It's one of the most exciting times of the year here at the blog - the end of one season, celebrated by Oscar shortlists, Spirit Award nominations, IDA celebrations and critics lists, and the beginning of the next, seen first in Amsterdam at IDFA and now the unveiling of Sundance's Class of 2009.
Each year when we reach this point, it's hard to remember when titles like MAN ON WIRE, TROUBLE THE WATER, ORDER OF MYTHS or ROMAN POLANSKI: WANTED AND DESIRED were unknown quantities. So it is with the 32 films announced today in the American and World Documentary Competition.
We'll focus on the world docs in a second post, but first, here's the line-up of 16 titles in the Documentary Competition for Sundance 2009, with descriptions provided by the festival:
ART & COPY
DIrected by Doug Pray
Rare interviews with the most influential advertising creative minds of our age illustrate the wide-reaching effect advertising and creativity have on modern culture. World Premiere
BOY INTERRUPTED
Directed by Dana Perry
An intimate look at the life, mental illness and death of a young man told from the point of view of the filmmaker: his mother. World Premiere
CHASING THE FLAME
Directed by Greg Barker
Chasing the Flame examines the role of the United Nations and the international community through the life and experiences of Sergio Vieira de Mello, the U.N.'s High Commissioner for Human Rights, including interviews with those who knew and worked with him over the course of his extraordinary career. World Premiere
THE COVE
Directed by Louie Psihoyos
Dolphins are dying, whales are disappearing, and the oceans are growing sick. The horrors of a secret cove nestled off a small, coastal village in Japan are revealed by a group of activists led by Ric O'Barry, the man behind Flipper. World Premiere
CRUDE
Directed by Joe Berlinger
The inside story of the "Amazon Chernobyl" case in the rainforest of Ecuador, the largest oil-related environmental lawsuit in the world. World Premiere
DIRT THE MOVIE
Directed by Bill Benenson and Gene Rosow
The story of the relationship between humans and dirt, Dirt The Movie humorously details how humans are rapidly destroying the last natural resource on earth. World Premiere
THE GENERAL (EL GENERAL)
Directed by Natalia Almada
As great-granddaughter of Mexican President Plutarco Elias Calles, one of Mexico's most controversial revolutionary figures, filmmaker Natalia Almada paints an intimate portrait of Mexico. World Premiere
GOOD HAIR
Directed by Jeff Stilson
Comedian Chris Rock turns documentary filmmaker when he sets out to examine the culture of African-American hair and hairstyles. World Premiere
OVER THE HILLS AND FAR AWAY
Directed by Michel Scott
Over the Hills and Far Away chronicles the journey of the Isaacson family as they travel through Mongolia in search of a mysterious shaman they believe can heal their autistic son. World Premiere
THE RECKONING: THE BATTLE FOR THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT
Directed by Pamela Yates
A battle of monumental proportions unfolds as International Criminal Court Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo faces down warlords, genocidal dictators and world superpowers in bringing perpetrators of crimes against humanity to justice. World Premiere
REPORTER
Directed by Eric Daniel Metzgar
Set in Africa, this documentary chronicles, in verite fashion, the haunting, physically grueling and shocking voyage of Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist, Nicholas Kristof. World Premiere
THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE
Directed by RJ Cutler
With unprecedented access, director R.J. Cutler and his crew shot for nine months as they captured Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour and her team preparing the 2007 Vogue September issue, widely accepted as the "fashion bible" for the year's trends. World Premiere
SHOUTING FIRE: STORIES FROM THE EDGE OF FREE SPEECH
Directed by Liz Garbus
An exploration of the history and current state of free speech in America narrated by the filmmaker's father, First Amendment attorney Martin Garbus. World Premiere
WE LIVE IN PUBLIC
Directed by Ondi Timoner
We Live in Public is the story of the Internet's revolutionary impact on human interaction as told through the eyes of maverick web pioneer, Josh Harris and his transgressive art project that shocked New York. World Premiere
WHEN YOU'RE STRANGE
Directed by Tom DiCillo
The first feature documentary about The Doors, When You're Strange enters the dark and dangerous world of one of America's most influential bands using only footage shot between 1966 and 1971. World Premiere
WILLIAM KUNTSLER: DISTURBING THE UNIVERSE
Directed by Sarah Kuntsler and Emily Kuntsler
With clients including Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and the Chicago 10, the late civil rights attorney William Kunstler was one of the most famous lawyers of the 20th century. Filmmakers Emily and Sarah Kunstler explore their father's life from movement hero to "the most hated lawyer in America." World Premiere
Comments