IndependentFilm.com

More than 2,150 short films from 20 countries have been submitted to the 2007 Slamdance Film Festival, and 73 have been selected to screen, each of which is now in competition and eligible for a Grand Jury Award. There has been a dramatic increase in international submissions, particularly a marked rise in Spanish language short films, creating a strong international presence at this year’s Festival.

Festival Films come from Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Korea, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Scotland, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.

There are six categories of short films at Slamdance: Competition Shorts Before Features, which screen before like-minded narratives in competition; Competition Shorts Gallery, which are six one-hour short film programs; Documentary Shorts Competition, which screen before documentaries in competition; Animation Competition; the 2006 Anarchy Online Finalists, which include live-action, documentary and animation shorts; and $99 Specials, which are designed to keep the spirit of short filmmaking alive.

In a further effort to mine the country and the world for raw filmmaking talent, Slamdance developed its Anarchy Online Film Competition in 2000. Each month, from March through November, three short films (10 minutes or under) are selected to play online at www.slamdance.com/anarchy. The process is simple: there is no deadline, no exclusivity, no red tape; it’s open to all types of films; and the winner is determined by site visitors via online voting. Each month’s winner screens at Slamdance, competing for a slew of prizes and a coveted Sparky Award.

Periodically, Slamdance gives $99 to alumni, and sets them loose with the latest in filmmaking technology. 99 days later they return with a five-minutes-or-under short film experiment. In a profession where it’s not always easy to practice your craft, the intention of the $99 Specials is to do exactly that – and to keep the filmmaking process heading in the right direction.

$99 Specials are shown at the festival in January and online at www.slamdance.com/99dollar/. We’re proud to note that one of these $99 Specials – a true masterpiece – spawned Bravo’s hit television show Significant Others. Another, Never Date an Actress, starring Naomi Watts, has been developed into a bona fide studio feature film.

“Similar to our narrative features and documentaries, we have had an unprecedented number of short film submissions this year. We have always showcased shorts, but this year, there seems to be an abundance of so many amazing new stories being told, especially from around the world. We’re proud to be able to present such an astonishing assortment of films and new filmmakers,” said Peter Baxter, the President and Co-Founder of Slamdance.

“Unequivocally, we have the strongest line up of short films in our history,” said Sarah Diamond, Slamdance’s Director of Programming, “and dare I say, I believe we have the strongest collection of short films screening anywhere. The filmmaking talent is indeed out there, throughout the world, and they are coming to Slamdance.”

Celebrating its 13th year, Slamdance has also become the pre-eminent film festival whose sole mission is to nurture, support and showcase truly independent works, having established a unique reputation for premiering new films by first-time writers and directors working within the creative confines of limited budgets.

As always, the Slamdance Film Festival will run concurrently with the Sundance Film Festival, January 18-27, 2007 in Park City, Utah. Slamdance and the box-office will be headquartered and its films will screen at the Treasure Mountain Inn, 255 Main Street, atop of the hill. The Best of Slamdance will take place on January 27th at the Regency Theatre, 602 E. 500 S. in Salt Lake City. For more information and for a complete listing of films in the Festival, log on to www.Slamdance.com or call 323/466-1786. Festival passes are now on-sale and individual tickets go on sale December 12.

All 2007 Festival tickets and passes will be available for purchase online (http://slamdance.com/2007/festival/tickets.asp). Every on-line ticket purchase helps support people in need, close to home. A percentage of proceeds from each Slamdance ticket purchase will go to the Utah Food Bank, serving the community that has supported the Slamdance Film Festival for the last 13 years.

SLAMDANCE 2007 SHORT FILMS

Competition Shorts Before Features (Narrative Shorts)

Avatar (2006, 15 min., SPAIN)
Directed by Lluis Quilez
A bizarre love story.

Checkpoint (2006, 11 min, AUSTRALIA)
Directed by Ben Phelps
An encounter ends in tragedy when a Lebanese-Australian family is stopped by a group of soldiers at a checkpoint on a deserted outback road.

La China (2006, 17 min., SPAIN)
Directed by Antonia San Juan & Diego Postigo
A travel of love, life and some kind of revenge.

Hello (2006, 15 min., SINGAPORE)
Directed by Gavin Lim
A sexy tragic femme fatale tale set in 1970's Singapore

The Listening Dead (2006, 14 min., USA)
Directed by Phil Mucci
In this gothic fable, an obsessed composer named Nigel, and his seamstress wife Karen, are haunted by the spirit of a mysterious young woman.

Lola (2006, 12 min., USA)
Directed by Matthew Ross
A short film about a long night.

The Mallorys Go Black Market, World Premiere (2007, 13 min., USA)
OPENING NIGHT SHORT
Directed by JoEllen Martinson & William Scott Rees
A trio of Big Apple fashionistas export a collection of retro casual-wear to teenagers on the Russian black market.

