The Latest

Short Order: A feast of short-form filmmaking about food
For a blog named short order, it was only a matter of time before I served up some short films about food. I hope you came hungry, because now is that time.
We’ll start the meal off with Dr Breakfast, a great animated film we screened at the 2012 Festival.

11 Independent Films Supported by Sundance Institute Artist Services Program Now Available on Hulu,
Los Angeles, CA — Sundance Institute today announced that 11 additional films have been added to Hulu, Netflix and SnagFilms through its Artist Services access to distribution program, which launched in February 2012. The films that are immediately available to stream include Brother to Brother (starring Anthony Mackie), Children Underground (nominated for an Academy Award), Enemies of the People (current News and Documentary Emmy Award nominee) and Dirty Work (executive produced by Edward Norton).
Artist Services films are also available on iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, Microsoft Xbox, Sony Entertainment Network, SundanceNOW, VUDU and YouTube.

Native Filmmaker Brooke Swaney on Starting Over
I felt like I was back in Montana, only cast in a burnt-sienna type of light and a lot drier and warmer and with delicious green chilies. Time moved in weird ways there—or at least my sense of time did. But I think there was an actual time warp that happened there and I think my fellow Fellows would agree.

An End-of-Summer Selection of Sundance-Supported Road Films
As we amble our way—willfully or not—toward fall, another summer season of family road trips are banked for memory. Thus, in an effort to squeeze the last remnants out of (arguably) the year’s most blissful season, we’re highlighting a few of our favorite Sundance-supported road films—which has essentially become a veritable film genre.The Go-GetterFollowing the tragic loss of his mother, a wistful teenager named Mercer embarks on a journey to reunite with his errant brother and share the somber news.

Stacy Peralta Wants to Unlock ‘Animal Chin’
Hi, this is Stacy Peralta, and I want to thank you for finding your way to this message about our film.I want to give you some background about Bones Brigade: An Autobiography how and why it came to be and why we are stoked you want to be part of it.Rewind to the fall of 2002—Tony Hawk, Lance Mountain, Steve Caballero, Tommy Guerrero and Mike McGill asked me if I would meet with them to talk about a project they had in mind.


Scuba Snacks: Actor Daniel Travis Shares Memories from ‘Open Water’
Actor and cool-guy Daniel Travis starred alongside Blanchard Ryan in Open Water—a monster hit from the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. He lives in Los Angeles and was tracked down by the Sundance.org team to help us celebrate SHARK WEEK.

Five Things You Should Know About the Making of Robot & Frank
Our latest installment in the “Five Things You Should Know” series probes perhaps the most inventive storyline from last year’s Festival. Robot & Frank is an audacious undertaking from first-time director Jake Schreier, who details below just some of the hindrances stemming from casting a robot as a lead. Lucky for Schreier (and audiences), do-it-all veteran Frank Langella, who charms as an aging father and former burglar, effortlessly stars opposite his new mechanical companion.

Craig Zobel Exposes the Need to Question Authority in Compliance
Compliance may be the most difficult film to watch in the 2012 Sundance Film Festival program. No one gets their head gashed in during the movie; no one even peacefully dies. But if you don’t squirm at least once during Compliance, you might actually be a robot.

Indie Game: The Movie
Indie Game: The Movie has quickly developed a name not just as a must-see documentary but also as a film pioneer in the world of distribution. Recently, I had a Skype chat with Co-directors James Swirsky and Lisanne Pajot . The documentary darlings talked about their indie film and its truly indie journey to audiences.

Sundance Institute Hires Royale Ziegler as Manager of Social Media
Sundance Institute has announced the hiring of Royale Ziegler as Manager of Social Media, effective immediately. Ziegler will develop creative strategy and manage social media accounts for the nonprofit cultural organization, which currently include over half a million fans and followers across Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram. Ziegler is based in Los Angeles and reports to Director of Digital Initiatives Joseph Beyer.

Former U.S. Ambassador John Price: “Artistic Endeavor Can Change the Face of Africa”
John Price is the former U.S. Ambassador to Mauritius, Seychelles, and Comoros and a founding board member of the Utah Committee for Sundance Institute.

Short Order: Remembering Chris Marker, Who Set the Standard for Short Filmmaking with ‘La Jetee’
It’s hard to imagine a more irreplaceable filmmaker than Chris Marker. The legendary filmmaker passed away last week on his 91st birthday—although he was so elusive about his own past, refusing interviews and even photos of himself, he could have just as easily been born the same day the camera was invented.In fact, that’s just the type poetic symmetry that might have found its way into one of Marker’s many short films, including La Jetee (1962), the gold standard of the form and the work for which he’ll best be remembered.

5 Things You Should Know About the Making of ‘Searching for Sugar Man’
Sometimes the most effective documentaries are those that appear to be misclassified. Stories that, absent of a screenplay, seem decidedly fanciful and improbable. So goes Malik Bendjelloul’s Searching for Sugar Man, a brilliant film that courses with the suspense of a mystery thriller and only further entices with its veracity.

Kickstart Jake Squared
Howard Goldberg is a Sundance alumn who developed the screenplay “Eden” at the 1993 Screenwriters Lab. The completed film was in the Dramatic Competition at the 1996 Sundance Festival. His latest film, “Jake Squared,” starring Elias Koteas, Virginia Madsen, and Mike Vogel, is seeking funding through Kickstarter.