2010 Sundance Film Festival Features

8: The Mormon Proposition (Spotlight Documentary)
Director/Screenwriter: Reed Cowan
Producer: Reed Cowan, Steven Greenstreet, Chris Volz, Emily Pearson Executive Producer: Bruce Bastian
Narrator: Dustin Lance Black
(USA, 2009, 75 min., color, b/w)
This investigative documentary uncovers the Mormon Church’s systematic, well-funded and decades-long strategy to deny gays and lesbians civil rights, resulting in the over-turning of legal, same-sex marriage in California with the passage of Proposition 8 in 2008. The Church’s efforts are not without a body-count. The film recounts the stories of many gay Mormons whose struggles to reconcile their faith and their sexuality has often led to tragedy and even suicide.
Screening Times
Sunday, January 24, 2:25 pm Racquet Club, Park City
Monday, January 25, 5:30 pm Library Center Theater, Park City
Wednesday, January 27, 6:00 pm Tower Theater, Salt Lake City
Friday, January 29, 12:00 pm Temple Theater, Park City
Saturday, January 30, 9:00 pm Screening Room, Sundance Resort

 

Contracorriente (Undertow) (World Narrative)
Director/Screenwriter: Javier Fuentes-León
Cast: Cristian Mercado, Manolo Cardona, Tatiana Astengo (Peru, Colombia, France, Germany, 2009, 100 min., color) Set in a religious Peruvian village, Miguel, a fisherman whose wife is about to have their first child, is having an affair with handsome artist, Santiago. When Santago drowns, his ghost urges Miguel to find the body and bury it at sea. Will Miguel succumb to tradition and remain silent, or will the villagers accept his true life and love? A lush romance told with elements of magical realism.

Screening Times
Tuesday, January 26, 3:00 pm Egyptian Theater, Park City
Thursday, January 28, 8:30 am Egyptian Theater, Park City
Friday, January 29, 6:00 pm Yarrow Hotel Theater, Park City
Saturday, January 30, 1:30 pm Broadway Cinemas 4, Salt Lake City

 

Howl (Dramatic Competition)
Directors/Screenwriters: Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman
Cast: James Franco, David Strathairn, John Hamm, Mary-Louise Parker, Jeff Daniel (USA, 2009, 90 min., color, b/w) The award-winning directors of Celluloid Closet and Paragraph 175 embark on their first narrative feature, combining live action and animation to tell the story of young Allen Ginsberg and illustrate the creative process behind one of the most famous poems of the Beat Generation, “Howl.” Framed by the famous obscenity trial that mainly ensued from Ginsberg’s frank description of homosexuality in the poem, the film also includes the men who inspired and loved Ginsberg: Peter Orlov and Neal Cassady.
Screening Times
Thursday, January 21, 6:00 pm Eccles Theater, Park City
Friday, January 22, 6:30 pm Screening Room, Sundance Resort
Saturday, January 23, 2:30 pm Library Theater, Park City
Tuesday, January 26, 11:15 am Racquet Club, Park City
Wednesday, January 27, 6:00 pm Broadway Cinemas 6, Salt Lake City
Friday, January 29, 3:15 pm Eccles Theater, Park City

 

Grown Up Movie Star (World Narrative)
Director/Screenwriter: Adriana Maggs
Cast: Shawn Doyle, Tatiana Maslany, Jonny Harris, Mark O’Brien, Andy Jones, Julia Kennedy (Canada, 2009, 95 min., color) The story of parallel sexual awakenings in a dysfunctional family: Ray, a disgraced, former NHL star returns to Newfoundland to raise two young daughters after his wife leaves him to pursue her Hollywood dreams. As Ray starts to realize his attraction to other men, his eldest daughter, Ruby, begins an affair with a paralyzed older man.
Screening Times
Friday, January 22, 6:45 pm Broadway Cinemas 5, Salt Lake City
Monday, January 25, 9:00 pm Egyptian Theater, Park City
Wednesday, January 27, 12:00 pm Egyptian Theater, Park City
Friday, January 29, 8:30 am Prospector Square Theater, Park City
Saturday, January 30, 3:00 pm Screening Room, Sundance Resort

 

*His and Hers (World Documentary Competition)
Director: Ken Wardrop
Producer: Andrew Freedman
(Ireland, 2009, 80 min., color)
Hailed as a distinct new voice in Irish filmmaking, Ken Wardrop’s debut as a feature documentarian is ripe with charm and human insight as 70 Irish women, young and old, candidly share their observations and criticisms of the relationships between men and women.
Screening Times
Friday, January 22, 3:00 pm Holiday Village Cinema 4, Park City
Saturday, January 23, 1:30 pm Broadway Cinemas 4, Park City
Monday, January 25, 8:30 am Prospector Square Theater, Park City
Tuesday, January 26, 6:00 pm Screening Room, Sundance Resort
Thursday, January 28, 2:30 pm Holiday Village Cinema 3, Park City

