2011 Slamdance Film Festival - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The 2011 Slamdance Film Festival was a film festival

Film festival

A film festival is an organised, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theaters or screening venues, usually in a single locality. More and more often film festivals show part of their films to the public by adding outdoor movie screenings...

held in Park City, Utah

Park City, Utah

Park City is a town in Summit and Wasatch counties in the U.S. state of Utah. It is considered to be part of the Wasatch Back. The city is southeast of downtown Salt Lake City and from Salt Lake City's east edge of Sugar House along Interstate 80. The population was 7,558 at the 2010 census...

from January 20 to January 27, 2011. It was the 17th iteration of the Slamdance Film Festival

Slamdance Film Festival

As a year-round organization, Slamdance serves as a showcase for the discovery of new and emerging talent in the film industry; it is also the only major film festival fully programmed by filmmakers. Slamdance counts among its alumni many notable writers and directors who first gained notice at the...

, an alternative to the more mainstream Sundance Film Festival

Sundance Film Festival

The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...

Festival

This year, Slamdance received over 5,000 submissions and programmed 83 films. It concluded with an Awards Ceremony at Treasure Mountain Inn. The theme of the festival was "All is not lost." For 2011, the festival donated 10% of its ticket proceeds in Park City back to the filmmakers.

The film Pete Smalls is Dead opened the festival. Michael Dunaway of Paste wrote "Rather than bring his new film to the senior festival

Sundance Film Festival

, former Sundance winner Alexandre Rockwell

Alexandre Rockwell

Charles Alexandre Rockwell is an American film director, producer and screenwriter.-Personal life:...

chose to accept an invitation to open Slamdance this year because he says Slamdance is more fun." Dunaway wrote "most experienced Sundancers get a twinkle in their eye when they tell you about the exquisite little film they discovered either at Slamdance

Slamdance Film Festival

(Sundance

Sundance Film Festival

's boisterous, irreverent stepsister) or in one of the more experimental categories of Sundance itself." At Slamdance, Paste
Paste (magazine)
Paste is a monthly music and entertainment digital magazine published in the United States by Wolfgang's Vault. Its tagline is "Signs of Life in Music, Film and Culture."-History:...

was looking forward to the films Pete Smalls Is Dead; Drama; Last Fast Ride – The Life, Love and Death of a Punk Goddess; and Superheroes.

The festival had its second annual Filmmaker Summit, with an exclusive video on demand

Video on demand

Video on Demand or Audio and Video On Demand are systems which allow users to select and watch/listen to video or audio content on demand...

distribution agreement with Microsoft. Speakers included John Anderson of Variety, Scilla Andreen of IndieFlix, Orlando Bagwell of the Ford Foundation, Brian Newman of subgenre media, filmmaker and comic book writer Greg Pak

Greg Pak

Greg Pak is an American New York-based film director/comic book writer, known for his work on such books featuring the Hulk.-Early life:Pak is a graduate of Yale University, where he was a member of the Purple Crayon improv group, and studied history at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar and film at...

, Amy Powell of Paranormal Activity, Jenny Samppala of Banyan Beach, Tiffany Shlain

Tiffany Shlain

Tiffany Shlain is an American filmmaker and founder of the Webby Awards. Recognized by Newsweek as "one of the women shaping the 21st century."-Bio:...

(director of Connected and Yelp), and Lance Weiler

Lance Weiler

LANCE WEILER'S RÉSUMÉLance Weiler is an American film-maker and writer from Pennsylvania. Initially working as an assistant cameraman and camera operator on large commercial shoots, in Pennsylvania and later New York City, he then co-directed, co-wrote, co-produced, and co-starred in The Last...

of Pandemic 1.0.

For the entire duration of the festival, select feature films in competition were made available via Zune Marketplace. The films included Modern Imbecile's Planet World, Snow on tha Bluff
Snow on tha Bluff
Snow on tha Bluff is a 2011 reality/drama film directed by Damon Russell. It is the story of Curtis Snow, a real Atlanta "robbery boy and crack dealer whose livelihood revolves around armed robbery and drug pushing" who "sought out [director] Damon Russell to make a film about his life." The film's...

, The Beast Pageant, the documentaries Road Dogs and Scrapper, and also films from previous festivals.

This year, 17 films were available on video on demand through Xbox Live

Xbox Live

Xbox Live is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Corporation. It is currently the only online gaming service on consoles that charges users a fee to play multiplayer gaming. It was first made available to the Xbox system in 2002...

and Zune

Zune

Zune is a digital media brand owned by Microsoft which includes a line of portable media players, a digital media player software for Windows machines, a music subscription service known as a 'Zune Music Pass', music and video streaming for the Xbox 360 via the Zune Software, music, TV and movie...

