US Dramatic Competition

Beasts Of The Southern Wild

From the US indie film-making collective Court 13, Zeitlin’s story of a sinking bayou village is a 2010 Sundance/NHK International Filmmakers Awards winner and as such has secured a Japanese broadcast deal through NHK.

Contact WME (N America), eOne International (RoW)

The Comedy

Tim And Eric comedy duo Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim — whose Tim & Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie plays in Midnight — star in this Sundance return from Junebug producer Mike Ryan.

Contact Submarine (US, Canadian and UK rights)

The End Of Love

Webber wrote, directed and stars alongside Amanda Seyfried and his Scott Pilgrim Vs The World co-star Michael Cera in the story of a father whose world falls apart when his partner dies. The film is the actor-turned-director’s second feature following Explicit Ills in 2008.

Contact Preferred Content (worldwide)

Filly Brown

Jenni Rivera mixes it up with Lou Diamond Phillips and Edward James Olmos in this hip-hop drama about a tough Los Angeles street poet.

Contact WME (worldwide)

The First Time

Kasdan’s follow-up to In The Land Of Women follows a high-school romance and stars Britt Robertson and Dylan O’Brien.

Contact Cinetic (N America)

For Ellen

Treeless Mountain film-maker So Yong Kim recruited indie hipsters Paul Dano and Jon Heder to star in her road movie about a musician in a custody battle for his daughter.

Contact CAA (US), Memento (international)

Hello I Must Be Going

Louiso’s film stars Melanie Lynskey as a 30-something woman forced to move back into her parents’ home. Blythe Danner plays her mother. The film is produced by Sundance veteran Sklaski, whose credits include The Station Agent and last year’s Win Win and Pariah, and Hans Ritter who had Sound Of My Voice in selection at the festival in 2011. Hello I Must Be Going screens on the opening day of Sundance.

Contact WME (worldwide)

Keep The Lights On

Sachs, whose Forty Shades Of Blue screened in Sundance in 2005, returns with a deeply personal story of addiction starring acclaimed Danish actor Thure Lindhardt in his first lead role in a US film.

Contact WME and Preferred Content (co-representing N American rights)

LUV

Director and co-writer Candis delved into his own grim family life to research this story about a man who teaches his nephew how to be a man on the streets of Baltimore. Common, Dennis Haysbert, Danny Glover and Charles S Dutton are among the cast.

Contact ICM and Cinetic (N America); Hollywood Studios International (international)

Middle Of Nowhere

This second feature from renowned film publicist DuVernay is a drama about an African-American woman struggling to hold on to her marriage after her husband is imprisoned. Emayatzy Corinealdi and David Oyelowo star.

Contact Paradigm Motion Picture Finance Group (N America)

Nobody Walks

Producers Jonathan Schwartz and Andrea Sperling made a splash last year with Like Crazy and will seek to do the same with Russo-Young’s eagerly anticipated tale of a young artist’s impact on a liberal Los Angeles family. The cast includes John Krasinski and Olivia Thirlby.

Contact Submarine (N America)

Safety Not Guaranteed

Big Beach Films is a Sundance staple following Little Miss Sunshine and last year’s Our Idiot Brother. It returns with this misfit comedy, starring Aubrey Plaza and Mumblecore poster boy Mark Duplass, which centres around a classified ad about time travel.

Contact ICM and Cinetic (co-representing US rights)

Save The Date

This feature from One Too Many Mornings director Mohan is a heartfelt tale about family ties. The co-writers include graphic novelist Jeffrey Brown. Lizzy Caplan and Mark Webber are among the cast.

Contact CAA and XYZ Films (worldwide)

Simon Killer

Borderline Films wowed Sundance 2011 with Martha Marcy May Marlene and is back this year with a drama about a graduate who falls for a prostitute in Paris. Director Antonio Campos produced Martha Marcy for Sean Durkin, who returns the favour here.

Contact CAA and UTA (jointly represent worldwide rights)

Smashed

Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Aaron Paul and Octavia Spencer (The Help) star in this comedy drama about a boozy couple whose marriage faces a test when the women sobers up. It is produced by Jonathan Schwartz and Andrea Sperling, whose credits include Like Crazy.

