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From: SLAMDANCE <mail@...>
Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2001 11:36:18 -0800
To: <mail@...>
Subject: Slamdance Line Up

December 11, 2001

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: MARGOT GERBER
323 466 1786

Record number of submissions for annual upstart fest...
Slamdance Film Festival 2002 Announces Competition & Lounge Line-Up For 8th
Annual Fest in Park City

January 11-19, 2002 Park City, Utah

Los Angeles - "The Slamdance 2002 Film Festival has invited 12 feature
films, from a record 2468 submissions, to compete at our eighth annual
festival," Peter Baxter, Slamdance President/Co-Founder announced today.
Seven of the Competition Features are fictional narratives, while a record
five documentaries will screen in competition this year. In addition to the
dozen feature length films, 11 of which are premieres, Slamdance will also
screen 12 short films in competition. The festival will run from January
11-19, 2002, in Park City, Utah - coinciding with the Sundance Film
Festival. Slamdance also announced four features and 18 shorts screening in
the ³Filmmakersı Lounge² section of the festival. Special Screenings and
festival events will be announced at a later date.

³Low-cost film production and the vast array of subject matter it portrays
is obviously thriving in the US. Our goal at this yearıs festival is to
offer as many of these filmmakers a platform that they might not otherwise
have and attract industry members to this talent pool,² said Baxter.
"Somewhere in this slate is the next Christopher Nolan or Marc Forster,"
Slamdance Co-Founder-at-Large Dan Mirvish added, referring to two
award-winning Slamdance alumni who have moved on to mainstream critical
acclaim for MEMENTO and MONSTER'S BALL, respectively. "If Hollywood is
serious about discovering new talent, then Slamdance has proven that we're
the place to go. Remember, last year's Palm d'Or-winning short was first
seen at Slamdance," added Mirvish in a reference to David Greenspan's "Bean
Cake" which won the coveted prize in Cannes.

"One of the reasons submission figures grew this year is due to our new
German festival in Cologne which is linking more European filmmakers working
with low budgets to our Park City event. It is surely due to the
non-bankruptcy method of digital filmmaking which accounted for 1223 of the
total submissions this year, a huge leap from Slamdance '01," said Baxter.

"For the first time, Slamdance has been recognized by the city of Park City
with an extension of their free public Silver Lake/Deer Valley bus route to
include a stop for festival goers with front-door service at the
Silvermine," says Slamdance Co-Director Brent Clackson. Slamdance
screenings, parties and most other events will once again be at the historic
Silvermine on the outskirts of Park City (1.5 miles south of Park City on
Hwy 224). "While we still maintain a small presence at the Treasure
Mountain Inn on Main Street, the vast interior of the Silvermine offers a
one-stop-shop for festival attendees, including two larger screening rooms,
concessions, a press lounge, e-mail garden, panels, cocktail hours, massage
therapy and party events all under one roof," explains Kristy Byrd,
Slamdance Co-Director. "The Silvermine's 2,000 foot mine shaft will be a
great place to throw cell phones if they go off during screenings," added
Mirvish.

The Slamdance feature competition section is limited specifically to
first-time filmmakers working with limited budgets who have not yet found
U.S. distribution. Many Filmmakersı Lounge films are also directed by
first-time filmmakers. "Whether you're an agent looking for a new client, a
distributor looking for new films, or you just want to see new filmmakers
proudly screening their work for the first time, Slamdance is more than ever
the place to go this year in Park City," said Mirvish. "Winning films have
been picked up for distribution every year since we've started, so I think a
lot of eyes will be on this year's competition features," said Baxter.

Slamdance, which bills itself as "by filmmakers, for filmmakers," was
started in 1995 by a group of writer/director/producers and continues to be
organized and programmed by active filmmakers. "A good thing about
Slamdance coming into our eighth year is that we had a much larger pool of
alumni to draw from for our programmers," Nubia Flores, Slamdance's
Filmmaker Relations Liaison. "It's still a uniquely consensus-based
programming process, and the broadening of our reputation hasn't changed the
spirit of how our films are selected." Unlike other festivals, Slamdance
does not make any early invitations or selections for its feature
competition. Over 50 programmers were involved in the selection process.
"Overall, the selections made by our programming teams were very solid this
year, although every submission is fair game until the day we announce our
slate." adds Byrd.

A variety of awards will be presented to the winners of the competition
films at the Slamdance "Sparky" Awards starting at 7pm on January 17, at the
Silvermine. In addition to competing for the coveted bronze "Sparky" dog
trophy, filmmakers will be eligible for cash and other prizes.

