2012-12-12

SHORTS & BEYOND BOW IN PARK CITY FOR SLAMDANCE 2013 BRINGING 26 NEW WORLD PREMIERES AND 21 US PREMIERES

LOS ANGELES - December 12, 2012 – Slamdance today announced their Shorts Programs for the 19th Annual Slamdance Film Festival, as well as the launch of Beyond, a brand new section. Beyond showcases bold and daring films from emerging Narrative and Documentary filmmakers, working just beyond their first features. These films include American and International productions that are either World or US Premieres, including the World Premiere of Cullen Hoback’s Terms and Conditions May Apply, featuring Margaret Atwood and Mark Zuckerberg among others. The 2013 Shorts Programs feature 67 shorts, and includes Live Action Competition, Documentary Competition, Animation, and Anarchy Shorts.

The 2013 Slamdance Film Festival will take place January 18 – 24, 2013 in Park City, Utah, at the Treasure Mountain Inn: 255 Main Street, Park City, UT 84060.

“Our focus is to keep innovation in filmmaking forefront by highlighting films expanding the vista of independent film,” stated Peter Baxter, Slamdance President and Co-Founder.

All Access, Industry, Locals, and Student Festival Passes are available now online, and individual tickets will be available shortly. To purchase, go to:
http://showcase.slamdance.com/#1598746/Passes-and-Tickets

This year's Slamdance short film competition slate features 32 live action shorts and 10 documentary shorts programmed both in blocks and in front of features, and 19 animated films programmed in a signature animation block. A jury will present awards to short films in competition in the following categories: Narrative, Animation, and Documentary. Competition shorts are also eligible for the Spirit of Slamdance Award.

BEYOND SLATE:

Diamond on Vinyl
Director and Screenwriter:
J.R. Hughto
(USA) World Premiere

A very singular voyeur finds his engagement in jeopardy after his fiancee discovers his audio recordings of their lovemaking, along with a taped rehearsal of his proposal. Then into both of their lives comes an enigmatic young woman who begins an incredibly strange seduction.
Cast: Brian McGuire, Sonja Kinski, Nina Millin, Jeff Doucette, Jessica Golden, Kiff VandenHeuvel, Katherine Pawlak

Domestic
Director and Screenwriter:
Adrian Sitaru
(Romania) US Premiere

A bittersweet comedy about people who eat the animals they love and animals that love people unconditionally.
Cast: Adrian Titieni, Gheorghe Ifrim, Sergiu Costache, Ioana Flora, Clara Voda, Dan Hurduc, Ariadna Titieni

Musgo
Director and Screenwriter:
Gami Orbegoso
(Spain) World Premiere

In the rural eastern Pyrenees province of Spain, a wealthy older woman manipulates the sexual/emotional entanglements of her deceased husband's adult daughter; the tension builds to a climax of terror and violence.
Cast: Meritxell Ortega, Merçe Espelleta, German Parreño, Joan Manel Chilet

Terms and Conditions May Apply
Director and Screenwriter:
Cullen Hoback
(USA) World Premiere

A shocking exposé of the basic civil rights we surrender when we agree to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policies connected to every website we visit, phone call we make, or app we use.
Cast: Margaret Atwood, Danah Boyd, Orson Scott Card, Ray Kurzweil, Doug Rushkoff, Moby, Sherry Turkle, Mark Zuckerberg

LIVE ACTION SHORTS PROGRAM:

37
Director and Screenwriter:
Puk Grasten
(USA) World Premiere

In March 1964, two bystanders silently watch their neighbor's murder. They aren't the only ones.
Cast: Lynn Cohen, George S. Irving, Heather Lind, Korey Jackson

A Time in A Dark Cloud
Director and Screenwriter:
Rebecca Sgan-Cohen
(USA) World Premiere

A young woman desires intimacy, despite pervasive internal conflict.
Cast: Emilie Sabath, Alex Thomas, James Levanas, Travis Young, Christopher Gordon, Lauren White, Joseph Pedi, Harold Hyde

All You Can Eat
Directors: Samy Burch, Alex Mechanik
Screenwriters: Samy Burch, Alex Mechanik
(USA)

A food television host tours a hamburger joint and wonders how his life got so crappy.
Cast: Matt Warzel, Donna Stamm, Jamie Warzel, Gray Hawks, Marty Siu

Baby Blues
Director and Screenwriter:
Pascal Plante
(Canada) International Premiere

