Slamdance Film Festival Announces 2012 Slate

Slamdance Film Festival announced today the Special Screenings and Short Programs for the 18th Annual Slamdance Film Festival. The Special
Screenings Programs present a variety of acclaimed and visionary films by a diverse group of global filmmakers — from Hollywood iconoclasts to highly anticipated emerging directors. The 2012 Slamdance Film Festival will showcase 8 feature-length films in Special Screenings: 3 Narrative Films and 5 Documentary Films, including 5 World Premieres. The 2012 Shorts Program features 75 shorts, and include Special Screenings, Live Action Competition, Documentary Competition, Animation, $99 Special, Anarchy Shorts, and the world premiere of a special program of new Iranian shorts never seen outside the country, Made In Iran: 7 Short Premieres.

“This year’s Special Screenings in every way represent the maverick spirit of Slamdance, from Jonathan Demme’s documentary Neil Young Journeys, to the premiere of a never before seen Ed Wood television pilot, and the poetic realism of Tibetan filmmaker Pema Tseden’s Old Dog. If you want to see the truest representation of bold, independent filmmaking, Slamdance is the place to be,” said Peter Baxter, Slamdance President and Co-Founder.

With nearly 5,000 submissions this year, Slamdance is proud to present the best filmmakers who are pushing the boundaries of filmmaking with innovation and unique talent. This year’s festival celebrates Slamdance’s continued commitment to diversity, courage and experimentation of truly independent cinema.

The 2012 Slamdance Film Festival will take place January 20 — 26, 2011 in Park City, Utah, at the Treasure Mountain Inn.

This year’s Slamdance short film competition slate features 32 live action shorts and 13 documentary shorts programmed both in blocks and in front of features, and 10 animated films programmed in a signature animation block.

“We’re thrilled about this year’s short film slate, which represents a dynamic mix of films from across the world. Our focus is on finding the most essential films from among the over 3000 submissions we received, with an eye toward potentially divisive and provocative films that may not have found a showcase elsewhere. If there’s a common thread among these films, it’s a shared boldness of vision on the part of the filmmakers that spans all genres, from comedy to experimental,” said Joel Garber, Co-Captain of the Shorts Programming Committee.

A jury will present awards to short films in competition in the following categories: Narrative, Animation, and Documentary. Competition shorts are also eligible for the Spirit of Slamdance Award.

Out of competition shorts and programs include: $99 Special Short Harold’s Bad Day, a winner of the 2011 Slamdance Short Screenplay Competition, directed by Slamdance alum Jordan Brady. The $99 Special Program presentation is the culmination of an annual tradition in which filmmakers are challenged to make a short film in 99 days with a budget of $99 dollars.

Made In Iran: 7 Short Premieres, an out of competition shorts program, is a world premiere collection of recent Iranian shorts never seen outside the country, curated by Iranian-American filmmaker Ehsan Ghoreishi, featuring the work of emerging talents from across Iran.

Anarchy Shorts is a curated, non-competitive spotlight on unique and provocative filmmakers who have made visionary, experimental, cult, and underground films.