, in standard definition or high definition. Revenue was split 50/50 with filmmakers. 12 films from past festivals will be available throughout 2011 including the documentaries Off the Grid, Orwell Rolls in His Grave, Zombie Girl; and the narrative features Omaha: The Movie and We Go Way Back.

People attending the opening night festivities included Tim Roth

Tim Roth

Simon Timothy "Tim" Roth is an English film actor and director best known for his roles in the American films,Legend of 1900, Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Four Rooms, Skellig, Planet of the Apes, The Incredible Hulk and Rob Roy, receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for...

, Peter Dinklage

Peter Dinklage

Peter Dinklage is an American film, television and theater actor. Since his breakout role in the 2003 film The Station Agent, he has acted in Elf, Underdog, Find Me Guilty, the 2007 film Death at a Funeral and its 2010 remake, and The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian...

, Alexandre Rockwell

Alexandre Rockwell

Charles Alexandre Rockwell is an American film director, producer and screenwriter.-Personal life:...

, Lee Tergesen

Lee Tergesen

Lee Allen Tergesen is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Tobias Beecher in HBO’s prison drama Oz and as Evan Wright in Generation Kill.-Early life:...

, Simon Arthur, Tommy Davidson

Tommy Davidson

Tommy Davidson is an American comedian, film and television actor.Born in Washington, D.C., Davidson was adopted when he was 2-years-old. He was a child of an interracial adoption, with his parents being Caucasian and he being African-American. He attended high school at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High...

, Fred Stoller

Fred Stoller

Frederick "Fred" Stoller is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and voice artist, best known for his frequent guest starring as Gerard on the CBS sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond...

, Angelo Tsarouchas

Angelo Tsarouchas

Angelo Tsarouchas is a Canadian comedian/actor, whose parents are originally from Greece. A large element of his stand-up comedy revolves around the parody of his Greek origins.- Life and career :...

, Steve Skrovan

Steve Skrovan

-Career:A former stand-up comedian, Skrovan was a writer for the CBS sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond. Previously, he was the host for the first two seasons of the game show That's My Dog! on Family. Skrovan was also the original host of Totally Hidden Video, which aired on FOX from 1989-1992...

, Max Carlson, Tom Lenk

Tom Lenk

Thomas Loren "Tom" Lenk is an American stage and television actor best known for his recurring role as Andrew Wells in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel.-Early life:...

, Lilly Ayers, Danielle Santos, Eva von Slut, INSAINTS
INSAINTS
The Insaints were an American punk rock group from San Francisco, CA, originally fronted by controversial vocalist Marian Anderson from 1988-1994...

members Daniel Deleon, Gregory Langston and Josh Levine, Michael Barnett, Kevin M. Brennan, Doug Manley, and Jeff Grace, and others.

David Burger of The Salt Lake Tribune
The Salt Lake Tribune
The Salt Lake Tribune is the largest-circulated daily newspaper in the U.S. city of Salt Lake City. It is distributed by Newspaper Agency Corporation, which also distributes the Deseret News. The Tribune — or "Trib," as it is locally known — is currently owned by the Denver-based MediaNews Group....

wrote that the Slamdance Film Festival "claims it's the more indie-spirited festival — and when it comes to films about music, that boast might be true." He spoke to the filmmakers behind Last Fast Ride — The Life, Love and Death of a Punk Goddess, a documentary directed by Lilly Scourtis Ayers about Marian Anderson of INSAINTS

INSAINTS

The Insaints were an American punk rock group from San Francisco, CA, originally fronted by controversial vocalist Marian Anderson from 1988-1994...

; Pleasant People directed by Dave Bonawits; and Road Dogs, a documentary directed by Shane Aquino that follows the bands HTTH (Heavenly Trip to Hell) and Kettle Cadaver on cross country tours.

In an interview with The Park Record, festival president and co-founder Peter Baxter said attendance had been "excellent" and most of the screenings had sold out.

Awards

There were three competitive divisions at this year's festival: Grand Jury, Audience Awards and Special Sponsored Awards provided by Kodak, Panasonic, Dos Equis and Good Health. New this year, the festival added a theatrical distribution award for best feature, best short film, and selections from Grand Jury and Audience Award films. The films will be screened domestically throughout 2011, including at IFC Center in New York and 14 Pews in Houston.. Strongman, a previous Slamdance Grand Jury Documentary winner opened in late January at the IFC Center in New York. Awards were sponsored by Adobe, Dos Equis, Kodak, Panasonic, Good Health and Pierce Law Group.