In order to meet the man she loves, Mel leaves her two young children alone in the apartment.
Cast: Chloé Bourgeois, Jessy Gagnon, Félix Brière, Marc Beaupré, Martin Rouette, Dji Haché

Caterwaul
Director and Screenwriter:
Ian Samuels
(USA)

An aging fisherman develops an intimate relationship with a lobster.
Cast: George Murdock

Donald Cried
Director and Screenwriter:
Kris Avedisian
(USA)

Returning to his hometown to retrieve his grandmother’s ashes, Peter must rely on his only local contact, estranged buddy Donald.
Cast: Jesse Wakeman, Kris Avedisian, Ron Barron, Nick Riess, Jeremy Furtado, Bridget Grenier

Dreemer
Director and Screenwriter:
Laura Dawe
(Canada) International Premiere

A surreal love story about a 19-year-old girl and her oppressively misguided boyfriend.
Cast: Jenessa Grant, Vladimir Cubrt, Patrick Stevenson

Fireworks
Director: Victor Hugo Duran
Screenwriter:Kevin James McMullin
(USA)

During the Fourth of July in South Los Angeles, a teenage boy and his brother scour the neighborhood for fireworks in order to win the admiration of a girl.
Cast: Roger Cruz, Alberto Castañeda, Irene Sorto, Azucena Benitez, Edgar Vanegas, Julio Duran

For Dorian
Director and Screenwriter:
Rodrigo Barriuso
Canada (US Premiere)

A father struggles with the maturation and sexual awakening of his son, a teenager living with Down syndrome.
Cast: Ron Lea, Dylan Harman, Tova Smith, Victor Pereira, Jerald Bezener

Gigantic
Director and Screenwriter:
Georgia Fu
(USA/Taiwan) World Premiere

What happens when two suicidal people meet and fall in love?
Cast: Grace Chen 陳柏蓁, Kris Ko 柯昶宇

Glory Days
Director and Screenwriter:
Benjamin Rutkowski
(USA)

On New Years Eve, Jack, a recovering alcoholic, takes his two children on a road trip to the country.
Cast: Mike Lubik, Joseph Covino, Paige Smith, Cory Nichols, Vanessa Hollingshead, Janette Martinez, Maren Uecker, Joe Lenihan

Hearts of Napalm
Director and Screenwriter:
Andy Irvine
(USA) World Premiere

There are 6.8 billion orgasms every night. Ashley is just looking for one.
Cast: Ashley Spillers, Alex Dobrenko

Indoor
Directors: Si & AD
Screenwriters: Si & AD
(UK) International Premiere

An 11-year-old boy, unable to fly his kite alone, befriends a peculiar girl who cannot leave her caravan.
Cast: Alfie Righelato, Katie Miller

Josephine and the Roach
Director: Jonathan Langager
Screenwriters: Jonathan Langager, Joe Swanson
(USA)

A violin-playing cockroach falls in love with the woman whose apartment he infests.
Cast: Jenna Augen, Jerry White Jr., Circus Szalewski, Jeremy Gladen, Olivia Choate, Josh Helmuth, Emelie O'Hara, *Roach by Lino Stavole

Keep the Fire
Director and Screenwriter:
Jake Rice
(USA)

A behind-the-album-cover story of Kenny Loggins' classic Keep The Fire.
Cast: Jake Rice, James Zimmerman, Tiffany Elle, Shaun Paul Gordon, Marco Ragozzino, David Slaughter, Joe Toppe and Bernie Gomez

Lu'bba (Game)
Director: Saleh Nass
Screenwriters: Saleh Nass, Laila Al-Beiti
(Bahrain/UAE) US Premiere

A school boy is dropped off for yet another weekend football game and faces a recurring reality of life.
Cast: Omar Mahboob, Mohammed Al-Beiti, Shiva Yogeswaren, Abu Baker Kahtan, Abdullah Shafiq, Haider Islam, Youssof Ahmed, Mahmood

MAELSTRØM
Director and Screenwriter:
Tom Geraedts
(UK/Netherlands) US Premiere

A young woman experiences an out-of-body trip that transcends everything she has thought or done before.
Cast: Sabrina Kaici

Pearl was Here
Director and Screenwriter:
Kate Marks
(USA) World Premiere

A troublemaking child finds comfort in a sea of stuffed animals.
Cast: Miana Abramson, Sharon Eisman, Cara Danielle Brown, Brady Allen, Sharon King, Mike McGill, Rachael Caselli, Chris Magorian