Contact CAA and UTA (jointly represent worldwide rights)

The Surrogate

John Hawkes stars in Lewin’s drama about a man in an iron lung who embarks on a poignant sexual awakening. Based on the life and writings of Mark O’Brien, Helen Hunt and William H Macy round out the cast.

Contact CAA (US)

US Documentary Competition

Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry

Klayman’s documentary is the first feature about the celebrated Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei, whose ambitious work and political provocation has made him a major thorn in the Chinese government’s side. Producer Julie Goldman was in Park City last year with Buck.

Contact Cinetic (N America)

The Atomic States Of America

Argott earned international acclaim for 2009 documentary The Art Of The Steal. He has co-directed this film about the debate in the US over the viability of nuclear power.

Contact Submarine (worldwide)

Chasing Ice

Time-lapse photography of melting icebergs offers what appears to be compelling proof of climate change from former sceptic and National Geographic photographer James Balog.

Contact Submarine (N America)

Detropia

The film-making duo behind Jesus Camp, who also contributed to Freakonomics, will arrive at Park City with this sombre meditation on the economic woes of Detroit. The city was once an emblem of US manufacturing might, but has now fallen on hard times.

Contact Cinetic (N America)

Escape Fire: The Fight To Rescue American Healthcare

CAA must believe this is one of the more commercial documentary prospects, given it is handling domestic rights. Co-director Froemke’s fourth Sundance entry explores a movement offering innovative prevention and healing methods.

Contact CAA (US)

Finding North

Buck producer Julie Goldman’s second Sundance 2012 entry (with Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry) explores the possibility of a looming hunger crisis. Co-directors Silverbush and Jacobson also produced.

Contact Submarine (N America)

The House I Live In

The festival stalwart behind previous Sundance entries Reagan and Why We Fight spotlights the US’s so-called war on drugs, which over the past 40 years has accounted for 45 million arrests. Yet drugs are more readily available and affordable than ever.

Contact Cinetic (N America)

How To Survive A Plague

Award-winning journalist and author France explores the story of how HIV-positive activists lobbied and infiltrated the pharmaceutical industry and the US health establishment in the late 1980s. The film uses never-before-seen archive footage, to show these non-violent activists at work. Howard Gertler (World’s Greatest Dad, Shortbus) produces.

Contact Submarine (N America)

The Invisible War

Renowned documentarian Kirby Dick investigates the taboo subject of rape within the US military. Dick has previously attended Sundance with This Film Is Not Yet Rated and Twist Of Faith.

Contact Rise Films (worldwide)

Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present

This film follows the controversial Serbian-born performance artist Abramovic as she prepares for a major retrospective of her work at New York’s Museum of Modern Art.

Contact Arthouse Films (US)

Me At The Zoo

This film chronicles the extraordinary online following of blogger Chris Crocker, a small-town Tennessee native whose bizarre posts have drawn more than 270 million hits to date. HBO Documentary Films holds US broadcast rights.

Contact Submarine (N America), Memento Films International (international) 

The Other Dream Team

Drake Doremus collaborator and Douchebag producer Markevicius takes a look at the 1992 Lithuanian national basketball team, who hauled themselves from unpromising origins in the stark Communist environment of their native country to a competitive slot at the Barcelona Olympics— all thanks to the help of The Grateful Dead.

Contact WME (worldwide) 

The Queen Of Versailles

The Queen Of Versailles is a riches-to-rags tale of a couple whose attempt to build the biggest house in the US is undone by the collapse of their timeshare empire.

Contact Submarine (N America)

Slavery By Another Name

Pollard’s PBS film explores how the end of slavery under Abraham Lincoln gave way to a system of involuntary servitude for many African Americans well into the 20th century.

Contact Catherine Allan, Twin Cities Public Television

Love Free Or Die: How The Bishop Of New Hampshire Is Changing The World

Alston and producer Sandra Itkoff collaborated on The Killer Within and have re-united to profile Gene Robinson, the first openly gay bishop who has lived with death threats since his consecration in 2003.

