2016 Sundance Film Festival Predictions: Deb Shoval’s AWOL

With one of last year’s Sundance intoxicatingly cute natured discoveries in Lola Kirke (from Noah Baumbach’s Mistress America) toplining, the reasonable five-year morphing phase into a larger feature film canvas, and the welcomed addition of actress Breeda Wool who got to work with the same character, we could easily see this slice of LGBT grab a coveted spot. While it might have the queer factor working for it, AWOL, the feature film version actually stems from a 2011 Sundance premiered short of the same title. Production took place at the very beginning of the year with major thumbs up support from Tribeca Film Festival where the film (not yet finished) landed the IWC Filmmaker Award and this past summer, Deb Shoval‘s feature debut was submitted to Champs-Elysées Film Festival’s US in Progress. Chosen for Film Independent’s Fast Track and IFP’s Narrative Completion Lab, Shoval has benefitted from a lot of grant-like support and will be ready leave its post early next year.

Gist: For Joey (Lola Kirke), the only way out of rural Pennsylvania is the Army; but before deployment she falls for a married woman and plots to go AWOL.

Production Co./Producers: Laura Teodosio (Thank You for Being Honest), Jessica Caldwell (Electrick Children), Michel Merkt (Zama).

Prediction: U.S. Dramatic Competition is a definite possibility.

U.S. Distributor: Rights Available. TBD (domestic). TBD (international)

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