Prometheus
Director and Screenwriter:
Tannaz Hazemi
(USA) World Premiere

A blind man on dialysis plays a drinking game alone.
Cast: Elijah Hobbes, Dr. Amir Shahid

Resurrection Slope
Director and Screenwriter:
Tamara Feldman
(USA) World Premiere

An adolescent boy performs a holy ritual to come to terms with his neglectful upbringing.
Cast: Elliot Moore, Tamara Feldman, John Hawkes, David Yow, Paula Casmaer, Vanessa Campbell, Allie Paul, Nikki McCauley, Maurice Harris

Rotkop
Directors: Jan Roosens, Raf Roosens
Screenwriters: Bert Van Dael, Sanne Nuyens
(Belgium) US Premiere

When an outcast's mortally ill mother throws a birthday party for him, he needs to find friends to invite.
Cast: Enrique De Roeck, Marthe Schneider, Sara De Bosschere

Seed Story
Director and Screenwriter:
William D. Caballero
(USA) World Premiere

The worst aspects of humanity are evoked as a single dandelion brings big change to a tiny society.

Shale
Director and Screenwriter:
Jed Cowley
(USA) World Premiere

A shale pit owner and his once dutiful wife confront each other after months of separation.
Cast: Walter Dalton, Sandra Seacat, Danforth Comins

Spark
Director and Screenwriter:
Annie Silverstein
(USA)

While a boy waits out his father’s tryst, he is unexpectedly forced to deal with the lady-friend’s daughter.
Cast: Varun Reddy, Elise Gardner, Conrad Gonzales, Amy Esacove

Start the Engine and Reverse
Director: Andrey Zagidullin
Screenwriter: Mikhail Arkhipov
(Russia) US Premiere

A young couple faces the consequences of a road accident.
Cast: Lubov Novikova, Egor Kharlamov

Summer Suit
Director: Rebecca Peniston-Bird
Screenwriter: Francesca Sciacca
(Australia) International Premiere

10-year-old tomboy Robbie's discovery of an old suit gives her a new sense of identity, but can it survive the trials of summer?
Cast: Damian Walshe-Howling, Diana Glenn, Lucy Tyler, Bethany Whitmore, Jesse Creighton, Zac Soderstrom

Suspended
Director and Screenwriter:
Damian Walshe-Howling
(Australia) US Premiere

Mother Nature provides a magical alternative to stark realities for 7-year-old Caleb, leading to impossible fulfillment.
Cast: Finn McLeod Ireland, Ewen Leslie, Leeanna Walsman, Damon Gameau, Clare Bowen

Sweetheart
Director and Screenwriter:
Eva Riley
(UK) US Premiere

Lou’s frustrations with her controlling sister Ashley come to a head when they become rivals in love.
Cast: Jo Eastwood, Nicola Jo Cully, Iain Louden, Anthony Bowers

The Devil's Ballroom
Director and Screenwriter:
Henrik Martin Dahlsbakken
(Norway)

Along his strenuous journey to the North Pole, a chance encounter forces a fearless explorer to make an impossible decision.
Cast: Svein Harry Schöttker Hauge, Batzorig Chinbayar, Narmandakh Erdenee, Melinda Bokeli, Marte Tangen

The Robber
Director and Screenwriter:
Felix Schaffert
(Switzerland) US Premiere

An 11-year old girl is in turmoil and struggles for words.
Cast: Ella Huesler, Ursina N. Früh, Simon Grossenbacher

To the Bone
Director: Erin Li
Screenwriters: Silka Luisa, Erin Li
(USA) World Premiere

A pre-teen migrant farmworker attempts to rebel against the status quo with unintended consequences for herself and her family.
Cast: Naomie Feliu, Jaime Alvarez, Carlos C. Torres, Maria Elena Laas, Eliezer Ortiz

Turtle
Director and Screenwriter:
Ian Wittenber
(USA) World Premiere

Sam and Jen have a unique dilemma in their relationship that pulls them closer together even as their time runs out.
Cast: David Crane, Jennifer Marks

DOCUMENTARY SHORTS PROGRAM:

April
Director: Alan Spearman
(USA) World Premiere

Faith, 9, created a haven in a hollow magnolia tree. Inside is a portal to the safety of her imagination.
Cast: Faith Jackson, Hattie Mae Winfield

Chicken & Zoe
Director: Yael Bridge
(USA)

Eating chicken takes on new meaning for 4-year old Zoe as she observes her first slaughter.

