Birds Without Feathers (Narrative Features Competition)
At Slamdance, both Narrative and Doc competitions are solely reserved for directors making their feature debut. A smart move to showcase a bevy of new talents in exactly the right spotlight.
Operating somewhere between the lonely-hearts mysticism of David Lynch and the suburban misanthropy of Todd Solondz, filmmaker Wendy McColm is sure to garner her place in that spotlight with her debut. Presented as a multi-narrative filled with introspection and a dark wit, and starring a social media starlet, Russian cowboy, motivational speaker, plus a slew of other odd and oddly ordinary people, Birds Without Feathers is the exact kind of under-the-radar upstart that Slamdance is all about!
Fish Bones (Narrative Features Competition)
Filmmaker Joanne Mony Park brings a "wise beyond her years" sensibility to the story of Hana (Joony Kim), a young Korean immigrant, caught between tradition and the budding love she has for Nico (Cris Gris), an affectionate Latina music producer. Park's vision of this young love is neither naive or whimsical. What we have in Fish Bones is a careful and immaculate deconstruction on what it means to find yourself amidst a sea of doubt. It is a tender, tragic and true work. With such a considerate and assured directorial debut, Joanne Mony Park is bound to be a name you will be hearing a lot about in the near future.
Man on Fire (Documentary Features Competition)
In 2014, a white minister in the small Texas town of Grand Saline self-immolated in protest of his community's deeply racist roots. Documentarian Joel Fendelman dives head first into the aftermath of the startling act, and in turn unfurls the complexities of racism in America today.
Songs in the Sun (Narrative Features Competition)
For fans of Ingmar Bergman and Peter Weir (Through A Glass Darkly and Picnic at Hanging Rock, respectively) Kristian Sejrbo Lidegaard has got you covered with his bold and beguiling debut feature. With awesome turns from Emma Sehested Høeg, Victoria Carmen Sonne and Charlotte Munck, Songs in the Sun takes you to the edge of sanity and imagination, proving to be a powerful rumination on myth-making and love across the great divide.