Grand Jury Awards

Grand Jury Sparky Award for Best Narrative Film - Stranger Things, written and directed by Eleanor Burke and Ron Eyal
Special Jury Mention - Joslyn Jensen's performance in Without, written and directed by Mark Jackson
Grand Jury Sparky Award for Best Documentary Film - Bhopali, directed by Van Maximillian Carlson
Special Jury Mention - Fordson, directed by Rashid Ghazi
Grand Jury Sparky Award for Best Animated Short - Bottle, written and directed by Kirsten Lepore
Grand Jury Sparky Award for Best Narrative Short - Bird, written and directed by Petr Stupin
Special Jury Mention - Son Of None, written and directed by Todd Looby
Grand Jury Sparky Award for Best Documentary Short - Oaks, directed by Charles Wittenmeier

Audience Awards

Audience Sparky Award for Best Narrative Film - Silver Tongues, written and directed by Simon Arthur
Audience Sparky Award for Best Documentary Film - Bhopali, directed by Van Maximilian Carlson
Spirit of Slamdance Sparky Award, sponsored by Good Health - Shunka, directed by CJ Gardella

Films

The Feature competitions at Slamdance are limited to first-time filmmakers working with production budgets of $1 million or less.

Competition

10 narrative films and 8 documentaries were selected to screen in competition. 14 of them are world premieres.

Narrative competition

Title	Country	Director	Minutes	Premiere	Cast
Atrocious	Mexico, Spain	Fernando Barreda Luna	75	North American Premiere	July Quintanilla, Cristian Quintanilla
The Beast Pageant	U.S.	Albert Birney & Jon Moses	74	World Premiere	Jon Moses, Ted Greenway, Emily Osinski, S. Michael Smith, Sam Hughes, Jon Eaton, Ron Bauerle, and Tigran Vardanyan
Beneath Contempt	U.S.	Benjamin Brewer	101	World Premiere	Colin Janson, Melanie May, Eric Eastman, Mike Bash, Abby Austin, Sarah Newhouse
Drama	Chile	Matias Lira	80	U.S. Premiere	Benjamin Vicnna, Diego Ruiz, Eusebio Arenas, Fernanda Urrejola, Isidora Urrejola
Fred and Vinnie	U.S.	Steve Skrovan	89	West Coast Premiere	Fred Stoller, Angelo Tsarouches, Scott Chernoff, Bill Rutkoski, John Asher, Harriet Rose, Sarah Rush, Lee Reherman
Pleasant People	U.S.	David Bonawits	69	World Premiere	Jiyoung Lee, Josh Hall, Dave Marder, Sarah Atchison, Paula Trude
Silver Tongues	U.S.	Simon Arthur	87	World Premiere	Lee Tergesen, Enid Graham, Tate Ellington, Emily Meade, Harvey Evans, Portia, Rosa Arrendondo, Adam Lefevre
Snow On Tha Bluff Snow on tha Bluff Snow on tha Bluff is a 2011 reality/drama film directed by Damon Russell. It is the story of Curtis Snow, a real Atlanta "robbery boy and crack dealer whose livelihood revolves around armed robbery and drug pushing" who "sought out [director] Damon Russell to make a film about his life." The film's...	U.S.	Damon Russell Damon Russell -Filmography:* In 2005 Russell produced two episodes of Made, a series on MTV* In 2007 Russell produced three episodes of Flip This House, an A&E reality series* In 2007–2009, he produced 3 episodes of The First 48, a crime documentary series on A&E....	79	World Premiere	Curtis Snow, Frank Ringer, Curtis Lockett, Adrienne Lockett, D'Angelo Snow, Brandon Snow, Kita Snow
Stranger Things	U.K., U.S.	Eleanor Burke & Ron Eyal	77	West Coast Premiere	Bridget Collins, Adeel Akhtar
Without	U.S.	Mark Jackson	88	World Premiere	Joslyn Jensen, Ron Carrier

Documentary competition

Title	Country	Director	Minutes	Premiere
Bhopali	India, U.S.	Van Maximilian Carlson	84	World Premiere
Fordson: Faith, Fasting, Football	U.S.	Rashid Ghazi	93	World Premiere
Last Fast Ride – The Life, Love and Death of a Punk Goddess	U.S.	Lilly Scourtis Ayers	86	World Premiere
Road Dogs	U.S.	Shane Aquino	83	World Premiere
Scrapper Scrapper (film) Scrapper is a 2011 American documentary feature film directed by Stephan Wassmann and co-directed by Olivier Hermitant. It documents the lives of persons who salvage scrap metal from a live-fire military testing range in Southern California....	U.S.	Stephan Wassmann	81	World Premiere
Shunka	U.S.	CJ Gardella	75	U.S. Premiere
Superheroes	U.S.	Michael Barnett	90	World Premiere
Zielinski	U.S.	Chase Thompson & Ryan Walker	65	World Premiere

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