Festival Predictions

2014 Sundance Film Festival Predictions: Untitled Chris Messina Drama

Published on November 21, 2013

It’s with his previous acting gig on the microscopic, Sundance preemed 28 Rooms (produced by Lynette Howell – Jamie Patricof’s business partner at their current prod. house) that certainly allowed for his creative input to shine thru, and land him his first directing gig. Production began in July for the still untitled drama which brings back the amazing Elizabeth Winstead (from Smashed). Chris Messina does double duty here with Julianna Guill, Don Johnson and Derek Luke in the fold as well. It’ll be tight to meet the deadline – but not impossible.

Gist: Written by Jessica Goldberg, Katie Nehra and Justin Shilton, this is about a workaholic attorney, Alex (Winstead) is forced to reinvent her life after her husband suddenly leaves. Now faced with the humdrum and sometimes catastrophic events that permeate the fabric of our lives, Alex discovers both a vulnerability and inner strength she had not yet tapped all while trying to hold together her broken family.

Production Co./Producers: Electric City Ent.’s Jamie Patricof (The Place Beyond the Pines)

Prediction: U.S. Dramatic Competition or Premieres.

U.S. Distributor: Rights Available

[related]2014 Sundance Film Festival Predictions[/related]

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).