2011 Slamdance Film Festival: Official Lineup

The 17th annual Slamdance Film Festival is all set to run for eight days and nights Jan. 21-27. The festival is featuring a bold theme this year of “All Is Not Lost” where — due to the current devastating economic climate — Slamdance will donate 10% of ticket proceeds back to the filmmakers.
The fest is screening 14 feature films — 10 of which are in competition — and 8 feature documentaries, all of which are in competition. In addition, there will be 56 short films screening.
Plus, there are a couple of special screenings, including the Straight 8 event where anybody can register to receive a single roll of Super-8 film that they can use to direct their own in-camera edited mini-masterpiece. Also, on the 26th, there will be a special retrospective of the works of renegade ’60s filmmaker J.X. Williams.
The full film lineup is below, but for more information on the site please visit the official Slamdance website.
Jan. 21
10:00 a.m.: Pleasant People, dir. Dave Bonawits. A lonely young woman tries to express herself through her music, but has trouble getting anyone to listen to her.
Screening with:
Beast of Hearts, dir. Jonathan Seligson
12:30 p.m.: Stranger Things, dir. Eleanor Burke & Ron Eyal. Following the death of her mother, a depressed woman invites a homeless Middle Eastern man to live on her property so as to stave off loneliness.
Screening with:
Mam, dir. Hugo Speer
1:30 p.m.: “Short Films”
Sis, dir. Deborah Haywood
Protect the Nation, dir. C. R. Reisser
5 Dollars, dir. Clay Jeter
Checkpoint, dir. Ruben Amar
3:00 p.m.: The Beast Pageant, dir. Albert Birney and Jon Moses. A hermit who has his every need taken care of ventures off into a grand adventure with a tiny singing cowboy who bursts from his stomach.
Screening with:
Mouth Babies, dir. Lisa Duva & Katherine Nolfi
3:30 p.m.: “Short Films”
Everyday, dir. Will Welles
Rita, dir. Fabio Grassadonia, Antonio Piazza
Aurora Borealis, dir. Matt H. Mayes
Odd Streets Run West, dir. Tannaz Hazemi
Six Strands, dir. Chaitanya Tamhane
Diamond Bay, dir. David Ratner
5:30 p.m.: Superheroes, dir. Michael Barnett. This documentary profiles several people who don homemade masks and costumes to patrol their neighborhoods to combat crime and injustice.
Screening with:
Missed Connections, dir. Mary Robertson
5:30 p.m.: “Short Films”
Refresh, dir. Hayato Ando
Bassa Marea, dir. Roberto De Paolis
Circles and Signals, dir. Ehsan Ghoreishi
Sister, dir. Michael Rittmannsberger
Twist & Blood, dir. Kuba Czekaj
Rice, dir. Taj J. Musco
7:30 p.m.: Zielinski, dir. Chase Thompson & Ryan Walker. This documentary covers the difficult career of John Zielinski, an investigative journalist who was practically ruined by a devastating contract dispute — until he decided to fight back!
Screening with:
Rhag, dir. Doug Walker
8:00 p.m.: Pete Smalls Is Dead, dir. Alexandre Rockwell. A former screenwriter who moved to the East Coast is drawn back to Los Angeles to attend the funeral of a former friend, except that friend probably isn’t dead and his pals involve the writer in their shady dealings with shifty movie producers and mobsters. Starring Peter Dinklage, Tim Roth, Steve Buscemi and Seymour Cassel.
Screening with:
Dead in the Room, dir. Adam Pertofsky
10:30 p.m.: Modern Imbecile’s Planet World, dir. Doug Manley. Two top Hollywood actors are stranded on a remote desert planet after their NASA-sponsored research mission goes awry.
Jan. 22
10:00 a.m.: Shunka, dir. CJ Gardella. This documentary explores the relationship between the material and spiritual worlds.