FEATURE FILMS SCREENING IN COMPETITION:

EASY LISTENING - (USA, 85 min., Narrative) WORLD PREMIERE An aging hipster
finds his groove and a pretty young flautist in the very unhip world of easy
listening musicians. Directed by Pamela Corkey.

HOLY LAND - (USA, 96 min., Narrative) A rabbinical student falls in love
with a Russian prostitute during a period of suicide bus bombings in
contemporary Jerusalem. Directed by Eitan Gorlin.

ISRAEL IN EXILE - (USA, 87 min., Narrative) US PREMIERE An old woman
enlists the aid of the Mexican spiritual icon, Guadalupe, to help her son
recapture his dream and find his way home. Directed by Juan Ramirez.

LEFTY-RIGHT - (USA, 50 min., Narrative) WORLD PREMIERE After hearing a news
report about left-handed people dying earlier than right-handers, a
telemarketer decides that converting his handedness is his best option for
shortening his life span and getting out of a world which seems to have left
him behind.
Directed by Rae McGrath.

LOUDER THAN BOMBS - (Poland, 92 min., Narrative) NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE On
the day of his fatherıs funeral, a young manıs girlfriend tells him sheıs
emigrating to America in this comedy about love, loss, and barbecue.
Directed by Przemyslaw Wojcieszek

THE MALLORY EFFECT - (USA/Canada, 96 min., Narrative) WORLD PREMIERE
Stalking and revenge are the best medicines for a broken heart. Cast
includes fashion model Josie Maran. Directed by Salt Lake City native Dustin
Guy

MY FATHER, THE GENIUS - (USA, 80 min., Documentary) WORLD PREMIERE Enlisted
to write the biography of her visionary architect father, filmmaker Lucia
Small meets her subject head on with a film that exposes the controversial,
comical, and inspirational layers of his life. Includes interviews with such
architects as Frank Gehry. Directed by Lucia Small. Shot on DV.

RONNIE - (USA, 87 min., Narrative) WORLD PREMIERE A young man who is "a
little bit different" becomes amorous towards a mentally disabled woman and
through a series of mishaps, experiences love, life, death, and the loss of
his family. Cast includes Brian Austin Green ("Beverly Hills 90210") and
Aimee Graham (sister of Heather Graham). Directed by Christopher Haifley

STANDING BY YOURSELF - (USA, 57 min., Documentary) US PREMIERE A riveting
portrait of two outcast teenage boys living in a suburban area of upstate
New York. Directed by Josh Koury. Shot on DV

STONE READER - (USA, 220 min., Documentary) WORLD PREMIERE A filmmaker
discovers a great unknown novel and sets out on a quest to learn why the
book and writer vanished. Directed by Mark Moskowitz

THANK YOU FOR THE RUBBISH - (USA, 70 min., Documentary) WORLD PREMIERE An
insider of the British press reveals how he has gotten rich through his
obsession of scavenging through rubbish, finding discarded documents, and
then selling them to story-hungry newspapers. Directed by Iain Jones. Shot
on DV.

WHERE HAS ETERNITY GONE? - (USA, 49 min., Documentary ) WORLD PREMIERE A
married couple from North Dakota try to defeat Al Gore in the Presidential
election with their ability to channel songs from the dead Beatle, John
Lennon. Directed by Barney Snow. Shot on DV

SHORT FILMS IN COMPETITION

"Better Life" (USA, 12 min.) Multiple forms of animation allow us to
rediscover familiar moments. Directed by Atsuko Kubota.

"Candy Money" - (USA, 10 min.) An intimate look at a day in the life of two
entrepreneurial, pre-pubescent boys trying to make a buck in the backwoods
of Arkansas. Directed by Chris Strother.

"Delhi House" (USA, 11 min.) WORLD PREMIERE A makeshift "Western" hospital
in one of India's poorest inner-cities attempts to ease the suffering of the
untouchables through renegade clinical and rehabilitative practices. Shot on
DV. Directed by Jeremiah Zagar.

"The First Story" (USA, 11 min.) NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE An experimental
documentary that explores images of power and transportation in the American
West. Directed by Cindy Still Well.

"The Hunger Artist" (USA, 16 min.) WORLD PREMIERE Achingly beautiful
stop-motion animation retells this Franz Kafka story about a performer whose
art consists of denying himself nourishment. Directed by Tom Gibbons.

