Indie News

13 articles

16 hours ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »

Damien Chazelle's feature film debut "Whiplash," based on his short of the same name, owned the 2014 Sundance Film Festival awards, netting both the Grand Jury Prize (Dramatic) and the Dramatic Audience Award. The Grand Jury Prize for a documentary went to Tracy Droz Tragos and Andrew Droz Palermo's "Rich Hill," while the Documentary Audience Award went to "Alive Inside," directed by Michael Rossato-Bennett. Craig Johnson and Mark Heyman won the Waldo Scott Screenwriting Award for "The Skeleton Twins." Full list of winners below: Grand Jury Prize, Dramatic: "Whiplash," directed by Damien Chazelle Grand Jury Prize, Documentary: "Rich Hill," directed by Tracy Droz Tragos and Andrew Droz Palermo World Cinema Jury Prize, Dramatic: "To Kill a Man," directed by Alejandro Fernández Almendras World Cinema Jury Prize, Documentary: "Return to Homs," directed by Talal Derki Dramatic Audience Award: "Whiplash," directed by Damien Chazelle Documentary Audience »

- Nigel M Smith

14 hours ago | Thompson on Hollywood | See recent Thompson on Hollywood news »

Saturday night's Sundance Film Festival Awards Ceremony, co-hosted by the husband and wife team of Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally, was livestreamed (below).  The U.S. Dramatic Competition Grand Jury Prize goes to Damien Chazelle's "Whiplash," which also won the Dramatic Audience Award. "My first time last year was with the short," says Chazelle. "Without Sundance showing the short we would not be here."  The U.S. Grand Jury Prize for Documentary goes to "Rich Hill," directed by Tracy Droz Tragos and Andrew Droz Palermo. "It's a small film but we've got a big heart," says Tragos. "We dedicate this to the families in Rich Hill, Missouri." The Documentary Competition Audience Award goes to Michael Rossato-Bennett's "Alive Inside: A Story of Music & Memory."  The Dramatic directing prize  goes to Cutter Hodierne for "Fishing Without Nets." "This is my first feature film," he said. "We went to the opposite side of the world. »

- Anne Thompson

43 minutes ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »

Sundance's timeline annually clashes with the NFL playoffs', but it was a life spent partly in baseball that gave this year’s festival one of its most captivating stories. The curious case of Dock Ellis’ now-infamous no-hitter for the Pittsburgh Pirates against the San Diego Padres on June 12, 1970, thrown under the influence of LSD, is no stranger to Sundance audiences. James Blagden’s 2010 short “Dock Ellis & The LSD No No” is an amusing and concise encapsulation of the feat, featuring animation set to a public radio interview with Ellis. While Jeffrey Radice’s “No No: A Dockumentary” uses some of those same clips to illustrate the events surrounding that day nearly a half-century ago, those expecting a feature-length breakdown of a single athletic achievement will be pleasantly surprised to instead find a much deeper, fulfilling examination of the life that surrounded it.  Much of the effectiveness of "No No" comes »

- Steve Greene

47 minutes ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »

So, guess who really likes Kevin Hart? America. For the second weekend in a row, "Ride Along"  took the top spot at the box office. This is a big win for Universal, with the $25 million dollar comedy already crossing $75 million, and looking very comfortably at $100 million in the distance. How long until a sequel is greenlit? As for the rest of the field, ticket buyers spent $23 million on the 9 Best Picture nominees, but that's not where the story is. It was war drama "Lone Survivor," and family fare "The Nut Job" and "Frozen" that helped pad out the top five. Meanwhile, falling outside the top five, was "I, Frankenstein" with the dumb looking CGI/monster thingy fooling nobody and taking a paltry $8.2 million. Aaron Eckhart dropped the Dennis Wilson biopic because he was too tired from making this? Time to make some different life decisions. In other releases: "The Dallas Buyers Club, »

- Kevin Jagernauth

3 hours ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »

