Following the the recent unveilings of films selected for the 2015 Sundance Film Festival (January 22 to February 1), MiamiFF congratulates the following alumni directors heading to Utah to showcase their latest work!
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The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution
Morgan Neville (MiamiFF30 Opening Night film in 2013) director: Twenty Feet From Stardom (USA)
U.S. Documentary Competition program at Sundance 2015: co-director (with Robert Gordon) of Best of Enemies (USA) — Best of Enemies is a behind-the-scenes account of the explosive 1968 televised debates between the liberal Gore Vidal and the conservative William F. Buckley Jr., and their rancorous disagreements about politics, God, and sex.
Marc Silver (MiamiFF30 in 2013) director: Who is Dayani Cristal? / UK, Mexico
U.S. Documentary Competition program at Sundance 2015: 3½ Minutes / USA — On November 23, 2012, unarmed 17-year-old Jordan Russell Davis was shot at a Jacksonville gas station by Michael David Dunn. 3½ Minutes explores the aftermath of Jordan’s tragic death, the latent and often unseen effects of racism, and the contradictions of the American criminal justice system.
Liz Garbus (MiamiFF28 in 2011) Bobby Fischer Against the World / USA; (MiamiFF20 in 2003) The Nazi Officer’s Wife / USA;
Documentary Premieres program at Sundance 2015: director of What Happened, Miss Simone? / USA — Classically trained pianist, dive-bar chanteuse, black power icon, and legendary recording artist Nina Simone lived a life of brutal honesty, musical genius, and tortured melancholy. This astonishing epic interweaves never-before-heard recordings and rare footage, creating an unforgettable portrait of one of our least understood, most beloved artists.
Alex Gibney (MiamiFF28 in 2011) co-director with Alison Ellwood: Magic Trip: Ken Kesey’s Search for a Kool Place / USA
Documentary Premieres program at Sundance 2015: Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief / USA — Going Clear intimately profiles eight former members of the Church of Scientology, shining a light on how they attract true believers and the things they do in the name of religion.
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Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief
Stanley Nelson (MiamiFF28 in 2011) director: Freedom Riders / USA; (MiamiFF22 in 2005) director: Sweet Honey in the Rock: Raise Your Voice / USA
Documentary Premieres program at Sundance 2015: director of The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution / USA — This feature-length documentary tells of the rise and fall of the Black Panther Party, one of the 20th century’s most alluring and controversial organizations that captivated the world’s attention for nearly 50 years.
Sean Baker (MiamiFF26 in 2009) director: Prince of Broadway / USA
NEXT(⇔) program at Sundance 2015: director of Tangerine / USA — A working girl tears through Tinseltown on Christmas Eve searching for the pimp who broke her heart. World Premiere
Sebastián Silva (MiamiFF26 in 2009) director of The Maid (La nana) / Chile, Mexico
NEXT (⇔) program at Sundance 2015: director and screenwriter of Nasty Baby (USA) — A gay couple try to have a baby with the help of their best friend, Polly. The trio navigates the idea of creating life while confronted by unexpected harassment from a neighborhood man called The Bishop. As their clashes grow increasingly aggressive, odds are someone is getting hurt. World Premiere
Gael García Bernal (MiamiFF26 in 2009) co-director with Abderrahmane Sissako, Gaspar Noé, Mira Nair, Jane Campion, Gus Van Sant, Jan Kounen, Wim Wenders: “8” / France; (MiamiFF 25 in 2008) director: Deficit (Déficit) / Mexico; (MiamiFF30 in 2013) actor: “No” / Chile, USA, France Mexico
Special Events program at Sundance 2015: The Sundance Institute Short Film Challenge — An international shorts program designed to spark global conversation highlighting human ingenuity and imaginative solutions real people are creating to overcome challenges like extreme hunger and poverty. Filmmakers include Sundance Institute alumni Gael Garcia Bernal, Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady, Diego Luna, Marialy Rivas, and six storytellers from around the world. Presented with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
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Being Evel
Daniel Junge (MiamiFF25 in 2008) co-director with Siatta Scott Johnson: Iron Ladies of Liberia / USA
U.S. Documentary Competition program at Sundance 2015: Being Evel / USA — Millions know the man, but few know his story. An unprecedented and candid look at American daredevil and icon Robert “Evel” Knievel. A surprising tale about a childhood hero…flaws and all.
Laura Gabbert (MiamiFF21 in 2004) director: Sunset Story / USA
U.S. Documentary Competition program at Sundance 2015: City of Gold / USA — LA Times restaurant critic Jonathan Gold casts his light upon a vibrant and growing cultural movement in which he plays the dual roles of high-low priest and culinary geographer of his beloved Los Angeles.
Ronnie Rivera (MiamiFF31 in 2014) director “International Noise Conference 2013” / Canada, USA
Animation Short Films section at Sundance 2015: co-director (with Christina Felisgrau) of “The Sun Like a Big Dark Animal” / U.S.A. (Directors: Christina Felisgrau, Ronnie Rivera, Screenwriters: Ronnie Rivera, Bernardo Britto) — A computer and a woman fall in love, only to be torn apart because of their inappropriate feelings for each other.
Ramin Bahrani (MiamiFF30 in 2013) director: At Any Price / USA
Spotlight section at Sundance 2015: director of 99 Homes / USA — A father struggles to get back the home that his family was evicted from by working for the greedy real-estate broker who’s the source of his frustration.
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Wild Tales
Claudia Llosa (MiamiFF27 in 2010) director: The Milk of Sorrow (La teta asustada) / Spain, Peru; (MiamiFF24 in 2007) director: Madeinusa / Peru, Spain
Spotlight section at Sundance 2015: director and screenwriter of Aloft / Spain, France, Canada — The story of a struggling mother, Nana, and her evolution to becoming a renowned healer. When a young artist tracks down Nana’s son 20 years after she abandoned him, she sets in motion an encounter between the two that will bring the meaning of their lives into question.
Kornél Mundruczó (MiamiFF26 in 2009) director: Delta / Hungary, Germany
Spotlight section at Sundance 2015: director of White God (Fehér isten) / Hungary — When young Lili is forced to give up her beloved dog, Hagen, because its mixed-breed heritage is deemed “unfit” by The State, she and the dog begin a dangerous journey back toward each other. Winner of Cannes’ Un Certain Regard Grand Prize.
Damián Szifrón (MiamiFF21 in 2004) director: The Bottom of the Sea (El fondo del mar) / Argentina
Spotlight section at Sundance 2015: director of Wild Tales (Relatos salvajes) / Argentina — Inequality, injustice, and the demands of the world cause stress and depression for many people. Some of them, however, explode. This is a movie about those people; vulnerable in the face of an unpredictable reality, those who cross the thin line dividing civilization and barbarism. Cast: Ricardo Darín, Julieta Zyberberg, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Darío Grandinetti, Erica Rivas, Oscar Martínez. —Tatyana Chiocchetti[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
