Eric Lavallée

And for my final pick, I'm thinking that the husband-and-wife filmmaker team of Melanie Shatzky and Brian M. Cassidy will lock up a U.S Dramatic Comp section slot for their feature (fiction) debut. Francine should be among the buzz titles of the fest for what Melissa Leo (who plays the titular lead) will bring to the role, but my high expectations for the title have plenty more to do with my viewing of the craft in the stunning TIFF preemed The Patron Saints (here's our 4-star review and interview). The pair were previously at Sundance back in 2007 with their docu short God Provides.

While they made several pick-ups at the festival, Focus Features aren't in the habit of premiering films in Park City, so we can call Being Flynn, the adaptation of Another Bullshit Night in Suck City, my hail mary pass pick on this predictions list.

It played extremely well at the Toronto Int. Festival. and got quickly picked up by IFC FIlms. With a pegged spring 2012 theatrical release planned, I can see Your Sister's Sister have its U.S premiere in Sundance's Spotlight section (best on the world film festival scene) or worse case scenario find itself at SXSW for a buzz showing weeks before the launch.

A regular at the fest over the years (Enron, Gonzo, Casino Jack, Magic Trip...) I'm thinking we might see Gibney at the fest with a sports themed-related docu. He'll either premiere The Road Back - a Sony project (which is news to me) that looks at Lance Armstrong’s attempt to come out of retirement in 2009 to win the Tour de France. Matt Damon narrates that one.

His unforgettable, unclassifiable and somewhat off-putting (the animal cruelty aspect) 13-minute short (The Aluminum Fowl) travelled from Park City to Rotterdam and made a splash on the Croisette back in 2006. I'm looking forward to what kind of world James Clauer (see pic above) is looking to explore and the visual treatment of his text with his feature debut, which is backed by those who produced by the same folk who backed Michael Tully's Septien (Sundance - 2011). What we do know is that we think that this might have been based on a 2007 short film and besides that --- nada. Look for When the World's on Fire to be a strong contender for the New Frontier sidebar.