Contact Sandra Itkoff, Reveal Productions

We’re Not Broke

Hayes and Bruce’s film explores the increasingly vocal response of US taxpayers to the corporate practice of concealing overseas profits to avoid paying US income tax.

Contact Paradigm Motion Picture Finance Group (N America)

Premieres

2 Days In New York (Fr)

Dir Julie Delpy
Scr Delpy, Alexia Landeau

Delpy revives her lighthearted role as Marion from her 2007 feature 2 Days In Paris. She is now living in the Big Apple with her child but estranged from Jack. Chris Rock joins the cast as Marion faces a new set of romantic and family challenges.

Contact CAA (US), Rezo Films (international)

Arbitrage (US)

The Informers co-writer Jarecki makes his narrative feature directorial debut with a story of financial ignominy. Richard Gere plays a fraudulent hedge-fund manager. Susan Sarandon and Eva Green co-star. Parlay Films has already sold the film to France (Metropolitan) and China (DDDream) among others.

Contact WME (US), Parlay Films (international)

Bachelorette (US)

Kirsten Dunst stars in this highly anticipated, New York-set comedy about bridesmaids. Isla Fisher, Lizzy Caplan, James Marsden and Adam Scott co-star in the film, which is the feature debut of rising star filmmaker Leslye Headland, a staff writer on the cancelled FX show Terriers.

Contact CAA (N America), Elle Driver (international)

California Solo

Robert Carlyle stars in this story about a retired British rocker who must confront his demons when he is threatened with deportation from the US.

Contact Visit Films (worldwide)

Celeste And Jesse Forever

Krieger directed the 2009 Sundance entry The Vicious Kind and here turns his attention to a gentler tale about a divorcing couple who try to remain on good terms. Jones stars alongside Andy Samberg and Ari Graynor.

Contact UTA (worldwide)

For A Good Time, Call…

This feature debut from Canada’s Travis is a comedy about two women who set up a phone-sex service. Ari Graynor and Miller star with Seth Rogen, Justin Long and the seemingly ubiquitous Mark Webber.

Contact Cinetic (N America)

Goats

David Duchovny and Vera Farmiga star in this drama about a teenager who leaves his unconventional desert life to attend an academy for underprivileged children. Producers include indie veteran Daniela Taplin Lundberg and Oliver Stone’s recent collaborator Eric Kopeloff.

Contact WME and Cinetic (jointly representing US rights), Echo Bridge (international)

Lay The Favorite (US-UK)

Frears’ eagerly anticipated caper movie is based on the true story of a Las Vegas cocktail waitress who falls in with a group trying to break the house. Bruce Willis, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Vince Vaughn and Rebecca Hall star.

Contact CAA (US), Wild Bunch (international)

Liberal Arts

Radnor returns to Park City following Sundance 2010’s Happythankyoumoreplease, with a comedy about a professor who falls for a student.Martha Marcy May Marlene’s Elizabeth Olsen stars alongside Radnor and Allison Janney.

Contact Gersh Agency (US), Hyde Park International (international)

Predisposed

Jesse Eisenberg, Melissa Leo and Tracy Morgan star in this comedy drama about a piano prodigy who goes to a prestigious audition with his troubled mother in tow after being taken hostage by her drug dealer.

Contact ICM and UTA (N America jointly), Inferno (international)

Price Check

Parker Posey stars opposite Eric Mabius in a comedy about an impoverished but happily married man who takes a new job under a challenging boss.

Contact Submarine (N America)

Red Hook Summer

Lee’s new film is the story of a young Atlanta boy who spends the summer in Brooklyn with a grandfather he has never before met. Clarke Peters and Jules Brown star.

Contact CAA (US)

Red Lights

Cortes caused a stir in Park City two years ago with his claustrophobic thriller Buried. He returns with an intricately woven psychological thriller about paranormal activity which stars Robert De Niro, Cillian Murphy and Elizabeth Olsen.

Contact UTA (US), Parlay Films (international)

Robot And Frank

Frank Langella plays a jewel thief who befriends his robot carer in this drama set in the near future.

