Sundance has been up to some very cool things lately - even outside of their marquee January festival. Not the least of which is their Sundance Next Fest taking place August 7-10 in Los Angeles. The fest features six of the festival's coolest films including Life After Beth, The Guest, and Imperial Dreams. The headlining film each night also features a live performance from a hip musical act. Here's how Sundance is describing the fest:
Fueled by the renegade spirit of independent artists, Sundance NEXT FEST is a new breed of festival experience celebrating the intersection of music and film. NEXT FEST kicks off with an outdoor screening of a classic Sundance film with Cinespia at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery and continues through the weekend with the Los Angeles premieres of six new films at the historic Theatre at Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles. Each film marked by unfettered creativity is paired with either a special music performance that embodies a shared artistic sensibility, or a conversation that brings together filmmakers with those who inspired them.
To make the fest even cooler, the good folks at Sundance have just announced they will be featuring live marquee conversations between the filmmakers and some very special guests. The list follows and from the look of things, you won't want to miss these discussions.
Kumiko The Treasure Hunter - Werner Herzog in conversation with the Zellner Bros. - Sat 8/9, 1pm
Listen Up Philip - Bret Easton Ellis in conversation with Alex Ross Perry and Jason Schwartzman - Sat 8/9, 4:45pm
The Guest - Nicolas Winding Refn in conversation with Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett - Sun 8/10, 4:00pm
You can read plent more on the Sundance Next Fest website.