The spoofs keeping rolling in for "Her," with the man/machine romance sparking some fun takes on the movie. So far, we've seen what Samantha sounds like as voiced by Philip Seymour Hoffman, as well as watched the parody sequel, "Him." Now comes yet another riff on the movie entitled "Me." Last night, Jonah Hill hit "Saturday Night Live," and one of the highlights was this pretty spot on take on Spike Jonze's film. We'll leave you to watch this fresh, except to give a shout out to Vanessa Bayer for playing a pretty flawless Amy Adams, and the cameo appearance is kinda great and well-utilized. Bonus: after "Me," check out Hill's opening monologue, which features his "The Wolf Of Wall Street" pal Leonardo DiCaprio stopping by for some "Titanic" fun. »

- Kevin Jagernauth

3 hours ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »

At first blush, "The One I Love" appears to be just the latest standard operating relationship dramedy to pass through Sundance. But while the relationship at the center of the film is the engine that drives the narrative, there are much more mysterious things going on under the hood. The film centers on Ethan (Mark Duplass) and Sophie (Elisabeth Moss), a couple currently experiencing a rough patch in their marriage. We meet them mid-therapy session in couples counseling, where we learn that Ethan has made a transgression that Sophie isn’t quite ready to forgive. So far, any attempts to rekindle the magic have gone poorly, as evidenced by Ethan’s botched attempt at recreating their first date. On that aforementioned first evening out together, the pair snuck into a stranger’s swimming pool, believing him not to be home, but quickly discovering the opposite and dashing from the property. »

- Cory Everett

3 hours ago | Filmmaker Magazine - Blog | See recent Filmmaker Magazine news »

There were movies. Some, like Manohla Dargis, said there were too many — even before she saw any of them. Sales, at least during the festival, weren’t robust; perhaps some of the weary execs, including a couple she overheard dishing on their inability to sit through American Hustle while in line for a theater, are taking her advice and sitting on their pocketbooks. Perhaps we’ll find some of these movies on Vudu or Seed&Spark or NoBudge. Maybe someone will tap an unexpected and unforeseen audience outside of the existing VOD and art house channels in support of some wild vision, […] »

- Brandon Harris

4 hours ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »

There’s always at least one hidden treasure at Sundance that seems to go unnoticed by audiences and critics alike—with no real good answer as to why the buzz wasn’t loud enough to get more people talking about it—but it happens. This year, that gem is Malik Vitthal’s first shot at a feature film, the incredibly touching “Imperial Dreams,” which remixes the gangster rites of passage: you can take the gangster out of the hood, but can you take the hood out of the gangster? John Boyega (whom you’ll remember from the SXSW darling “Attack the Block”) stars as Bambi, a young man fresh out of prison, living in the slums of Los Angeles. The only thing he knows is the gangster life; while in prison, however, he takes up creative writing, gets a short story published in a book and decides he wants to »

- Chase Whale

4 hours ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »

Talk about a long tease before release... With over a year to go until mommy-porn movie "Fifty Shades Of Grey" explodes into theaters, we now have the first teaser poster, inviting you to join one Mr. Grey. Bring your handcuffs. As you know, Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson play Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele in the story of a rich dude, a young woman and their sexy times together. Can the phenomenon millions experienced between the pages of E.L. James' book be shared with the same intensity in the uncomfortable chairs and sticky floors of your nearest multiplex? Find out on February 13, 2015. Poster below. »

- Kevin Jagernauth

5 hours ago | MUBI | See recent MUBI news »

Micro-transactions may be all the rage in the mobile application and video game landscape, but it is an old idea in the world of film festivals, where directors and film titles serve as bite-sized cultural currency, bought, traded, and gambled. What shall we invest in today, perhaps a film by an unknown that won an award as a second tier film festival? If I see it, I may have a small advantage over those here at the International Film Festival Rotterdam who haven't (even if it isn't any good). If I can recommend it to some viewer unsavy to its credentials or its quality, perhaps they can reciprocate with a hot tip. "I'll see your [prestigious auteur] and raise you [film previously no one's heard of]." Shall I take that bet, attend the screening, and reveal the cards? Names and titles pass back and forth here constantly, on Twitter and in the chill, damp Dutch air: "Apichatpong's editor, »