"I Know Where I'm Going" (USA, 32 min.) A hypnotic encapsulation of a young
woman's complete passage through romance, cohabitation and the politics of a
relationship. Directed by Andrew Semans

"Impressions From Rustaveli" (USA, 14 min.) WORLD PREMIERE Inspired by the
prophetic 800 year old manuscript of a Georgian Monk. Directed by Nana
Tchitchoua.

"Lurch" (Germany, 20 min.) A man with the unlikely job of preserving animal
corpses at the Berlin Natural History Museum has a most unusual accident.
Directed by Boris Hars-Tschachotin.

"The Man With A DV Cam" (Canada, 10 min.) WORLD PREMIERE Lindsay Farnsworth
is a film poet who has just acquired his first Digital Video camera. Watch
him learn to express himself in increasingly colorful ways. Directed by
Justin Adam & Mike Hawley. Shot on DV.

"P.E." (USA, 10 min.) WORLD PREMIERE Three girls attempt to get rid of
their P.E. teacher instead of having to face the horrors of summer school
should they not pass their P.E. final. Shot in wide screen. Directed by M.
Stark.

"Vessel Wrestling" (USA, 13 min.) Hairy, blood-sugar-sex-magic happens
around dinnertime in this sensual claymation household. Directed by Lisa Yu.

"Water From the Moon" (USA, 9 min.) WORLD PREMIERE Live action marionettes
tell the story of a lonely washerwoman who discovers a winged man in her
closet. Directed by Jenny McCracken.

LOUNGE FEATURES:

ANACARDIUM (USA, 90 min., Narrative) WORLD PREMIERE A contemporary
mystery/thriller. This film will be presented as an interactive audience
experience with three endings. Directed by Scott Thomas.

FREESTYLE: THE ART OF RHYME (USA, 60 min., Documentary) WORLD PREMIERE
Filmed over the course of 8 years, the film follows the living art of some
of the best known, as well as unknown, hip-hop MC's ever to bless the mic.
Featuring performances by Tupac Shakur, Biggie Smalls, Mos Def and Slamdance
2001 opening night band, The Roots. Directed by Kevin Fitzgerald.

JESUS CHRIST VAMPIRE HUNTER (CANADA, 85 min., Narrative) WORLD PREMIERE The
filmmaking team that won the "Spirit of Slamdance" prize in 2000 with the
short, "Harry Knuckles and the Treasure of the Aztec Mummy," returns to the
Lounge and ups the ante with this tale of the ultimate action hero: Jesus
Christ. Directed by Lee Demarbre.

ROCKS WITH WINGS (USA, 113 min., Documentary) This compelling documentary
follows the ups and downs of a Navajo girlsı high school basketball team as
their coach leads them to the New Mexico state finals. Directed by Rick
Derby.

LOUNGE SHORTS:

"A.U.R.A." (Italy, 7 min.) WORLD PREMIERE If an artwork loses a bit of its
aura at every reproduction, what then happens to humans in the age of
cloning? Shot on DV. Directed by Cinzia Rossello.

"Beached" (Ireland, 14 min.) NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE Romance develops
between an ice cream vendor and a shy dogwalker in an Irish seaside town.
Directed by Karl Golden.

"Border" (USA, 8 min.) WORLD PREMIERE An old man and a goose have many
things in common until they reach a road block. Directed by Annette
Solakoglu.

"Breaker" (USA, 23 min.) A desperate and unruly teenager invades the life of
a man she presumes to be her father. The film pulsates with the raw,
live-for-now energy and sexuality found only in adolescence. Shot on DV.
Directed by Lisa Robinson.

"Cleave" (USA, 15 min.) An autopsy of a recently-deceased marriage that
reveals the simultaneous urge to both cling to and sever the relationship.
Directed by Hollie Lavenstein.

"Death on a Friendly Border" (USA, 25 min.) This film puts a human face on
an international tragedy - the daily deaths of persons crossing the
militarized southern US border. Directed by Rachel Antell. Shot on DV

"Der Warter" (The Wait) (Germany, 15 min.) WORLD PREMIERE A weak-chinned
man finds something he doesn't want to leave as he waits for his friends to
come out of a club that he couldn't get into. Directed by Christian
Ehrhardt.

"Drunky" (USA, 3 min.) WORLD PREMIERE Our hopeless hero awakens from a
drunken stupor to find himself in the bed of another man, leading him into a
nightmare world of sex and violence. Shot on DV. Directed by Aaron
Augenblick.

"Good Brother" (USA, 16 min.) WORLD PREMIERE When two young brothers deeply
connected to their small town find out that they must move, they innocently
resort to painful measures in order to stay put. Directed by Greg Fadell &
Matthew Zacharias. Shot on DV.