Screening with:
The Laying on of Hands, dir. Nick Twemlow
11:00 a.m.: “Anarchy Shorts”
Hijo de mi Madre, dir. Lucas Mireles
Houseboat, dir. Nina Macintosh
Scumbag, Pervert, and the Girl in Between, dir. Bruce Hwang Chen
Irma, dir. Charles Fairbanks
Death and the Blue-Eyed Boy, dir. Grant Curatola
Resolved, dir. Kseniya Rukavishnikova
12:15 p.m.: Fred & Vinnie, dir. Steve Skrovan. A struggling Hollywood character actor has his life disrupted when his agoraphobic best friend comes for a long visit.
Screening with:
Hello Caller, dir. Andrew Putschoegl
2:30 p.m.: Beneath Contempt, dir. Benjamin Brewer. Grief hangs heavy over a man who was sent to prison for killing his friends in a drunk driving accident as well as the mother of one of the victims. (Read the review)
Screening with:
Make Me Stronger, dir. Sarah Hudson
4:30 p.m.: “Short Films”
Son of None, dir. Todd Looby
Raymond & Lina, dir. Mark Pagán
Pampeliška, dir. Laurel Parmet
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons, dir. Ari Aster
5:00 p.m.: Last Fast Ride — The Life, Love and Death of a Punk Goddess, dir. Lilly Scourtis Ayers. This documentary profiles the tragically short life of Marian Anderson. Narrated by Henry Rollins.
Screening with:
Ultra Violet for Sixteen Minutes, dir. David Henry Gerson
6:30 p.m.: “Short Films”
Gravity, dir. Pamela Romanowsky
Animal Love, dir. Mollie Jones
Bird, dir. Petr Stupin
Bunny Boy, dir. Brandon LaGanke
7:30 p.m.: Gandu, dir. Q. A man who wants to escape his dreary life befriends a Bruce Lee-obsessed Rikshaw-puller.
Screening with:
Autofocus, dir. Paul Sbrizzi
8:45 p.m.: Fordson: Faith, Fasting, and Football, dir. Rashid Ghazi. This documentary profiles four Muslim high school football players during the last ten days of Ramadan.
Screening with:
Oaks, dir. Charles Wittenmeier
10:00 p.m.: Atrocious, dir. Fernando Barreda Luna. Found footage reveals what happened to a brother and sister who disappeared while investigating a local urban legend.
Screening with:
Hangnail, dir. Cavan Campbell
Jan. 23
10:00 a.m.: Snow on tha Bluff, dir. Damon Russell. An Atlanta crack dealer steals a video camera during a drug deal and begins documenting his own tragic, crime-filled life.
Screening with:
Les chiens jappent (Barking Dogs), dir. Arthur C. Joron
12:30 p.m.: Without, dir. Mark Jackson. A young woman takes on the difficult job of taking care of a man trapped in a vegetative state and who lives on a remote island.
Screening with:
Andy, dir. Andrew Ahn
3:00 p.m.: Road Dogs, dir. Shane Aquino. Three Hollywood bands go on a cross-country tour.
Screening with:
Kinbaku, dir. Jouni Hokkanen
3:00 p.m.: “Straight 8”
Filmmakers make films on a single roll of Super-8 film.
5:00 p.m.: “Animation Shorts”
Flesh Color, dir. Masahiko Adachi
X.O. Genesis, dir. Rowan Wernham
Bottle, dir. Kirsten Lepore (Watch online)
TELEPHONEME, dir. MK12
Stanley Pickle, dir. Victoria Mather
The Bellows March, dir. Eric Dyer
The Wonder Hospital, dir. Beomsik Shimbe Shim
A Family Portrait, dir. Joseph Pierce
5:30 p.m.: Drama, dir. Matias Lira. A trio of theater students begin living their lives to the extreme so as to find raw, new emotions that they can bring to their craft.
Screening with:
Block, dir. Chadd Harbold
7:30 p.m.: Bhopali, dir. Van Maximilian Carlson. This documentary profiles the second generation children who are still affected by the horrific Union Carbide gas disaster of 1984.