 

I Am Love (Spotlight)
Director/Screenwriter: Luca Guadagnino
Cast: Tilda Swinton, Edoardo Gabbriellini, Pippo Delbono, Alba Rohrwacher, Marisa Berenson (Italy, 2009, 120 min., color) Tilda Swinton turns in yet another mesmerizing performance, this time as a Milanese heiress whose family reunites to celebrate the birthday of their patriarch grandfather. As Swinton’s character struggles with the constraints of family wealth, her own daughter struggles with traditions as well, leaving her boyfriend for a woman.
Screening Times
Friday, January 22, 6:30 pm Peery’s Egyptian Theater, Ogden
Sunday, January 24, 9:00 pm Egyptian Theater, Park City
Tuesday, January 26, 11:30 am Library Center Theater, Park City
Thursday, January 28, 11:15 am Racquet Club, Park City
Saturday, January 30, 9:30 pm Rose Wagner Center, Salt Lake City

 

Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child (Documentary Competition)
Director: Tamra Davis
Executive Producer: Maja Hoffmann
(USA, 2009, 88 min., color, b/w)
American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat was an embodiment of the materialism of the 80’s as well as the critique of that era. Perhaps it was the disposability of society that fueled the furious evolution of Basquiat’s art as well as his drug addictions, which led to his untimely death at age 27. The film touches on his romances with women as well as his flirtations with major queer icons of the time, especially Andy Warhol.
Screening Times
Monday, January 25, 3:00 pm Temple Theater, Park City
Wednesday, January 27, 6:00 pm Temple Theater, Park City
Thursday, January 28, 9:00 am Yarrow Hotel Theater, Park City
Friday, January 29, 6:00 pm Tower Theater, Salt Lake City
Saturday, January 30, 12:00 pm Yarrow Hotel Theater, Park City

 

Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work
(Documentary Competition)
Directors: Ricki Stern, Annie Sundberg
Screenwriter: Ricki Stern
Producer: Ricki Stern, Annie Sundberg, Seth Keal (USA, 2010, 84 min., color) Comedian Joan Rivers perseveres through the highs and lows of her career and through the mercilessly fickle entertainment industry. No doubt her success and longevity as a pop icon is boosted by her loyal gay following.
Screening Times
Monday, January 25, 9:00 pm Temple Theater, Park City
Tuesday, January 26, 11:30 am Yarrow Hotel Theater, Park City
Wednesday, January 27, 8:00 pm Racquet Club, Park City
Thursday, January 28, 12:00 pm Screening Room, Sundance Resort
Friday, January 29, 9:00 am Temple Theater, Park City
Friday, January 29, 6:30 pm Rose Wagner Center, Salt Lake City

 

The Kids Are All Right (Premieres)
Director: Lisa Cholodenko
Screenwriters: Lisa Cholodenko, Stuart Blumberg
Cast: Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska, Josh Hutcherson (USA, 2009, 104 min., color) From the writer/director of High Art and Laurel Canyon comes this story of the modern family. Like any long-time couple, Julianne Moore and Annette Bening are just trying to keep the spark alive in their relationship. When their teenage children, conceived by artificial insemination, discover their biological father played by Mark Ruffalo, a romance develops between him and Moore.
Screening Times
Friday, January 22, 3:00 pm Holiday Village Cinema 4, Park City
Saturday, January 23, 1:30 pm Broadway Cinemas 4, Park City
Monday January 25, 8:30 am Prospector Square Theater, Park City
Tuesday, January 26, 6:00 pm Screening Room, Sundance Resort
Thursday, January 28, 2:30 pm Holiday Village Cinema 3, Park City

 

Pepperminta (New Frontier)
Director: Pipilotti Rist
Screenwriters: Chris Niemeyer, Pipilotti Rist
Cast: Ewelina Guzik, Sven Pippig, Sabine Timoteo, Noemi
Leonhardt, Elisabeth Orth, Oliver Akwe
(Austria, Switzerland, 2009, 80 min., color)
The first feature from acclaimed visual artist Pipilotti Rist follows the adventures of a young woman who literally paints the world with colors. Her efforts to bring happiness to society are supported by her sidekicks, including one who is transgender.
Screening Times
Friday, January 22, 3:00 pm Egyptian Theater, Park City
Saturday, January 23, 9:00 am Egyptian Theater, Park City
Saturday, January 23, 7:30 pm Broadway Cinemas 4, Salt Lake City
Thursday, January 28, 5:30 pm Holiday Village Cinema 3, Park City
Saturday, January 30, 10:00 pm Holiday Village Cinema 3, Park City