"Heaven's Crossroad" (USA, 35 min.) WORLD PREMIERE This striking travelogue
through Vietnam asks, "Who is the observer, and who are the observed?" Shot
on DV. Directed by Kimi Takesue.

"The Hitch" (USA, (15 min.) NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE A driver picks up a
hitchhiker on a deserted country road. But will his passenger win him over
before he can carry out his plans? Directed by Michael Booth & Damon
Herriman

"Hotel Hidajet" (USA, 10 min.) A curious Bosnian refugee becomes a tour
guide, vividly illustrating the plight of survivors in post-war Sarajevo.
Shot on DV.
Directed by Kelly Nathe.

"Lust is a Woman" (USA, 5 min.) NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE A groping couple in
an old movie house is magically transported to the dark woods of Finland
where harpies look like Betty Page and ghosts are ready to sew your stuff
back together after your girlfriend cuts it to shreds. Directed by Ada
Bligaard Soby.

"Modern Daydreams" (USA, 16 min.) A foursome of Chaplinesque films exploring
the theme of movement engendered by day-to-day life and examining machinery
as metaphor for isolation. Shot with the camera Mitchell won at Slamdance
2000 for his Grand Jury-winning short "Elevator World." Directed by Mitchell
Rose.

"Pedro + Tony" (USA, 19 min.) WORLD PREMIERE It's the six month anniversary
of a dog named Pedro, and his "boyfriend-who-just-happens-to-be-a-chicken."
Tony. They aren't prepared for the unexpected things that go wrong on their
special date. Shot on DV. Directed by Don Thomas

"Pillow Fight" (USA, 4 min.) Late one night, a young husband is awakened by
his sleeping wife. When his patience runs out, three sleepy words turn his
attitude around. Directed by Scott Rice.

"Prayer" (Sweden, 18 min.) A mysterious meditative journey through one day
of ancient rites in the heart of religious India. Directed by Alexa Wolf.

"Sastun: My Apprenticeship with a Mayan Healer" (USA, 20 min.) WORLD
PREMIERE Sastun tells the extraordinary story of an American herbologist,
who's quest to explore the healing powers of plants leads her to the
rainforest of Belize, where she befriends one of the last remaining Maya
shamans. Directed by Guido Verweyen.

Highlights from the 2001 Slamdance Film Festival in Park City included over
$70,000 in cash and prizes awarded to the winning films. Several films were
picked up for distribution, Audience Award winner AMERICAN CHAI and Special
Screening WENDIGO being the most recent. Almost every film went on to play
at other international film festivals. The short film "Bean Cake" won the
Palme D'Or for short film at the 2001 Cannes International Film Festival.
The 2000 Grand Jury Winner - Frank Novak's GOOD HOUSEKEEPING - went on to
screen in the prestigious Critics' Week section of the Cannes Film
Festival, where it was acquired for US distribution by Shooting Gallery in
conjunction with Universal Studios. Alumni include MEMENTO director
Christopher Nolan ('99 award-winner FOLLOWING); the Russo Brothers ('97
entry PIECES) and MONSTER'S BALL director Marc Forster ('96 Audience Award
winner LOUNGERS). Participation in the Slamdance Film Festival helped to
discover these filmmakers and to propel them to their next features into
production.

A limited number of festival passes are still available by calling 323 466
1786. Individual tickets will be on sale at the Slamdance box office at the
Silvermine beginning January 11, at 9:00am.

The Platinum Sponsors for Slamdance 2002 are Kodak and JVC. Other sponsors
include American Apparel, Avon Rentals, Brewvies, Burton Snowboards, Crest
National, Deluxe Labs, DGA, Digital Film Group, Dos Equis, Film Festival
Today, Jagermeister, Knitting Factory, Los Angeles Film School, Maryland
Film Office, Panavision, Kozak Vodka, Trakker Technologies, Video Equipment
Rentals and X-96.

Many films are available for review both prior to and during the festival.
Please call Margot Gerber for details. Press kits and photos are available
upon request. Filmmakers are available for interviews. Press interested in
requesting credentials to cover the festival should send a fax (323 466
1784) on letterhead from their media outlet that indicates they have a
specific assignment to cover the festival. Please indicate when your
coverage will appear. For more press credentials information, go to
http://www.slamdance.com/2001/festival/info/pressintro.asp.

PROGRAM SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. UPDATED INFORMATION AVAILABLE AT
WWW.SLAMDANCE.COM.






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