Sundance 2007 preview: Dramatic Comp

Quick Links  Complete Film Listing:  Premiere's section lineup:  Dramatic Competition:  Documentary Competition:  World Dramatic Competition:  World Documentary Competition:  Spectrum:  Park City at Midnight:  Frontier (New Directions in Filmmaking):  Short Film Programs

January 18 to 28, 2007
Counting Down:

At least a good half of the films represented in the U.S Dramatic comp this year are by first time filmmakers. Headed by veteran filmmaker (and yet relatively new) David Gordon Green and his Stewart O'Nan novel adaptation of Snow Angels but perhaps the most loudest (in term of controversy and spotlight shall go to) the rough Deborah Kampmeier portrait Hounddog - starring a Dakota Fanning in what shall become a transition role for her from Hollywood to Indie, but from child actor to adult-material. And an indie festival wouldn’t be a festival without the presence of the Posey name. Zoe Cassavetes will introduce our friend Parker in Broken English - a 30’s generation relationship film with plenty of name folks – including mom, Gena Rowlands.

Some other world premieres are filled with names and recognizable talent – we have Heather Graham who comes undone in Alfredo de Villa’s Adrift in Manhattan, we have a healthy cast in Steve Berra’s The Good Life - a Nebraska-based, football set drama. John Cusack stars in Grace Is Gone - an Iraq war emotional drama and Lili Taylor takes center stage in Andrew Wagner’s Starting Out in the Evening.

A pair of doc filmmakers are making the leap to fiction - Jeffrey Blitz (Spellbound) will showcase the Picturehouse pic Rocket Science, while Yes Men helmer Chris Smith displays The Pool.

Fractured society and relationships are in selections such as Teeth directed by Mitchell Lichtenstein looks at male violence while Weapons by Adam Bhala Lough (Bomb the System) sheds light on random youth-related killings. Sterlin Harjo’s Four Sheets to the Wind looks at a new life in the big city, while Joshua by George Ratliff looks at a new life. Gina Kim’s Never Forever looks at marriage issues, while Christopher Zalla’s Padre Nuestro delves into father and son difficulties and On the Road With Judas by J.J. Lask takes a different approach to describing a love story.

Dramatic Competition:

Adrift in Manhattan - Alfredo de Villa
Broken English - Zoe Cassavetes
Four Sheets to the Wind - Sterlin Harjo
The Good Life - Steve Berra
Grace Is Gone - James C. Strouse
Hounddog - Deborah Kampmeier
Joshua - George Ratliff
Never Forever - Gina Kim
On the Road With Judas - J.J. Lask
Padre Nuestro - Christopher Zalla
The Pool - Chris Smith
Rocket Science - Jeffrey Blitz
Snow Angels - David Gordon Green
Starting Out in the Evening - Andrew Wagner
Teeth - Mitchell Lichtenstein
Weapons - Adam Bhala Lough

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