The Package, World Premiere (2007, 11 min., BRAZIL/USA)
Directed by Caskey Ebeling
The story of a hunchbacked deliveryman’s excruciating physical transformation at the hands of a maniacal scientist.

Paralegal (2006, 13 min., USA)
Directed by Eric Lane
Miles is a paralegal, Rachel is a temp, and the moon is a strange place.

Rover’s Return, World Premiere (2007, 11 min., UK)
Directed by Mark Hammett
Seeking the money they need to clear a debt, two lads hatch a plan.

The Saddest Boy in the World, US Premiere (2006, 13 min., CANADA)
Written/Directed by Jamie Travis
Timothy Higgins, the saddest boy in the world, prepares to hang himself at his ninth birthday party.

The Visitors (Die Besucher) (2006, 38 min., GERMANY)
Directed by Ulrike Molsen
A young woman hosts a couple in trouble and becomes the target of their cruel game.

Waves Day Return (2006, 27 min., POLAND)
Directed by Maciej Pisarek
Set in Poland in 1983, a 6-year-old girl Ada is unaware that her mother is saying goodbye to an old lover.

Competition Shorts Gallery

A Bit on the Side (2006, 12 min, UK)
Directed by Steve Sullivan
A wry story that tries to find some sense in one man's obsession with drills.

A Hooker & A Dirt Road End (2006, 11 min, USA)
Directed by John Nijhawan
An aging, small-town hooker searches for a tender moment before an impending global disaster.

A Killer on I-475, World Premiere (2007, 12 min., USA)
Directed by Sean Stacy
The greatest mass-murderer of all time sneaks up on Northwest Ohio.

A Monarch Cage (Jaula del Monarca), World Premiere (2007, 13 min., USA/MEXICO)
Directed by Paul Di Palma
A playwright's inner world overwhelms his sense of reality.

Alan & Samir (2006, 12 min., UK)
Directed by Yann Demange
A night out trying to get laid brings up the hidden tensions between two brothers.

Avant Petalos Grillados, World Premiere (2007, 10 min., SPAIN)
Directed by Cesar Velasco Broca
The second and final fold of the audiovisual triptych Echos der Buchrucken

The Back of Her Head, World Premiere (2007, 20 min., USA)
Directed by Josh Sadie
This is a story about him, who lives above an older Hindi man, who lives above a delinquent British guy, who lives on top of her. It is the back of her head that he is in love with.

The Caress of the Creature, World Premiere (2006, 19 min., USA)
Directed by Stewart McAlpine
What is lurking in the waters of Lake Habbagappee...and is it gay?

The Cow Thief (2006, 20 min., AUSTRALIA)
Directed by Charles Williams
The story of a boy, his Mother, their cows... and the man who came between them.

Dealing, World Premiere (2007, 15 min., USA)
Directed by Lena Dunham
Being a high-powered New York City art dealer isn't easy... especially if you're also a thirteen year old girl.

Dentist Visit, World Premiere (2007, 18 min., USA)
Directed by Yves Hofer
When Juan finds out that his dead father had a mistress, he decides to pay her a visit.

Dr. Terror’s House of Pancakes, World Premiere (2007, 16 min., USA)
Directed by Tyson James Theroux
A teenage slasher pocket rocket filmed in Nego-Vision!

Evangeleo (2006, 21 min., USA)
Directed by Brandon Harris
A neurotic young woman, overshadowed by her eccentric, celebrity parents, begins to suspect her boyfriend is on the down low. Little does she know...

The Famous Joe Project, World Premiere (2007, 16 min., USA)
Written/ Directed by Eli Rarey
A drama about a young gay man who records his sex life with a webcam in an effort to spread love to the world.

Farmboy, World Premiere (2007, 12 min., USA)
Directed by Duncan Ferguson
Follow Farmboy on a day like any other.

The Golden Samovar, World Premiere (2007, 9 min., USA)
Directed by Phillip Chernyak
The three daughters of a Soviet map-maker venture into an eerie woodland where enchanted cats and belligerent bears are commonplace; and where snappy melodies fill the air with their maddening charm.

The Haircut, North American Premiere (2006, 7 min., UKRAINE/USA)
Directed by Bohdana Smyrnova
Love triangle the fact of which none of its members wants to acknowledge.

Happy Birthday To You (Y QUE CUMPLAS MUCHOS MAS) (2006, 14 min., SPAIN)
Directed by David Alcalde
A dark story about obsession, cats and birthday presents

Hijo, North American Premiere (2006, 8 min., SPAIN)
Directed by Nicolás Melini
Berta watches television quietly in her bedroom. Slowly, we realize she is the emotional prisoner of her own son.