Contact CAA and ICM (N America), Park Pictures (international)

Shadow Dancer

Having impressed Park City with documentaries Man On Wire and Project Nim, Marsh is looking to do the same with this feature about a former IRA member who becomes an informer for the British secret service. The cast includes Andrea Riseborough, Aidan Gillen, Clive Owen and Gillian Anderson.

Contact CAA (N America), Wild Bunch (international)

The Words

Tron: Legacy writers Klugman and Sternthal make their feature directorial debut with this thriller starring Bradley Cooper as an author who takes credit for another man’s work. Jeremy Irons and Olivia Wilde co-star in the festival’s closing night film. Parlay has already sold the film to Wild Bunch for Germany and DeAPlaneta in Spain, among others.

Contact Cassian Elwes (N America), Parlay Films (international)

Documentary Premiere

Under African Skies

Paul Simon revisits the people and places in South Africa which inspired his Graceland album. The film is a collaboration between A&E IndieFilms and @RadicalMedia, in association with Sony Music Entertainment’s Legacy.

Contact Radical Media (worldwide)

About Face

This HBO title uses supermodels to explore the themes of beauty and ageing.

Contact Films Transit (worldwide, excl US TV)

A Fierce Green Fire

This film charts the rise of the environmental movement.

Contact The Film Sales Company (N America)

Bones Brigade: An Autobiography

A hot prospect from former pro skateboarder turner film-maker Peralta, who wowed Sundance crowds with Dogtown And Z-Boys and Riding Giants. His fourth Sundance entry follows the eponymous skateboarding group of the 1980s.

Contact Film Sales Company (worldwide)

The D Word: Understanding Dyslexia

Robert Redford’s son directs this documentary following a dyslexic high-school student as he struggles to get into a competitive college.

Contact Paradigm Consulting (worldwide)

Ethel

In this HBO film, Bobby Kennedy’s daughter Rory provides an intimate portrait of her mother Ethel, who raised 11 children after her husband was assassinated.

Contact Clare Anne Darragh, Frank PR

Something From Nothing: The Art Of Rap

Ice-T turns documentarian with this history of rap featuring luminaries such as Snoop Dogg, Dr Dre, Eminem, Mos Def and Kanye West.

Contact UTA (worldwide)

West Of Memphis

Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh produced this account of a miscarriage of justice in the 1980s that saw three teenagers wrongly jailed for the murders of three eight year-old boys.

Contact Ken Kamins (worldwide)

World Cinema Dramatic Competition

Four Suns (Czech Rep)

Czech director Slama returns with this story of an immature man who must accept his responsibilities as a husband and father. Produced by Pavel Strnad, the cast includes Jaroslav Plesl and Anna Geislerova. Slama’s credits include The Country Teacher, which screened at Venice in 2008, and Something Like Happiness, a San Sebastian prize winner in 2005.

Sales Films Boutique, info@filmsboutique.com

About The Pink Sky (Jap)

Winner of the Japanese Eyes best picture prize at the Tokyo International Film Festival last year, About The Pink Sky is the debut feature by writer-director Kobayashi. The black-and-white film is the story of a girl who finds a money-filled wallet. The cast features Ai Ikeda, Ena Koshino, Reiko Fujiwara and Tsubasa Takayama.

Contact Free Stone Prods, miyukit48@live.jp

Can (Turk)

A young couple live happily in Istanbul, but their decision to illegally procure a child threatens their future together in this film from writer-director Celikezer, who made his feature debut with Three Apples Fell From The Sky in 2008. With a veteran cast that includes Selen Ucer, Serdar Orcin, Berkan Demirbag and Erkan Avci, Can premiered at the International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival in October, winning the Behlul Dal Jury’s special award and the audience award for best national feature-length film.

Contact burakakidil@gmail.com

Father’s Chair (A Cadeira Do Pai) (Braz)

Produced by Brazil’s 02 Filmes, Father’s Chair tells the story of a hardworking career man who finds himself after setting out to locate his missing 15-year-old son. Starring Wagner Moura, Lima Duarte and Mariana Lima, Father’s Chair is the debut feature of photographer and director Moura, whose 1992 short The Residents Of Humboldt Street won awards at the Havana, Carthage, Brasilia, RioCine and Uppsala film festivals.