Screening with:
This Chair Is Not Me, dir. Andy Taylor Smith
8:00 p.m.: Silver Tongues, dir. Simon Arthur. Two lovers pretend to be other people and wreck havoc on the lives of several people in different towns.
Screening with:
Push Bike, dir. Mairi Cameron
9:30 p.m.: Scrapper, dir. Stephan Wassmann. This documentary covers the dangerous real lives of a group of survivalists who scrounge up discarded and blown-up material left behind on a U.S. military bombing range near the California/Mexico border.
Jan. 24
12:00 p.m.: Fordson: Faith, Fasting, and Football, dir. Rashid Ghazi. This documentary profiles four Muslim high school football players during the last ten days of Ramadan.
Screening with:
Oaks, dir. Charles Wittenmeier
1:00 p.m.: “Short Films”
Sis, dir. Deborah Haywood
Protect the Nation, dir. C. R. Reisser
5 Dollars, dir. Clay Jeter
Checkpoint, dir. Ruben Amar
1:00 p.m.: “Short Films”
Refresh, dir. Hayato Ando
Bassa Marea, dir. Roberto De Paolis
Circles and Signals, dir. Ehsan Ghoreishi
Sister, dir. Michael Rittmannsberger
Twist & Blood, dir. Kuba Czekaj
Rice, dir. Taj J. Musco
2:30 p.m.: Atrocious, dir. Fernando Barreda Luna. Found footage reveals what happened to a brother and sister who disappeared while investigating a local urban legend.
Screening with:
Hangnail, dir. Cavan Campbell
5:00 p.m.: Fred & Vinnie, dir. Steve Skrovan. A struggling Hollywood character actor has his life disrupted when his agoraphobic best friend comes for a long visit.
Screening with:
Hello Caller, dir. Andrew Putschoegl
5:00 p.m.: Mall Cop, dir. David Greenspan + Adobe Recut. After losing his arm then his job, an ex-mall cop returns to his former place of business and befriends his female replacement. After the film, there will be screenings of the winning entries in an Adobe-sponsored re-editing contest.
7:30 p.m.: Summer Children, dir. James Bruner. This American ’60s New Wave classic follows the tragic love story of a spoiled rich boy and his mysterious girlfriend.
Screening with:
Cargo, dir. Daniel Casey
8:00 p.m.: Shunka, dir. CJ Gardella. This documentary explores the relationship between the material and spiritual worlds.
Screening with:
The Laying on of Hands, dir. Nick Twemlow
10:00 p.m.: The Beast Pageant, dir. Albert Birney and Jon Moses. A hermit who has his every need taken care of ventures off into a grand adventure with a tiny singing cowboy who bursts from his stomach.
Screening with:
Mouth Babies, dir. Lisa Duva & Katherine Nolfi
Jan. 25
12:00 p.m.: Bhopali, dir. Van Maximilian Carlson. This documentary profiles the second generation children who are still affected by the horrific Union Carbide gas disaster of 1984.
Screening with:
This Chair Is Not Me, dir. Andy Taylor Smith
2:00 p.m.: Last Fast Ride – The Life, Love and Death of a Punk Goddess, dir. Lilly Scourtis Ayers. This documentary profiles the tragically short life of Marian Anderson. Narrated by Henry Rollins.
Screening with:
Ultra Violet for Sixteen Minutes, dir. David Henry Gerson
2:30 p.m.: Stranger Things, dir. Eleanor Burke & Ron Eyal. Following the death of her mother, a depressed woman invites a homeless Middle Eastern man to live on her property so as to stave off loneliness.
Screening with:
Mam, dir. Hugo Speer
4:30 p.m.: “Short Films”
Gravity, dir. Pamela Romanowsky
Animal Love, dir. Mollie Jones
Bird, dir. Petr Stupin
Bunny Boy, dir. Brandon LaGanke
5:00 p.m.: Without, dir. Mark Jackson. A young woman takes on the difficult job of taking care of a man trapped in a vegetative state and who lives on a remote island.