Good Karma $1
Directors:Jason Berger, Amy Laslett
(USA)

Advertising guru Alex Bogusky explores the most fundamental, ever-present form of advertising – cardboard signs created by the homeless.
Cast: Alex Bogusky and Dave Schiff

Lollywood
Director: Todd Looby
(Liberia/USA) World Premiere

Edwin G. Kollie, a 15 year old Liberian War Orphan, always wanted to make a Nollywood movie; so, he wrote a script, built an entire African village, cast the 30 characters needed and shot it all the next day.
Cast: Edwin G. Kollie, Mulbah J. Kollie, Jerome C. Cabeen, David Barkollah, Aaron JayJay

Rebel, Rebel, Rebel
Director: Kyle Schneider
(USA) International Premiere

Despite peer rejection and total incompetence, DJ Josh Lecash’s fame and fortune expands.
Cast: Josh Lecash, Katy Perry, Bobcat Goldthwait, Jeremy Scott, Jamie Clayton, Daniel Linton, Yung Skeeter, Annette Lamothe-ramos

Sandwich Nazi
Director: Lewis Bennett
(Canada)

Deli owner Salam Kahil is an art collector, a former male escort, an amateur piano player, and a sandwich maker to the homeless in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside but his true passion is talking about blowjobs.

The Birdman
Director: Jessie Auritt
(USA)

Despite the bad economy, online music sales, and gentrification, The Birdman rules the roost at his unique cluttered used music store.

The Corner Garden
Director: Duygu Eruçman
(USA) World Premiere

Can kale chips replace Cheetos? In this small garden, a group of teenagers learn to think about the food they eat in a different way.

The Mercantile
Director: Brian Bolster
(USA) World Premiere

A glimpse into a young couple’s proprietorship and preservation of an unchanged, century old business enterprise in a modern and ever-changing world.
Cast: Flannery Coats, Stuart Reiswig

Track by Track
Track by Track
Director: Anna Moot-Levin
(USA) World Premiere

A young sketch artist with autism journeys from the world of his imagination into adulthood.

ANARCHY PROGRAM:

Desert Hopes
Director and Screenwriter:
Michael Patten
(USA) World Premiere

On New Year’s Eve, an aging man tends to a litter of newborn rabbits.
Cast: Victor Pagan

FIX
Director: Benjamin McPherson
Screenwriters: Benjamin McPherson, Justin Taylor
(USA) World Premiere

Deep in the abandoned corridors of a sprawling subway system, a disheveled and broken man struggles to obtain the thing he desires most.
Cast: Phil Ristaino, Butch Escobar, Zofie Alvarez, Arie Bender, Shawna Nygren, Ed Jackson, Janet Robinson

SCI-FLY
Director: Joey Shanks
(USA) World Premiere

A journey through time & space tells of the fight for existence using exclusively 'in-camera' effects.

Shepherds, Have You Seen My Love?
Director and Screenwriter:
Benji Kast
(USA) World Premiere

A man is transported into the memories of an 18th century aristocrat.
Cast: Ara Shehigian, Roxanne Kapitsa, Don Arrup, Josh Westfal, Keiichi Kondoh

The Compositor
Director: John Mattiuzzi
Screenwriter: John Mattiuzzi, Anney Bonney
(USA) World Premiere

Paul Paxton, a New York City film compositor, struggles to decode his mind-body existence.
Cast: John Mattiuzzi, Len Rella, Thomas Hoyt Godfrey, Rashelle Stocker, Linda Leven, Ana Berry, Marusya Panchenko, Bill Cory

The War Profiteers
Director and Screenwriter:
Benjamin Markus
(USA) World Premiere

An instantaneous act of violence immediately restores peace to a war-torn city.
Cast: Devin Anderson Wiley, Erik Lehman, Pascal Miller, Alexander Jordonov

ANIMATION SHORTS:

An Elegy for Eden
Director: Jason Guy McLagan
(USA) World Premiere

A pixel's perspective at the moment of its death.

Baboon
Director:Einar Baldvin
(USA) US Premiere

By all accounts, it was a bad day to punch a clown in the head.

Ballpit
Director: Kyle Mowat
(Canada)

Lifeforms struggle to assert and organize themselves within a hostile environment.

Bermuda
Director and Screenwriter:
Calvin Frederick
(USA) US Premiere

A hyper-psychedelic tour of a homemade, four-wall kaleidoscope.

Drifters
Director and Screenwriter:
Ethan Clarke
(USA)

Three strangers acquaint on a train.
Cast: Gina Napolitan, Flaminia Bonfiglio, Ethan Clarke

El Delirio Del Pez Leon
Director and Screenwriter:
Quique Rivera
(Puerto Rico/USA)

Inspired by the Lionfish plague, this underwater neo-noir tells a story about greed and hierarchy in the Caribbean reefs.