Hiyab (2006, 8 min., SPAIN)
Directed by Xavi Sala
A young girl refuses to remove her Islamic veil

Lawrence, World Premiere (2006, 12 min., USA)
Directed by Gregory Mitnick
Filmed on location in Chinatown, New York City, a noodle factory worker struggles
through a romantic relationship with a girl he has never met.

Men On A Lake (2006, 16 min., CANADA)
Directed by Karl Raudsepp-Hearne
A boy is rowed across a vast lake, trapped between two strange and threatening men."

Red Timber (Rotes Holz) (2006, 12 min., GERMANY)
Directed by Agnes Karow
Emma Spengler is informed by the police, that her husband has had a serious car accident. But Emma persistently claims that this man is not her husband.

Strangers, World Premiere (2007, 7 min., SLOVAKIA/USA)
Directed by Ondrej Rudavsky
A funny slightly grotesque tale about two strangers.

Swerve, World Premiere (2007, 12 min., USA)
Directed by Andrew Piccone
A couple of weirdoes try to get to the airport.

Yonder, World Premiere (2007, 20 min., USA)
Directed by Mika Johnson
The story of a man lost in his dreams.

Zekuu (2006, 27 min., JAPAN)
Directed by Katsura Murata
All Phenomena are fleeting.

Documentary Shorts Competition

Fat Cake (2006, 25 min., USA)
Directed by Leslie Dektor
A film as much about music as the people who play it, one wonders if the fact that these musicians could express themselves musically allowed them to get away, at least momentarily, from the violence that surrounded them.

Long Haul, World Premiere (2006, 21 min., USA)
Directed by Erin Hudson
Barreling along freeways from behind the wheel of their big rigs, three women truck drivers share their humor, insight and experience of driving 18-wheelers for a living.

Man Up (2006, 11 min., USA)
Directed by Arturo Cabanas
A story about a different kind of relationship between a father and a son.

A Map with Gaps (2006, 26 min., Scotland/Ireland)
Directed by Alice Nelson
In 1972, the director’s father set off for Soviet Russia in Supervan - a souped up Ford Anglia. This is an account of the following 26 strange days, 14 countries, 12,000 miles - a catalogue of minor disasters where fact is way stranger than fiction.

Monsieur Borges and I, World Premiere (2007, 22 min., FRANCE/USA)
Directed by Jasmin Gordon
A portrait of Jean-Pierre Bernes, an eccentric University Professor who accompanied the literary giant Jorge Luis Borges through the last ten years of his life.

Song of Haenyo, World Premiere (2007, 30 min., KOREA)
Directed by Min Joo Lee
A portrait of the "Haenyo," who are female divers living on Jeju Island, off the southern coast of Korea.

Animation Competition

Africa Parting, US Premiere (2006, 7 min., USA)
Directed by Robyn Yannoukos and Brian LoSchiavo
A tormented 'memory-keeper' is offered a chance at reconstructing her creation, at the expense of her life.

Ballad of Mary Slade, North American Premiere (2006, 3 min., UK)
Directed by Robin Fuller
The events surrounding a young woman’s death slowly come to light as her body is consumed by insects.

Close Your Eyes and Do Not Breathe (2006, 7 min., GERMANY)
Directed by Vuk Jevremovic
Based on the Ivan Turgenev novel "Ghost Story."

Cranium Theater (2006, 6 min., USA)
Directed by Jason Sandri
A quirky and surrealistic stop-motion animation which critiques the excessive demands of Church and State on the common man.

Eva (2006, 9 min., GERMANY/USA)
Directed by Martin Quaden
Eva, a lonely lady made of metal junk and electrical spare parts falls in love with a handsome streetlamp and sets out to win over its heart.

Infinite Justice (2006, 2 min., GERMANY)
Directed by Karl Tebbe
Fragments from German coverage of the Iraq war reconstructed frame by frame, using action figures sold in the USA, suitable for children over 5.

Kuro Kumo, World Premiere (2007, 5 min., USA/JAPAN)
Directed by Jesse Norton
Nomura is haunted by dreams of a ronin (masterless samurai) that she believes is her past life; these dreams begin to unravel her perception of violence in her modern life

Latent Sorrow (2005, 4 min., USA/SOUTH KOREA)
Directed by Shon Kim
Moving Painting #7 to reach coexistent point where abstract and figure are equally fused.

Loom, North American Premiere (2006, 5 min., USA)
Directed by Scott Kravitz
A street musician risks his life to save a child, and meets his fate at the hands of an old woman who is more than she seems.

Matiere/Material, US Premiere (2006, 6 min., CANADA)
Directed by Boran Richard
An impulse animation about the material between gravity and weightlessness, where bodies are exchanged.