Poison (Archive Screening/From the Collection)
Director/Screenwriter: Todd Haynes
Producer: Christine Vachon
Cast: Edith Meeks, Larry Maxwell, Susan Gayle Norman, Scott Renderer, James Lyons
(USA, 1991, 85 min, color, b/w)
One of the inspirations for New Queer Cinema, Poison launched the careers of director Todd Haynes and producer Christine Vachon after its premiere and Grand Jury Prize win at Sundance Film Festival in 1991. Three stylized stories highlight the themes of love and violence: a scientist isolates and ingests the sex hormone and becomes a monster; a child shoots his father and flies away; and two male prisoners have an illicit affair in a brutal prison world.
Screening Times
Friday, January 22, 8:30 pm Prospector Square Theater, Park City
Saturday, January 23, 9:30 pm Rose Wagner Center, Salt Lake City
Friday, January 29, 10:00 pm Holiday Village Cinemas 3, Park City

 

The Runaways (Premieres)
Director: Floria Sigismondi
Screenwriter: Floria Sigismondi, based on Neon Angel: The Cherie Curie Story by Cherie Curie
Cast: Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning, Michael Shannon, Scout Taylor-Compton, Alia Shawkat, Tatum O’Neal
(USA, 2009, 105 min., color)
Well-known music video director Floria Sigismondi chronicles the meteoric rise of the spirited Los Angeles teenage girl-band The Runaways through the eyes of lead-singer Cherie Currie and co-vocalist and guitarist Joan Jett. Jett’s sexuality is never questioned nor overdone; she appears in a scene with her girlfriend and has a sexy encounter with Currie.
Screening Times
Sunday, January 24, 6:30 pm Eccles Theater, Park City
Monday, January 25, 8:30 am Library Center Theater, Park City
Saturday, January 30, 9:00 pm Temple Theater, Park City

Secrets of the Tribe (World Documentary)
Executive producer: Nick Fraser, Dan Cogan, Sheila Nevin,
Diana Barrett, Abigail Disney, Jim Swartz, Susan Swartz, Sarah Johnson Redlich, Emily Pottruck, David Pottruck, Julia Parker Benello, Juliette Timsit, Caroleen Feeney
(Brazil, 2009, 94 min., color)
A highly critical eye is turned on the field of anthropology during the observation of the Yanomani Indians of the Amazon Basin. One anthropologist recounts his sexual awakening with some of the male tribesman, but it is only one instance of questionable ethics in the field, which begs the question: what is the truth and what is tainted by the observer?
Screening Times
Friday, January 22, 6:00 pm Holiday Village Cinemas 4, Park City
Saturday, January 23, 9:30 pm Screening Room, Sundance Resort
Sunday, January 24, 9:00 am Yarrow Hotel Theater, Park City
Tuesday, January 26, 7:30 pm Broadway Cinemas 4, Salt Lake City
Thursday, January 28, 12:00 pm Temple Theater, Park City

 

*A Small Act (Documentary Competition)
Director: Jennifer Arnold
Executive Producer: Joan Huang, Sheila Nevins
(USA, 2009, 85 min., color)
An inspiring true story of how small acts of kindness are paid forward, this documentary chronicles the life of an impoverished boy from Kenya whose future changes dramatically when an anonymous donor funds his education. Now a Harvard-educated lawyer, he hopes to establish a scholarship to benefit future generations. Filmmaker Jennifer Arnold’s previous works include LGBT festival favorites, Maid of Honor and Where the Girls Are.
Screening Times
Friday, January 22, 12:00 pm Temple Theater, Park City
Saturday, January 23, 3:00 pm Yarrow Hotel Theater, Park City
Sunday, January 24, 12:00 pm Screening Room, Sundance Resort
Thursday, January 28, 9:00 pm Temple Theater, Park City
Friday, January 29, 8:30 am Holiday Village Cinema 1, Park City
Saturday, January 30, 12:45 pm Broadway Cinemas 5, Salt Lake City

 