Gum
Director and Screenwriter:
Noam Sussman
(Canada)

The consequences of swallowing gum.

Home
Director and Screenwriter:
Luiz Stockler
(UK/Brazil) US Premiere

A look at the idea of belonging and what that may or may not mean to people.

I Am Tom Moody
Director and Screenwriter: Ainslie Henderson
(UK)

A trip through the subconscious of a stifled musician as he struggles to sing.
Cast: Mackenzie Crook, Jude Crook

Noodle Fish
Director and Screenwriter:
Kim Jin man
(Republic of Korea)

Dreaming of another life, a small "noodle fish" begins his journey to the world outside the water to discover the secret of his world.

Royal Issues
Director and Screenwriter:
NOMINT
(UK)

To celebrate NOMINT’s brand new office in London, we created a very special Diamond Jubilee gift for Her Majesty Elizabeth the Second.

Shelter
Director: Carl Burton
(USA)

A vast secret world is revealed within an attic during a rainstorm.

Snail Trail
Director and Screenwriter:
Philipp Artus
(Germany) US Premiere

A snail invents the wheel and goes through a cultural evolution to get back to its origins.

Sugarcoat
Director: Meejin Hong
(USA) US Premiere

As the crayon melts, succumb to temptation.

Tap to Retry
Director and Screenwriter:
Neta Cohen
(Israel) US Premiere

A surreal collection of disparate abstract sketches and an attempt to tackle some aspects of modern life.

The Eater
Director: Wally Chung
(USA)

A man has a strange experience that affects the people around him.

The Jennings Account
Director and Screenwriter:
Sean Buckelew
(USA)

10% of men age 40-60 have an age-related midlife crisis.

Triangle
Director and Screenwriter:
Grace Nayoon Rhee
(USA) US Premiere

If a stranger disrupts your daily routine, the choice is to either accept him as a friend or reject him as an outsider.

What is Dead May Never Die
Director: François Grumelin-Sohn
(Netherlands) US

The movie explores and plays with various graphic codes and genres of the past audio-visual world.

Film stills are available for press use only and can be downloaded at:

Anarchy: http://bit.ly/X7z2SU
Animation: http://bit.ly/VB79RN
Beyond: http://bit.ly/XPRfJv
Documentary Shorts: http://bit.ly/126eX4w
Narrative Shorts: http://bit.ly/YXLfjr

About Slamdance: As a year-round organization, Slamdance serves as a showcase for the discovery of new and emerging talent and is dedicated to the nurturing and development of new independent artists and their cinematic vision. The Slamdance 2013 Film Festival will run concurrently with the Sundance Film Festival, January 18-24, in Park City, Utah. Slamdance continues to live by its mantra: "By Filmmakers, For Filmmakers." No other festival is fully programmed by filmmakers. Slamdance is proud to count among its alumni many notable writers and directors who first gained notice at the festival, including such cinematic luminaries as Christopher Nolan, Oren Peli, Marc Forster, Jared Hess, Lena Dunham, Behn Zeitlin, Anthony and Joe Russo, Seth Gordon and Lynn Shelton. New filmmakers and writers today realize that Slamdance is a place to launch their careers.

Supporting the filmmakers beyond the festival and improving distribution opportunities for its films has become increasingly important for Slamdance. After beginning an exclusive video on demand partnership with Microsoft in 2010, Slamdance has continued to expand its year-round platform and exhibition efforts on platforms like Xbox and Zune, as well as its theatrical On the Road programs in the US. On The Road programs also took place abroad in 2012 in places like Moscow and Krakow. New distribution partners will be announced at the beginning of 2013.

The 2013 Slamdance Film Festival Major Sponsors include Kodak, Carhartt and The Directors Guild of America. Official Sponsors include Blackmagic Design, Different By Design, JuntoBox Films, Royal Purple and InkHead Promotional Products. Variety is the Official Media Partner. Slamdance is once again proud to partner with sponsors who share our unique vision and support emerging artists who are pushing the boundaries of independent filmmaking.

Additional information about the Slamdance Film Festival is available at slamdance.com

Connect with Slamdance:
twitter.com/slamdance and
facebook.com/SlamdanceFilmFestival

PRESS CONTACT:
Annie Jeeves/Cinematic Red
Ph: 323.834.9733 / Annie@CinematicRed.com

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