LOS ANGELES, CA — Sundance NEXT FEST, a new breed of cultural adventure, returns to The Theatre at Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles August 7-9 for a weekend celebration of the renegade spirit of independent artists. The film and music program, announced today, features some of the most talented filmmakers and music acts on the verge of breaking out. Tickets ($15-25) go on sale to Sundance Institute members today and all others tomorrow at sundance.org/next.
Sundance NEXT FEST will present the Los Angeles premieres of six films from the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Five films screen at the Theatre at Ace Hotel, paired with either a special music performance that embodies a shared artistic sensibility or with a special conversation between the filmmakers and the luminaries who inspired them and who will be announced later this summer. Last year’s special guests included Werner Herzog, writer Bret Easton Ellis and filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn. The Sundance Film Festival programming staff selected the films and music acts for NEXT FEST.
On August 2, the weekend before the festival, things kick off with the Los Angeles premiere of Cop Car with Cinespia at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. In Cop Car, Kevin Bacon plays a small-town Sheriff setting out to find the boys who have taken his car on a dangerous joyride. The outdoor screening under the stars will feature food trucks and a themed Cinespia Photo Booth. All ticket proceeds go to the non-profit Sundance Institute.
John Cooper, Director of the Sundance Film Festival, said, “Los Angeles is home to a huge audience of people on the cutting edge of what’s new and next in film and music. Our Sundance NEXT FEST was born as an experiment to showcase this and offer LA audiences a slice of Sundance in the summer.”
Trevor Groth, Director of Programming for the Sundance Film Festival, said, “The lineup for this year’s Sundance NEXT FEST is full of some of the freshest voices in independent film, bursting with new energy, style and attitude. Pairing three of these films with equally charged music acts will make for an absolutely explosive weekend for indie fans.”
Members who support the non-profit Sundance Institute have access to a host of benefits related to Sundance NEXT FEST, including the ability to purchase tickets today, before they go on sale to the general public tomorrow. At the August 2 Cop Car screening with Cinespia at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, members will enjoy a reserved seating section and other benefits while supporting the Institute’s mission of connecting artists with audiences. Members are also invited to a special party during Sundance NEXT FEST and are eligible to win a prize package including a three-night stay at the Ace Hotel plus airfare. To join, visit sundance.org/membership.
To celebrate the announcement of the lineup, Sundance NEXT FEST is co-hosting a special screening tonight of Tangerine at the Theatre at Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles, cohosted by Magnolia Pictures, Outfest and Ace Hotel DTLA. Tangerine, a breakout at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, is a rip-roaring comedy that follows a working girl tearing through Tinseltown on Christmas Eve searching for the pimp who broke her heart. The screening will be followed by a special DJ set by Little Boots.
Sundance NEXT FEST is an extension of the popular NEXT section at the Sundance Film Festival, which showcases stylistically adventurous and bold films, and launched films including Obvious Child, Compliance, Appropriate Behavior, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night and Escape from Tomorrow. This will mark the festival’s third year in Los Angeles.
Sundance NEXT FEST is supported by Principal Sponsors – Acura and Adobe; Major Sponsor – Kickstarter; Media Sponsor – KCRW; and Supporting Sponsors – Beachside Films, Dolby, FilmL.A., Inc., ShopHouse, Skullcandy®, Southwest Airlines, Stella Artois®, The Theatre at Ace Hotel and the Utah Film Commission.
Sunday, August 2, 8:30 p.m. – Sundance NEXT FEST Kick Off Event
Cinespia at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Cop Car / U.S.A. (Director: Jon Watts, Screenwriters: Jon Watts, Christopher D. Ford) — A small-town Sheriff sets out to find the boys who have taken his car on a dangerous joyride. Cast: Kevin Bacon, James Freedson-Jackson, Hays Wellford, Shea Whigham, Camryn Manheim. LOS ANGELES PREMIERE
Friday, August 7, 8:00 p.m. • Theatre at Ace Hotel DTLA
Mistress America / U.S.A. (Director: Noah Baumbach, Screenwriters: Noah Baumbach, Greta Gerwig) — Tracy is a lonely college freshman in New York, having neither the exciting university experience nor the glamorous metropolitan lifestyle she envisioned. But when she is taken in by her soon-to-be stepsister, Brooke – a resident of Times Square and adventurous gal about town – she is rescued from her disappointment and seduced by Brooke’s alluringly mad schemes. Cast: Greta Gerwig, Lola Kirke. LOS ANGELES PREMIERE
Sky Ferreira —Sky Ferreira has quickly established herself as one of today’s most exciting new faces in music, film and fashion. She first signed to Capitol Records at the early age of 15 where she eventually wrote & executive produced her critically acclaimed debut album, Night Time, My Time. As an actress, she has worked with many independent filmmakers including Eli Roth, Liza Johnson & Matthew Porterfield. Sky is currently recording her highly anticipated new album, Masochism.