Southern District (Zona Sur) (World Narrative)
Director/Screenwriter: Juan Carlos Valdivia
Cast: Ninon Del Castillo, Pascual Loayza, Nicolas Fernandez, Juan Pablo Koria, Mariana Vargas, Viviana Condori
(Bolivia, 2009, 109 min, color)
In the rich Southern District of La Paz, Bolivia, a mother and her children live comfortably in their mansion while being waited on by their indigenous servants. Though the classes seemingly co-exist in harmony under one roof, the country undergoes massive social change. Eventually, the family faces the truth – including the discovery that the daughter is a lesbian – while realizing their days of comfort are over.
Screening Times
Tuesday, January 26, 6:00 pm Egyptian Theater, Park City
Thursday, January 28, 11:30 am Egyptian Theater, Park City
Friday, January 29, 3:00 pm Yarrow Hotel Theater, Park City
Saturday, January 30, 3:45 pm Broadway Cinemas 5, Salt Lake City

Sweet, Sampled and LeftOva (New Frontier)
Director: Kalup Linzy
(USA, 2009, 90 min., color, b/w)
Video and performance artist Kalup Linzy brings his singular vision to the big screen with the same melodramatic, Southern, black and gay cultural and drag-inspired elements which popularized his earlier works on the internet and on the contemporary museum circuit. The film is followed by a live performance by Linzy as the hot mess songtress, “Taiwan.”
Screening Times
Saturday, January 23, 6:30 pm New Frontier on Main, Park City
Monday, January 25, 6:30 pm New Frontier on Main, Park City
Wednesday, January 27, 6:30 pm New Frontier on Main, Park City
Thursday, January 28, 2:00 pm New Frontier on Main, Park City

 

Taqwacores (Midnight)
Director: Eyad Zahra
Screenwriters: Michael Muhammad Knight, Eyad Zahra
Cast: Bobby Naderi, Noureen DeWulf, Dominic Rains, Rasika Mathur, Tony Yalda, Nav Mann, Volkan Eryaman, Ian Tran
(USA, 2010, 84 min., color, b/w)
A Pakistani-American engineering student becomes roommates with an unlikely group of Muslim misfits who somehow reconcile their religious strictness with the hard-core punk rock scene. One of characters in the household is queer.
Screening Times
Sunday, January 24, 5:30 pm Prospector Square Theater, Park City
Monday, January 25, 6:00 pm Broadway Cinemas 6, Salt Lake City
Thursday, January 28, 11:00 pm Holiday Village Cinema 2, Park City
Friday, January 29, 12:00 pm Holiday Village Cinema 4, Park City
Saturday, January 30, 3:30 pm Holiday Village Cinema 2, Park City

 

Twelve (Premieres)
Director: Joel Schumacher
Screenwriter: Jordan Melamed, based on the novel by Nick McDonell
Cast: Chace Crawford, Emma Roberts, Rory Culkin, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Kiefer Sutherland, Ellen Barkin
(France, USA, 2009, 93 min., color)
An all-star young cast makes up this ensemble story about privileged Upper Eastside Manhattan teens whose fast-track lives and drug deals careen out of control when one of them commits mass murder and another is mistakenly taken into custody. Based on the New York Times bestseller by Nick McDonell, written when the author was only 17, the film adaptation also includes a gay fashion-forward character.
Screening Times
Friday, January 29, 6:15 pm Eccles Theater, Park City
Saturday, January 30, 9:15 am Eccles Theater, Park City
Sunday, January 31, 6:30 pm Rose Wagner Center, Salt Lake City

 

2010 Sundance Film Festival Shorts

The Armoire (International Dramatic Shorts)
Shorts Program 4
Director/Screenwriter: Jamie Travis
Cast: William Cuddy
(Canada, 2009, 22 min., color)
During a game of hide-and-seek, young Tony disappears…forever. His best friend, Aaron, forms a queer attachment to the armoire in which his friend was last seen.
Screening Times
Friday, January 22, 8:30 pm Library Center Theater, Park City
Saturday, January 23, 3:45 pm Broadway Cinema 5, Salt Lake City
Sunday, January 24, 3:00 pm Yarrow Hotel Theater, Park City
Monday January 25, 2:30 pm Library Center Theater, Park City
Saturday, January 30, 9:00 am Holiday Village Cinema 4, Park City
Saturday, January 30, 9:45 pm Broadway Cinema 5, Salt Lake City

 

Birthday (International Dramatic Shorts)
Shorts Program 5
Director/Screenwriter: Jenifer Malmqvist
Cast: Åsa Karlin, Lotten Roos, August Lindmark, Liva Leijsne Elkjær
(Poland, Sweden, 2010, 18 min., color)
Sarah plans a surprise for her wife Katarina’s fortieth birthday, unaware that she is in for a surprise herself.
Screening Times
Friday, January 22, 11:30 am Prospector Square Theater, Park City
Saturday, January 23, 5:30 pm Library Center Theater, Park City
Sunday, January 24, 3:45 pm Broadway Cinemas 5, Salt Lake City
Wednesday, January 27, 9:00 am Holiday Village Cinema 4, Park City
Saturday, January 30, 6:00 pm Egyptian Theater, Park City