- Daniel Kasman

6 hours ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »

The Directors Guild Of America (DGA) announced its 2014 award winners last night and, perhaps to no one’s surprise, Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón won the top directing prize for “Gravity.” A spectacular visual achievement that took four years to make, Cuarón was arguably the frontrunner for some time, but the competition was tough and included Martin Scorsese for “The Wolf Of Wall Street,” David O. Russell for “American Hustle,” Steve McQueen for “12 Years A Slave” and “Captain Phillips”-helmer Paul Greengrass. Like all guild awards, the DGA winner is usually the strongest augur for the Oscar outcome, but last year that correlation was thrown for a loop when Ben Affleck won the DGA prize for “Argo,” but failed to even score an Oscar nomination for Best Director (instead Michael Haneke and Benh Zeitlin were nominated; Affleck, however, arguably had the last laugh when “Argo” won Best Picture). The DGAs didn »

- Edward Davis

11 hours ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »

The 2014 Sundance Film Festival awards are in. We'd provide greater context, but we're really tired—plus, we hope you've been reading our reviews and learning a little bit along the way. If not, stay tuned for Monday when we do a much larger Sundance recap from everything we saw, plus an upcoming Sundance-centric podcast. Awards below with related links where applicable.  The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary Rich Hill/ U.S.A. (Directors: Andrew Droz Palermo, Tracy Droz Tragos) — In a rural, American town, kids face heartbreaking choices, finding comfort in the most fragile of family bonds, and dream of a future of possibility. The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic Whiplash / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Damien Chazelle) — Under the direction of a ruthless instructor, a talented young drummer begins to pursue perfection at any cost, even his humanity. Cast: Miles Teller, Jk Simmons. (our review). The »

- The Playlist

13 hours ago | MUBI | See recent MUBI news »

 U.S. Dramatic Competition

Grand Jury Prize – Whiplash, directed by Damien Chazelle

Directing Award – Cutter Hodierne, Fishing Without Nets

Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award – Craig Johnson & Mark Heyman, The Skeleton Twins

Excellence in Cinematography Award – Christopher Blauvelt, Low Down

Special Jury Prize for Breakthrough Talent – Justin Simien, writer-director of Dear White People

Special Jury Award for Musical Score – Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter

Audience Award – Whiplash, directed by Damien Chazelle

 U.S. Documentary Competition

Grand Jury Prize – Rich Hill, directed by Andrew Droz Palermo & Tracy Droz Tragos

Directing Award – Ben Cotner & Ryan White, The Case Against 8

Editing Award – Jenny Golden & Karen Sim, Watchers in the Sky

Excellence in Cinematography Award – Rachel Beth Anderson & Ross Kauffman, E-Team

Special Jury Prize – The Overnighters, directed by Jesse Moss

Special Jury Award for Animation – Watchers in the Sky

Audience Award – Alive Inside, directed by Michael Rossato-Bennett

World Cinema Dramatic Competition

Grand Jury Prize – To Kill a Man, »

- Notebook

14 hours ago | Filmmaker Magazine - Blog | See recent Filmmaker Magazine news »

Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash soared to victory in the major awards categories in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 30th Sundance Film Festival Saturday night. The picture, which was picked up for distribution by Sony Pictures Classics during the festival, took home both the U.S. Dramatic Competition Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award. Starring Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons, Chazelle’s second feature tells the story of an ambitious young jazz drummer and his unrelenting instructor in a no-holds-barred conservatory environment. The 28-year-old Chazelle first gained attention in 2009 when his feature directorial debut Guy and Madeleine on a Park Bench surfaced at […] »

- Brandon Harris

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