Screening with:
Andy, dir. Andrew Ahn
6:30 p.m.: “Short Films”
Son of None, dir. Todd Looby
Raymond & Lina, dir. Mark Pagán
Pampeliška, dir. Laurel Parmet
The Strange Thing About The Johnsons, dir. Ari Aster
7:30 p.m.: Pleasant People, dir. Dave Bonawits. A lonely young woman tries to express herself through her music, but has trouble getting anyone to listen to her.
Screening with:
Beast of Hearts, dir. Jonathan Seligson
8:30 p.m.: Road Dogs, dir. Shane Aquino. Three Hollywood bands go on a cross-country tour.
Screening with:
Kinbaku, dir. Jouni Hokkanen
10:00 p.m.: Beneath Contempt, dir. Benjamin Brewer. Grief hangs heavy over a man who was sent to prison for killing his friends in a drunk driving accident as well as the mother of one of the victims. (Read the underground film review)
Screening with:
Make Me Stronger, dir. Sarah Hudson
Jan. 26
10:30 a.m.: Zielinski, dir. Chase Thompson & Ryan Walker. This documentary covers the difficult career of John Zielinski, an investigative journalist who was practically ruined by a devastating contract dispute — until he decided to fight back!
Screening with:
Rhag, dir. Doug Walker
1:00 p.m.: Scrapper, dir. Stephan Wassmann. This documentary covers the dangerous real lives of a group of survivalists who scrounge up discarded and blown-up material left behind on a U.S. military bombing range near the California/Mexico border.
3:30 p.m.: Drama, dir. Matias Lira. A trio of theater students begin living their lives to the extreme so as to find raw, new emotions that they can bring to their craft.
Screening with:
Block, dir. Chadd Harbold
4:00 p.m.: “Anarchy Shorts”
Hijo de mi Madre, dir. Lucas Mireles
Houseboat, dir. Nina Macintosh
Scumbag, Pervert, and the Girl in Between, dir. Bruce Hwang Chen
Irma, dir. Charles Fairbanks
Death and the Blue-Eyed Boy, dir. Grant Curatola
Resolved, dir. Kseniya Rukavishnikova
6:00 p.m.: Kunst-Camera: The Life and Work of J.X. Williams, dir. J.X. Williams. Films by the mysterious ’60s filmmaker.
6:30 p.m.: “Short Films”
Everyday, dir. Will Welles
Rita, dir. Fabio Grassadonia, Antonio Piazza
Aurora Borealis, dir. Matt H. Mayes
Odd Streets Run West, dir. Tannaz Hazemi
Six Strands, dir. Chaitanya Tamhane
Diamond Bay, dir. David Ratner
8:30 p.m.: Superheroes, dir. Michael Barnett. This documentary profiles several people who don homemade masks and costumes to patrol their neighborhoods to combat crime and injustice.
Screening with:
Missed Connections, dir. Mary Robertson
8:30 p.m.: Snow on tha Bluff, dir. Damon Russell. An Atlanta crack dealer steals a video camera during a drug deal and begins documenting his own tragic, crime-filled life.
Screening with:
Les chiens jappent (Barking Dogs), dir. Arthur C. Joron
Jan. 27
12:30 p.m.: Modern Imbecile’s Planet World, dir. Doug Manley. Two top Hollywood actors are stranded on a remote desert planet after their NASA-sponsored research mission goes awry.
1:00 p.m.: Silver Tongues, dir. Simon Arthur. Two lovers pretend to be other people and wreck havoc on the lives of several people in different towns.
Screening with:
Push Bike, dir. Mairi Cameron
2:00 p.m.: “Animation Shorts”
Flesh Color, dir. Masahiko Adachi
X.O. Genesis, dir. Rowan Wernham
Bottle, dir. Kirsten Lepore (Watch online)
TELEPHONEME, dir. MK12
Stanley Pickle, dir. Victoria Mather
The Bellows March, dir. Eric Dyer
The Wonder Hospital, dir. Beomsik Shimbe Shim
A Family Portrait, dir. Joseph Pierce