 

Last Address (US Dramatic Shorts)
Shown before Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child
Director: Ira Sachs
Producer: Lucas Joaquin
(USA., 2009, 9 min., color)
From the director of The Delta, this short film compiles indelible images of the exteriors of the last residential addresses of a group of New York City artists who died of AIDS.
Screening Times
Monday, January 25, 3:00 pm Temple Theater, Park City
Wednesday, January 27, 6:00 pm Temple Theater, Park City
Thursday, January 28, 9:00 am Yarrow Hotel Theater, Park City
Friday, January 29, 6:00 pm Tower Theater, Salt Lake City
Saturday, January 30, 12:00 pm Yarrow Hotel Theater, Park City

 

Raw Love (International Dramatic Shorts)
Shorts Program 2
Director: Martin Deus, Juan Chappa
Screenwriter: Martin Deus
Cast: Valentino Arocena, Felipe Villanueva, Katja Alemann
(Argentina, 2008, 15 min., color)
The nostalgia of the last days of high school enhances this story of two boys who share a secret love for each other.
Screening Times
Friday, January 22, 9:00 am Yarrow Hotel Theater, Park City
Saturday, January 23, 11:00 am Prospector Square Theater, Park City
Sunday, January 24, 12:45 pm Broadway Cinema 5, Park City
Thursday, January 28, 11:30 pm Holiday Village Cinema 3, Park City
Saturday, January 30, 9:00 pm Tower Theater, Salt Lake City
Sunday, January 31, 11:30 am Holiday Village Cinema 4, Park City

 

SLAMDANCE FILM FESTIVAL

Four-Faced Liar (Narrative Feature Competition)
Director: Jacob Chase
Screenwriter: Marja Lewis Ryan
Cast: Marja Lewis Ryan, Emily Peck, Liz Osborn, Todd Kubrak,
Daniel Carlisle (USA, 2009, 100 min., color)
A twenty something couple encounter two best friends at the neighborhood NY bar, Four-Faced Liar. Soon, all are involved in lies, games, heartbreak and a serious case of same-sex attraction.
Screening Times
Friday, January 22, 12:30 pm Treasure Mountain Inn – Main
Monday, January 25, 5:30 pm Treasure Mountain Inn – Main

William S. Burroughs: A Man Within
(Documentary Competition)
Director/Screenwriter: Yony Leyser
Cast: David Cronenberg, Gus Van Sant, Patti Smith, John Waters, Iggy Pop.
Narrator: Peter Weller
(USA, 2000, 90 min., color, b/w)
The first posthumous documentary about William S. Burroughs, Beat Generation author, artist, drug-addict and queer icon, traces the life of one of the most colorful men of the 20th century. Like his contemporary and friend Allen Ginsberg, Burroughs’ writings about homosexuality garnered accusations of obscenity while his works continue to inspire later generations. Additional interviews with Laurie Anderson, Sonic Youth, Penny Arcade and others illuminate the personal side of this
American legend.
Screening Times
Friday, January 22, 5:30 pm Treasure Mountain Inn – Main
Wednesday, January 27, 7:30 pm Technicolor Gallery

 

Slamdance Shorts 2010

Gayby (Narrative Short)
Director/Screenwriter/Producer: Jonathan Lisecki
Cast: Jenn Harris, Matthew Wilkas
(USA, 2009, 12 min., color)
Matt and Jenn have been talking about having a child together since college. Even though Matt is
gay and Jenn is straight, they decide to gothrough with it, the old-fashioned way. Hot, awkward sex ensues.
Screening Times
Friday, January 22, 3:00 pm Treasure Mountain Inn – Main
Tuesday, January 26, 3:00 pm Treasure Mountain Inn – Main

 

Sandhill Boys (Narrative Short)
Director: Laura Klein
Director: Laura Klein
Screenwriter: Ashley Christopher Leach
Cast: Mandi Beers, Sandra Epperson, Ashley Christopher
Leach, J. Andrew McNeal (USA, 2009, 20 min., color)
With compelling writing and performances, this short film focuses on a gay man who tells a poignant and disturbing tale about an encounter in a public restroom.
Screening Times
Saturday, January 23, 4:00 pm Technicolor Gallery
Wednesday, January 27, 11:00 am Technicolor Gallery

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