reclaim their identities and rightful place in Hip Hop history.
Utah premiere

Kelly (US), dir James Stenson
Having fled a provincial past, a young, transgender prostitute searches for love and acceptance in a landscape of broken Hollywood Dreams.
World premiere

No Ashes, No Phoenix (Germany), dir Jens Pfeifer
A locker room expose about young basketball players in Hagen, Germany who face their fears of losing and challenge enormous odds to succeed.
World premiere

We Are Legion: The Story Of The Hacktivists (US), dir Brian Knappenberger
An intimate look inside the world of Anonymous, the radical “hacktivist” collective that has redefined civil disobedience for the digital age.