PARK CITY, UT – Sundance Institute announced today a new section for younger audiences called “Sundance Kids” for the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. Programmed in partnership with the Utah Film Center’s Tumbleweeds program, the inaugural “Sundance Kids” section features the World Premiere of the English-language version of the acclaimed Ernest and Celestine (Directors: Benjamin Renner, Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar) and the U.S. Premiere of Zip & Zap and the Marble Gang (Director: Oskar Santos), and will be part of the 2014 Festival, running from January 16-26 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah.
“Sundance Kids” is programmed with the Utah Film Center’s year-round Tumbleweeds program for children and youth, which includes an annual Film Festival and monthly screenings in Salt Lake City, Orem, Moab, Price, Park City and Kamas, UT. The annual Tumbleweeds Film Festival is the only film festival in the Intermountain West that presents films specifically for children and youth.
“The addition of Sundance Kids allows us to engage younger audiences around the power of independent film,” said Trevor Groth, Director of Programming. “We are excited to collaborate with Tumbleweeds and The Utah Film Center in presenting Sundance Kids.”
“This unique collaboration between the Utah Film Center and Sundance Institute is a great opportunity to elevate the profile of international and independent films for kids,” said Patrick Hubley, Artistic Director of the Utah Film Center and Founder of Tumbleweeds. “We launched our Tumbleweeds programming four years ago with the goal of fostering the next generation of filmmakers and film fans, and we hope this programming will inspire the creativity and imaginations of young film-goers not only in Utah but across the country.”
Ernest and Celestine / France, Belgium, Luxembourg (Directors: Benjamin Renner, Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar, Screenwriter: Daniel Pennac) – Unlike her fellow mice, Celestine is an artist and a dreamer. When she nearly ends up as breakfast for a bear named Ernest, the two form an unlikely bond that is quickly challenged by their respective communities. Cast: Forest Whitaker, Mackenzie Foy, Lauren Bacall, Paul Giamatti, William H. Macy, Megan Mullally. Recommended for ages 5+.
Zip & Zap and the Marble Gang / Spain (Director: Oskar Santos, Screenwriters: Francisco Roncal, Jorge Lara, Oskar Santos) – Zip and Zap are punished by being sent to a re-education center. Guided by intelligence, they uncover a mysterious secret hidden deep within the school and end up having the most exciting adventure of their lives. Cast: Javier Gutiérrez, Daniel Cerezo, Raúl Rivas, Claudia Vega, Marcos Ruiz, Fran García. Recommended for ages 9+.
Visit sundance.org/festival for more information about screening dates, times and locations.
The Sundance Film Festival®
Celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2014, the Festival has introduced global audiences to some of the most groundbreaking films of the past three decades, including Beasts of the Southern Wild, Fruitvale Station, Little Miss Sunshine, An Education, sex, lies, and videotape, Reservoir Dogs, The Cove, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, An Inconvenient Truth, Precious, and Napoleon Dynamite, and through its New Frontier initiative, has showcased the cinematic works of media artists including Isaac Julien, Doug Aitken, Pierre Huyghe, Jennifer Steinkamp, and Matthew Barney. The Festival is a program of the non-profit Sundance Institute®. 2014 Festival sponsors to date include: Presenting Sponsors – HP, Acura, Sundance Channel and Chase Sapphire Preferred®; Leadership Sponsors – Airbnb, DIRECTV, Entertainment Weekly, LensCrafters, Southwest Airlines, Sprint and YouTube; Sustaining Sponsors – Adobe, Canada Goose, Canon U.S.A., Inc., FilterForGood®, a partnership between Brita® and Nalgene®, Hilton HHonors and Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Ketel One Vodka, L’Oréal Paris, MorningStar Farms®, Omnicom, Quaker Oats Company, Stella Artois® and Time Warner Inc. Sundance Institute recognizes critical support from the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development, and the State of Utah as Festival Host State. The support of these organizations helps offset the Festival’s costs and sustain the Institute’s year-round programs for independent film and theatre artists. www.sundance.org/festival
Sundance Institute
Founded by Robert Redford in 1981, Sundance Institute is a global, nonprofit cultural organization dedicated to nurturing artistic expression in film and theater, and to supporting intercultural dialogue between artists and audiences. The Institute promotes independent storytelling to unite, inform and inspire, regardless of geo-political, social, religious or cultural differences. Internationally recognized for its annual Sundance Film Festival and its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, film composers, playwrights and theatre artists, Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as Beasts of the Southern Wild, Fruitvale Station, Sin Nombre, An Inconvenient Truth, Spring Awakening, Born into Brothels, Trouble the Water, Light in the Piazza and Angels in America. Join Sundance Institute on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
About the Utah Film Center
The Utah Film Center brings the world of film to local audiences through free community screenings and discussions, outreach programs, and visiting artists and professionals. Emphasizing social content and artistic excellence, we present the best documentary, independent, and dramatic cinema year-round. We collaborate with various educational and community organizations to promote a diversity of ideas, to provide forums for underrepresented groups, and to develop new audiences for film. Movie screenings take place in Salt Lake City, Kamas, Lehi (coming soon), Logan, Moab, Ogden, Orem, Park City, and more coming soon.
The 2014 Tumbleweeds Film Festival for Children and Youth runs March, 14-16 at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center and the City Library in Salt Lake City. The Utah Film Center’s Tumbleweeds program is generously sponsored by the Sorenson Legacy Foundation, George S. and Delores Doré Eccles Foundation, Art Works for Kids and Zions Bank.
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Images (for press use only) can be accessed at www.sundance.org/images
