The Sundance Channel announced that it will celebrate the prestigious Sundance Film Festival by showcasing an acclaimed line-up of 10 movies from 18th to 27th January 2013. The promotion will feature festival favourites every night from Park City, Utah every night at 10pm.
The annual gathering is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States showcasing new work from American and international filmmakers. Established by Robert Redford, Sundance Channel offers audiences a diverse and engaging selection of award-winning independent films, documentaries and original programs. The titles to be shown for “10 Days of Sundance” include:
Here (18th January, Friday)
The first American film produced in the country of Armenia, Here is a landscape-obsessed road movie that chronicles a brief but intense romantic relationship between an American satellite-mapping engineer and an expatriate Armenian photographer, who impulsively decide to travel together into uncharted territory. Cast: Ben Foster, Lubna Azabal
Children of Invention (19th January, Saturday)
Two young children living outside Boston are left to fend for themselves when their mother gets embroiled in a pyramid scheme and disappears. The film features incredible performances from two child actors. Cast: Cindy Cheung, Michael Chen, Crystal Chiu
Teddy Bear (20th January, Sunday)
After failing to find love in Denmark, a painfully shy bodybuilder sets off for Thailand in search of a bride and escape from his overbearing mother. Cast: Kim Kold, David Winters, Elsebeth Steentoft
I Am Not A Hipster (21st January, Monday)
A young singer-songwriter with a growing local following wanders through his apathetic life. When his dad and three sisters show up to spread his mother’s ashes, he’s reminded of the part of himself he left back in Ohio and is forced to deal with the person he’s become. Based in San Diego’s indie music and art scene, I Am Not A Hipster features original song performances and explores what it means to be creative in the face of tragedy.
Music is the backbone to this story and a large reason why the film connects with young adults so strongly. All of the songs and bands featured in the film express a unique, inventive true sample of what is happening right now in the indie music scene. Featured performers include Canines, Spaceface, Joel P West and Lauren Coleman. The film is Cretton’s feature film directorial debut, and it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. Cast: Dominic Bogart, Alvaro Orlando, Tammy Minoff
Bronson (22nd January, Tuesday)
A man sentenced to seven years in prison ends up spending 30 years in solitary confinement. During this time, his alter ego, Charles Bronson takes over. Cast: Tom Hardy, Luing Andrews, Kelly Adams
California Solo (23rd January, Wednesday)
A former Britpop rocker who now works on a farm gets caught driving drunk and faces deportation after living in Los Angeles for many years. His efforts to stay in the U.S. force him to confront the past and current demons in his life. Cast: Robert Carlyle, Alexia Rasmussen, Kathleen Wilhoite
Prairie Love (24th January, Thursday)
From the frozen plains of North Dakota comes this wonderfully bizarre story about three people searching for love and self-discovery in the oddest ways. Cast: Jeremy Clark, Holly Lynn Ellis, Garth Blomberg
Barking Water (25th January, Friday)
In this sparingly sentimental and achingly poignant road movie, a man asks his former lover to help him get out of the hospital and go home to visit his daughter and new grandchild to make up for past mistakes. Cast: Richard Ray Whitman, Casey Camp-Horinek, Jon Proudstar
Don’t Let Me Drown (26th January, Saturday)
In a post-September 11th world overflowing with fear and hate, two Latino teens discover that sometimes the only thing that can keep them from drowning is love. Cast: E.J. Bonilla, Gleendilys Inoa
Safety Not Guaranteed (27th January, Sunday)
Three employees of Seattle Magazine head to the scenic, seaside community of Ocean View, Washington to find and profile the man behind a bizarre and hilarious classified ad looking for a partner to travel through time. Darius (Aubrey Plaza), a live-at-home college grad with a chip on her shoulder, interns at the magazine. Along with her fellow intern Arnau (Karan Soni), a studious Biology major working at the magazine to build his resume, and their hard partying boss, Jeff (Jake Johnson), the threesome set out to profile the lunatic behind the preposterous ad.
The mismatched trio land in Ocean View with no more than a PO Box number to guide them in their investigation, but no sooner have they checked into their hotel than Jeff abandons the job to track down a long lost love interest who lives in the beach community. Darius asserts herself as the lead reporter and discovers their subject, Kenneth (Mark Duplass) – a quirky and offbeat character – stocking canned goods at the local grocery store. Darius’ disaffected attitude serves her well, perhaps for the first time ever, and she quickly endears herself to Kenneth as she poses as a candidate to accompany him on his mission. Changing the past, preventing the future, altering the present – the mission is different for everyone, but the power to hope for something better is universal. Cast: Aubrey Plaza, Jake M. Johnson, Karan Soni, Mark Duplass
Many films from the Sundance Film Festival will be shown exclusively and for the first time on Sundance Channel HD (Astro b.yond, Channel 438). For more information on the festival, visit their official website.