Contact 02 Filmes, marinapereira@o2filmes.com

L (Gr)

The first feature from Greek director Makridis, L is the story of a man who lives in a car and meets his wife and children in parking lots, and whose job is to track down the finest honey for a 50-year-old man. Co-written by Makridis and Filippou, whose credits include international Greek breakouts Dogtooth and Alps, the cast includes Aris Servetalis, Makis Papadimitriou, Lefteris Mathaios, Nota Tserniafski and Stavros Raptis.

Contact Beben Films, amanda@bebenfilms.com

The Last Elvis (El Ultimo Elvis) (Arg)

The feature debut from Argentina’s Bo, a commercials director and co-writer of Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s Biutiful, The Last Elvis follows a Buenos Aires-based Elvis impersonator who believes he is the King re-incarnated. The film stars real-life Elvis impersonator John McInerny.

Contact Matias Mosteirin, mmosteirin@ks-films.com

Madrid, 1987 (Sp)

Madrid 1987 is about a Spanish writer and a student who are locked in a bathroom. Written and directed by Trueba, whose credits include
Soldiers Of Salamina, the film stars Jose Sacristan, Maria Valverde and Ramon Fontsere. The film premiered at San Sebastian.

Sales 6 Sales, info@6sales.es

My Brother The Devil (UK)

The feature debut of Welsh-Egyptian film-maker El Hosaini, a previous Screen International Star of Tomorrow, My Brother The Devil tells the story of two brothers in gangland London. El Hosaini developed the project through the Sundance Institute’s Directors and Screenwriters Labs. The cast includes James Floyd, Said Taghmaoui and Fady Elsayed.

Contact Laura Kim, laurakim@sbcglobal.net

Teddy Bear (Den)

Matthiesen’s feature debut is the story of a painfully shy champion bodybuilder who sets off to Thailand in search of love. The cast includes Kim Kold, Elsebeth Steentoft, Lamaiporn Sangmanee Hougaard, David Winters and Allan Mogensen.

Contact Visit Films, info@visitfilms.com

Valley Of Saints (Ind-US)

Shot in Kashmir, Valley Of Saints is a drama about a poor young boatman who develops an unlikely relationship with a beautiful environmentalist. The film was produced by Nicholas Bruckman. Syeed received the Alfred P Sloan Feature Film Production Award for his screenplay.

Contact info@valleyofsaints.com

Violeta Went To Heaven (Violeta Se Fue A Los Cielos) (Chile-Arg-Bra-Spa)

Chile’s submission for the foreign-language Oscar this year, Violeta Went To Heaven is a portrait of Chilean singer and folklorist Violeta Parra, who is played by Francisca Gavilan. Director Wood’s credits include the award-winning Machuca.

Contact Latido Films (world, excl Latin America), latido@latidofilms.com

Wish You Were Here (Aus)

Darcy-Smith’s directorial debut stars Joel Edgerton (Animal Kingdom) with Teresa Palmer, Felicity Price and Antony Starr. It is the story of four friends who go on holiday to Cambodia — but only three return.

Contact LevelK, natja@levelk.dk

WRONG (Fr-US)

Dupieux’s film Rubbe rwas an unsettling comedy about a destructive tyre. His follow-up is about a man’s life-changing search for his lost dog. The cast includes Jack Plotnick, Eric Judor and Alexis Dziena.

Contact Kinology, gmelin@kinology.eu

Young & Wild (Chile)

The feature debut of Rivas, whose short film Blokes screened at Cannes in 2010 and at Sundance last year, Young & Wild is a coming of age story about teenager Daniela who writes a sexually charged blog. Set in Santiago, Chile, the film stars Alicia Rodriguez, Aline Kuppenheim, Maria Gracia Omegna and Felipe Pinto.