Oneheadword Protection, North American Premiere (2006, 6 min., HUNGARY/CANADA)
Directed by Igor and Ivan Buharov
We are about to activate a massive destructive force, so we ask everybody to please emote the purest of intent. The Earth is a protected planet. Most souls that live here will move to a higher dimension.

Printed Rainbow, North American Premiere (2006, 15 min., INDIA)
Written/Directed by Gitanjali Rao
A Lonely woman and her cat explore the fantastic world of their matchbox collection.

Tinnitus (2006, 7 min., USA)
Directed by Mark Zero Lastimosa
A man wakes up to a terrible and on going ringing and only knows of one way to make it stop.

Ujbaz Izbeneki Has Lost His Soul, North American Premiere (2006, 5 min., UK)
Directed by Neil Jack
When Ujbaz Izbeneki descends into Hell, nobody is prepared for the chaos that follows in the wake of the man who has lost everything-and anything!

2006 Anarchy Online Finalists

March Winner- Commode Creations: The Artwork of Barney Smith (2005, 4 min, USA) (Documentary)
Directed by Danny Bourque
Barney Smith, an elderly resident of Alamo Heights Texas, has decorated nearly 700 toilet seats which he displays in his garage-altered "museum" for all the world to see.

April Winner -The Ramones and I (2005, 8 min, USA) (Documentary)
Directed by Rusty Nails
A teenager finds salvation from high school hell with the help of New York's greatest punk band... The Ramones!

May Winner -Rapid Retreat (2005, 3 min, UK) (Animation)
Directed by Rebecca Miller
A Sergeant’s routine patrol is suddenly jeopardized as he and his young brood fall subject to a mysterious attacker, forcing them to make a hasty and rapid retreat.

June Winner -The Photographer (2004, 6 min., GERMANY) (Drama)
Directed by Stefan Hering
A photographer must consider how far to go for success.

July Winner - The Willowz: We Live On Your Street (2005, 3 min, USA) (Animation)
Directed by Michael Sladek
Come meet the Willowz in this low-fi animated short.

August Winner - Bump, Tick, Scratch (2005, 2 min, USA) (Documentary)
Directed by Micah Perta and Rob Grobengieser
This short documentary explores John Pugh - drummer from famed New York underground dance/punk band and his musical side project.

September Winner - Mandir (2006, 4 min, USA/INDIA) (Animation)
Directed by Pragya Tomar
The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious; it is the source of all true art and science.

October Winner - Isabelle & Stuart (2006, 4 min, USA) (Comedy) USA
Directed by Tom Flynn
A very near-sighted young lady attempts to dump her delusional boyfriend whom she hasn't heard from in two weeks.

November Winner - Counting Water (2006, 6 min, USA) (Animation)
Directed by Brian Savelson
In order to prove her devotion, a young lover attempts to count every last drop of water in the ocean.

$99 Specials

The Instrumentalist
Directed by Troy Morgan
In a dark underground cavern, an organist plays an imperative song of the seasons.
*Troy Morgan’s film Dragon won the 2006 Slamdance Grand Jury Award for Best Animated Short

Midlife with Glasses
Directed by Heidi Van Lier
A corporate guy living in a dull gray world gets a new pair of glasses that change his life.
*Heidi Van lier has had two feature films and one other $99 Specials at Slamdance.

Processing
Directed by Michael Lucid
An undercover therapist tries to reunite two bickering friends during a lunch date.
*Michael Lucid’s films Lady in the Lake, Popcorn, Mulberry Commons and The Homecoming have played at Slamdance in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006, respectively.

The Sins of the Nude
Directed by Todd Rohal
An intimate and disturbing glimpse into the life of a film critic, played out in a lonely hotel room on a rainy spring evening.
*Todd’s Rohal’s first feature, The Guatemalan Handshake, premiered at last year’s Slamdance Film Festival, where it won the Festival’s Special Jury Prize.

As a year-round organization, Slamdance serves as a showcase for the discovery of new and emerging talent and is dedicated to the nurturing and development of new filmmakers and their cinematic vision. The programs are reserved for first time directors working with limited budgets, thus enabling the Festival’s mission to give exposure to emerging filmmaking talent. Slamdance is programmed through a unique democratic method. Every film is programmed by majority rule by a committee of filmmakers. Slamdance alumni are recruited to serve as programmers, so first-timers are represented and assisted by Slamdance veterans. The mantra of “by filmmakers, for filmmakers” resounds at every level of the organization, and plays a part in all of its undertakings.

Slamdance 2007 is presented by Kodak and fox21. Additional sponsors include Directors Guild of America, Maryland Film Office, Studio Number One, All Seasons Resorts, Continental Airlines, Dos Equis, FIJI, Jewel Winery, Langley Productions, Michael Collins Irish Whiskey, Timbuk2 and XMission.

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