Saturday, August 8, 3:30 p.m. • Theatre at Ace Hotel DTLA
Finders Keepers / U.S.A. (Directors: Bryan Carberry, Clay Tweel) — Recovering addict and amputee John Wood finds himself in a stranger-than-fiction battle to reclaim his mummified leg from Southern entrepreneur Shannon Whisnant, who found it in a grill he bought at an auction and believes it, therefore, to be his rightful property. LOS ANGELES PREMIERE
Followed by a conversation between directors Bryan Carberry and Clay Tweel and special guest (to be announced).
Saturday, August 8, 8:00 p.m. • Theatre at Ace Hotel DTLA
Entertainment / U.S.A. (Director: Rick Alverson, Screenwriters: Rick Alverson, Gregg Turkington, Tim Heidecker) — In an attempt to revive his dwindling career and reunite with his estranged daughter, a broken, aging comedian plays a string of dead-end shows in the California desert. Cast: Gregg Turkington, John C. Reilly, Tye Sheridan, Michael Cera, Amy Seimetz, Lotte Verbeek. LOS ANGELES PREMIERE
Sharon Van Etten — Singer/songwriter Sharon Van Etten writes from free-flowing emotional honesty and vulnerability, creating a bond with the listener that few contemporary musicians can match. Following her 2012 break-through Tramp, last year’s follow up Are We There and her new EP I Don’t Want to Let You Down, Van Etten finds herself in full stride, writing, producing and performing.
Sunday, August 9, 3:30 p.m. • Theatre at Ace Hotel DTLA
Cronies / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Michael J. Larnell) — Twenty-two-year-old Louis doesn’t know whether his childhood friendship with Jack will last beyond today. Cast: George Sample III, Zurich Buckner, Brian Kowalski. LOS ANGELES PREMIERE
Followed by a conversation between director Michael J. Larnell and special guest (to be announced).
Sunday, August 9, 8:00 p.m. • Theatre at Ace Hotel DTLA
Turbo Kid / Canada, New Zealand (Directors and screenwriters: Anouk Whissell, François Simard, Yoann-Karl Whissell) — Set in a post apocalyptic year of 1997, this nostalgic tribute to ’80s action-adventure films follows an orphaned teenager who goes on an adventure to save his female-robot companion from the hands of the evil warlord who controls the only water supply. Cast: Munro Chambers, Laurence Leboeuf, Michael Ironside, Aaron Jeffery, Edwin Wright. LOS ANGELES PREMIERE
Neon Indian (DJ set) B2B Toro Y Moi (DJ set) — Neon Indian, the brainchild of Alan Palomo, is defined by a unique electro-mangled sound which has attracted fans and opening slots before acts like Massive Attack, The Flaming Lips, Phoenix and Chromeo. Toro Y Moi, the guise of Chaz Bundick, channels a wide swath of stylistic influences into his electronics-incorporating music and cites Big Star, Talking Heads and Todd Rundgren as some of his inspirations.
Sundance Institute
Founded in 1981 by Robert Redford, Sundance Institute is a nonprofit organization that provides and preserves the space for artists in film, theatre, and new media to create and thrive. The Institute’s signature Labs, granting, and mentorship programs, dedicated to developing new work, take place throughout the year in the U.S. and internationally. The Sundance Film Festival and other public programs connect audiences to artists in igniting new ideas, discovering original voices, and building a community dedicated to independent storytelling. Sundance Institute has supported such projects as Beasts of the Southern Wild, Fruitvale Station, Sin Nombre, The Invisible War, The Square, Dirty Wars, Spring Awakening, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder and Fun Home. Join Sundance Institute on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
The Theatre at Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles
Our loving reanimation of the former flagship movie house of United Artists, The Theatre at Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles serves LA’s burgeoning epicenter for art and modern entertainment with a prime setting for a wide array of events — from large-scale concerts to movie premieres, conferences, seminars, symposiums and other performances. Retrofitted with a state-of-the-art digital projection system and cinema sound, an independent, ultramodern live sound system, plus an elaborate contemporary stage lighting system, the Theatre can take on whatever fits within the confines of its dazzling proscenium — a much-need bridge to the exciting future of Downtown Los Angeles. acehotel.com/losangeles/theatre
Cinespia
The most popular outdoor cinema event in Southern California, Cinespia is celebrated by fans and filmmakers for hosting a relaxed, off-beat experience. Cinespia screens beloved and classic films outdoors every weekend at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery between the months of May and September. Welcoming up to 4,000 moviegoers per night, guests are invited to bring their own blankets, food, and drinks (including beer and wine), before settling in under the stars for a unique cinematic experience. In recent years, the organization has hosted special screenings, concerts, and film premieres at iconic LA locations, such as The Theatre at Ace Hotel Downtown, The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, TCL Chinese Theatre, The Los Angeles Theatre, The Palace Theatre, the Natural History Museum, and LACMA. Cinespia has been featured in LA Weekly’s “Best of L.A.” special issue, and was named one of “16 Best Things in L.A.” by Los Angeles Magazine. www.cinespia.org
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Editor’s note: For images, visit sundance.org/nextfestimages. Press interested in attending and covering Sundance NEXT FEST should visit sundance.org/press for more information.