Contact Elle Driver, angeline@elledriver.eu

World Cinema Documentary Competition

1/2 REVOLUTION (Den)

Shargawi, best known for Go With Peace Jamil, was on assignment in Cairo in January 2011 when the Egyptian revolution ignited. With fellow film-maker El Hakim, he captured images of the revolution the traditional media did not explore — in the alleyways and the streets. They were arrested by the secret police and had to smuggle the footage out of the country.

Contact LevelK, levelk.dk

5 Broken Cameras (Pal-Isr-Fr)

This take on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict sees Burnat turn the camera on his family and neighbours as they resist the encroachment of Jewish settlements. He starts filming with the birth of his son, whose poignant childhood is documented on screen. The film won the audience award and a special jury award at IDFA.

Contact David Magdael & Associates

The Ambassador (Den)

This funny and frightening film opened Amsterdam’s documentary festival IDFA in November. It follows Brugger, a Danish journalist and satirist, as he poses as a fake businessman and diplomat in the Central African Republic to expose corruption and brutality in the country.

Contact TrustNordisk, www.trustnordisk.com

Big Boys Gone Bananas!*(Swe)

Gertten’s film is a follow-up to his Bananas!* from 2009 about the lawsuit that 12 Nicaraguan plantation workers brought against fruit giant, the Dole Food Company. The company was found guilty in a Los Angeles court but turned its attention to Gertten, threatening to sue him. The film follows the director’s battle against Dole and how the situation comes to a head in Sweden.

Contact www.bigboysgonebananas.com

China Heavyweight (Can-Chi)

The Montreal-based director, whose film Up The Yangtze screened at Sundance in 2008, returns to his native China to tell the story of a boxing coach who recruits poor rural teenagers. As they train to become Western-style champions, the students become a metaphor for choices faced by modern China. Peter Wintonick and EyeSteelFilm produce.

Contact David Magdael & Associates

Gypsy Davy (Isr-US-Sp)

US-born, Israel-raised Jones traces her father’s transition from white Alabama boy to Andalusian flamenco guitarist. Her father wrote the score for the film, which premiered at last year’s Jerusalem Film Festival. Jones’ last feature-documentary Ashkenaz screened at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival in 2008.

Contact gypsydavythemovie@gmail.com

The Imposter (UK)

Layton makes the switch from TV to features with this film about a real-life French con artist who stole the identity of a missing child. The Imposter is produced by Layton’s Raw TV colleague Dimitri Doganis and executive produced by Passion Pictures’ Simon Chinn and John Battsek.

Contact Protagonist Pictures, (44) 20 7734 9000

Indie Game: The Movie (Can)

One of three Canadian contenders in the world documentary competition line-up, Pajot and Swirsky’s feature debut follows video-game developers as they create games and release them around the world. The Winnipeg-based film-makers generated funding from the gaming community via Kickstarter.

Contact indiegamethemovie@me.com

The Law In These Parts (Isr)

This film about Israel’s military legal system in the Palestinian territories won best documentary at last year’s Jerusalem Film Festival. Alexandrowicz’s 2001 film The Inner Tour also screened at Sundance, and his 2003 feature James’ Journey To Jerusalem was selected for Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes.

Contact Ro*co Films, info@rocofilms.com

Payback (Can)

Based on Margaret Atwood’s book, Payback: Debt And The Shadow Side Of Wealth, Toronto-based Baichwal explores the idea that debt is a central principle in our lives. The director’s Manufactured Landscapes was in competition at Sundance in 2006.

Contact National Film Board of Canada, k.alexander@nfb.ca

Putin’s Kiss (Den)

Pedersen’s debut feature is an exploration of the Russian state seen through the eyes of a youth movement. Putin’s Kiss was well-received at IDFA where it had its world premiere.

Contact Kino Lorber (N America), contact@kinolorber.com

Searching For Sugar Man (Den-UK)

The feature-length debut of Swedish TV director Bendjelloul opens the World Cinema Documentary section. The film centres around US singer Rodriguez, who went missing after his first album flopped. It is one of two films in competition for Passion Pictures.

Contact Protagonist Pictures, (44) 20 7734 9000