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2011 Sundance Predictions: Tony Kaye’s Detachment
With Black Water Transit no longer tied up in a legal tussle, though we gladly take in a Tony Kaye double bill, if we had to choose, we'd go with Detachment - a film that could send buyers into one of those legendary Park City frenzies. Filmed over the summer, if ready in time, we could get a school drama from the POV of the teachers and principles: Adrien Brody, Christina Hendricks, James Caan, Lucy Liu, Marcia Gay Harden, Bryan Cranston, William Petersen, Blythe Danner and Tim Blake Nelson star.
2011 Sundance Predictions: Dara Kell and Christopher Nizza’s Dear Mandela
Proving that there is a dark side to major international sporting events in host countries with atrocious human rights records, I think that this IFP and Sundance supported feature-length documentary from filmmaker tandem Dara Kell (an editor on Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady's Jesus Camp and 2009 Sundance title, The Reckoning) and Christopher Nizza (an Emmy Award-winner) might find a welcoming slot in Sundance's Documentary Competition. Update: This much anticipated doc is still in post-production and I'm told hasn't been submitted to the festival.
2011 Sundance Predictions: Derek Cianfrance’s Cagefighter
Despite it premiering almost 10 months ago in Park City, we are very much in Blue Valentine mode in the award season portion of 2010, and if we have it our way, Sundance would somehow put a chokehold on Derek Cianfrance's Cagefighter. The 56 minute docu-essay would be an ideal candidate for a birth in the New Frontier section - which takes on docs that "bend" the form.
2011 Sundance Predictions: Jonathan Teplitzky’s Burning Man
After Animal Kingdom, could Australia have another breakout film at the festival? THR says Jonathan Teplitzky's third film, which is currently being sold at the AFM, is being billed as "a reckless, sexy, provocative and ultimately tear-jerking father and son tale". Looking for a North American distributor, Burning Man would benefit from a film festival premiere showing. I think it may fit the festival bill or trickle into Tribeca's line-up.
2011 Sundance Predictions: Michael L. Brown’s 25 to Life
A NYU grad who has seen his feature documentary debut supported by Tribeca All Access 2008, IFP's Independent Film Week and Sundance, by all logic, Michael L. Brown should be preeming his documentry film with a catchy title in 25 to Life somewhere between the Doc Competition in Sundance or in Tribeca.
