Grab some popcorn and a box of Junior Mints! We’re going behind-the-scenes to reel in the latest on must-see movies, film fashion, set design, and more!

Nothing says Superflix better than the independent film competition in the Dramatic category at the 2006 Sundance Film festival! The films below represent widely diverse visual styles, subject matter, and dramatic points of view. Take a peek at the vanguard of independent American cinema before they hit the theatres for wide release or can be found in your local video store’s “indie” film section.

Doing Sundance

Robert Redford's indie festival, set in the glorious mountains of Park City, Utah, has grown from a small legion of faithful independent moviegoers to a veritable celebrity rich, sponsor-heavy, media-blitzed 11-day event that can be a bit intimidating to navigate. Here are some tips to make even the novice festival-goer a ticket-holding success.

1. “Got any extra tix?” That's the number one question you will need to ask anyone you come into contact with. Persistence really pays off.

2. Get to know the venue locations. With nine theatres in Park City alone, it may seem daunting, but the city has provided free shuttle and bus rides throughout the small city. Just make sure your theatre isn't in a neighboring city, which could put you up to an hour away from the main venues!

3. Dress warmly! It may be tempting to wear your sauciest party ensemble to blend in with the glitterati, but even the celebs bundle up in the 25° weather. Parkas, Uggs, jeans, and knit caps reign at Sundance.

4. Smile, smile, smile! An open, friendly vibe is your best bet to making new friends and scoring tickets. Something in the fresh mountain air makes everyone super-chatty—and you never know if your seat-mate will turn out to be a director, producer, or actor with extra passes for you!

5. Patience. The wait queue is not as long as you think. Arrive an hour before every screening, even to sold-out shows, to get a wait-list number. A good percentage of people really do get into the top shows this way.

6. Have fun! Even if you can't get into any movies, there are oodles of things to do, such as skiing, snowboarding, party-hopping, shopping, and celeb-sighting!

Director: Wim Wenders
Screenwriter: Sam Shepard

German filmmaker and indie heavy-hitter Wim Wenders makes another Sundance splash with Don’t Come Knocking, the story of spoiled film star Howard Spence and his bid to reclaim a lost life. Superstar power peppers this quiet and funny film, with strong performances by Jessica Lange and Sam Shepard (sometime lovers both on- and off-screen) and a younger cast of Gabriel Mann, Sarah Polley, and Fairuza Balk as young adults searching for love and acceptance. The Wim Wenders magic comes via simple situations: a movie star goes AWOL and journeys home to find himself (with a brilliant performance by screen legend Eva Marie Saint as his mom), where he discovers children he never knew he had (Sarah Polly gives a fine, understated performance), and reclaims love and a sense of purpose in the world. You’d think that with stars this big the movie wouldn’t feel like a “small,” intimate movie, but it does. With the exception of Fairuza Balk, whose performance screams, “Hey, look at me—I’m the zany one!,” Don’t Come Knocking is sure to get a warm reception with moviegoers looking for some familial feel-goodness. If that doesn’t work for you, studly newcomer Gabriel Mann’s shirtless temper tantrum will warm the cockles of your cold little heart!

More Sundance!
For more Sundance coverage, check out Celebrity Corner, Five Fab Finds, and the Style Scoop Blog!

Quinceañera

Director\Screenwriter: Wash Westmoreland, Richard Glatzer

Run, don’t walk to one of Sundance’s biggest hits (in fact, it won two top festival honors: the Grand Prize Jury Award and the Audience Dramatic Award.) Westmoreland’s and Glatzer’s film portrait of disaffected Latino teenagers coming of age in a gentrifying community in the Echo Park district of Los Angeles offers an intriguing look into a world normally closed to outsiders. Although most of us have heard of Sweet Sixteens, Bat Mitzvahs, and Confirmations, not all of us might have heard of the Quinceañera. Emily Rios, as the character Magdalena, takes us through this elaborate cultural rite of passage for many Mexican women. Magdalena is expected to wear the traditional wedding-style dresses, dance the traditional dances, and be a “good girl.” Her biggest problem in life thus far has been arranging a Hummer ride for her big day. When she finds out that she is pregnant, her entire world turns upside down. The traditional values of her culture and the conflicting realities of modern life make for a tender portrait of a changing world and of a young girl growing into a young woman. 

In Between Days

Director: So Yong Kim
Screenwriters: So Yong Kim and Bradley Rust Gray

In some ways, In-Between Days is a lot like festival fave Quinceañera in its depiction of one person having to adjust her cultural identity to mainstream American life. Stylistically, however, the two films differ greatly, and produce two contrasting visceral reactions. In Quinceañera, even as Magdalena must struggle with the possibility of losing her father’s love while facing unwed motherhood, the central theme of deep family bonds overrides the impending sense of situational doom. Magdalena’s Echo Park community is still portrayed as a lively, colorful environment full of budding possibilities for change, growth, and upward mobility, and one walks away from the film feeling hopeful. In-Between Days, however, is snowy cold and bleak from the get-go, as Aimie (Jiseon Kim), a teen-aged Korean immigrant, faces alienation in a new country.  Director So Yong Kim’s intrepid use of long takes (long trudges through snowy urban streets) and limited dialogue (Aimee’s face nearly bursts with restrained emotion when she isn’t speaking) allow for dramatic effect. The film’s artful cinematography correlates with every plot point and emotional nuance of a girl in love, figuratively abandoned by her parents in a strange land and forced to look to her scared self for comfort and answers. In-Between Days is what indie filmmaking is all about—taking a long, hard, realistic look at someone’s inner struggle. The film’s title aptly sums up the lonely void of being neither what you once were nor who you will be.

A Guide to Recognizing
Your Saints

Director: Dito Montiel
Screenwriter: Dito Montiel

Wristcutters:
A Love Story

Director: Goran Dukic
Screenwriter: Goran Dukic, based on the novella by
Etgar Keret

On the surface, this “dark comedy” seems a little intimidating: It’s billed as a quirky love story set in the after-life where the dinginess of a suicide’s new “reality” cannot suppress the soul’s tireless search for true love. But while the humor does poke fun at some of the ways that people kill themselves, it never cheapens life itself. Zia, played by the adorable Patrik Fugit (Almost Famous), is charmingly earnest in his quest to find his ex-girlfriend, the inspiration for his own fatal gesture, who he discovers has voluntarily plunged over to the other side. Along the way, an odd buddy flick/road movie vibe takes place, in which Zia befriends a Russian rocker
(Shea Whighim) thirsting for love as well as a lovely-but-defiant hitchhiker (Shannon Sossamon) trying to find her way back to life. The bonds of friendship, family, and love are explored in this wildly inventive and surprisingly heartwarming film, which was definitely a favorite among festival-goers.

Learn how to tell your story on film !
FIDM’s Digital Media program provides students with the opportunity to integrate imagination and technology. Learn all aspects of storytelling, from producing to directing, sound design, digital compositing, and editing. The field of Digital Media is an explosive one. At FIDM, students are trained on state-of-the-industry programs such as Final Cut Pro, Avid, Shake, Pro Tools, Motion, After Effects, and Maya. Find out
more about the program here or watch a video of student work