Festival Predictions

2018 Sundance Film Festival Predictions: Kenny Riches’ A Name Without a Place

Published on November 14, 2017

It’s not just the Borscht folks who are reinvigorating the American independent scene in the Sunshine State, or more specifically, Miami. Cut to Kenny Riches who gave us The Strongest Man (review), the 2015 Sundance Film Festival NEXT section selected quirky comedy. A play of words on Billy Idol’s tune in, production on his third feature film A Name Without a Place took place in mid-April and wrapped up on the West Coast in May. With a cast comprised of Elizabeth McGovern, Chris Parnell, Bryan Burton, Charlotte Best and once again teamed with Patrick Fugit, we’re expecting a tone that adheres to the off-beat infused with perhaps surviving sibling guilt.

Gist: Set in Miami Beach, Bryan Burton plays a sheltered young man in a relationship with an aging movie star, played by Elizabeth McGovern. He lacks the drive to discover the world beyond until he suffers the loss of his twin brother — prompting him to retrace his brother’s travels to the Florida Keys, where he meets a young woman (Charlotte Best) trying to find a ride to Miami. The two quickly find trouble and escape to a mysterious estate, where Fugit’s character lives and has discovered The Fountain of Youth.

Production Co./Producers: Jesse R. Brown, Anthony Pedone and Ian Peterson.

Prediction: If this doesn’t snag a berth in the U.S Dramatic Competition, then SXSW’s Narrative Competition could be a good bet.

U.S. Distributor: Rights Available. UTA (domestic/international)

Eric Lavallée

Eric Lavallée is the founder, CEO, editor-in-chief, film journalist and critic at IONCINEMA.com (founded in 2000). Eric is a regular at Sundance, Cannes and TIFF. He has a BFA in Film Studies at the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema. In 2013 he served as a Narrative Competition Jury Member at the SXSW Film Festival. He was an associate producer on Mark Jackson's This Teacher (2018 LA Film Festival, 2018 BFI London). In 2022 he served as a New Flesh Comp for Best First Feature at the 2022 Fantasia Intl. Film Festival. Current top films for 2022 include Tár (Todd Field), All That Breathes (Shaunak Sen), Aftersun (Charlotte Wells).