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BET has announced a new documentary film, “Black + Iconic: Style Gods,” starring Billy Porter and produced by Stanley Nelson and Firelight Films. The documentary is part of the new four-part “Black + Iconic” series that will showcase the legacy and cultural impact of Black icons across music, film, fashion and dance.

Porter will narrate, host and executive produce the first documentary in the series, with Lynne Robinson directing. Connie Orlando and Jason Samuels developed the series with supervising producer Steven Ramey.

“We’re thrilled to be working with BET again after the success of our first project together, ‘Through the Fire: The Legacy of Barack Obama,’” said Nelson, who is also a Firelight Films co-founder, in a statement. “I couldn’t think of a better home for this series celebrating Black icons via the numerous mediums through which Black creatives have made an indelible mark on the culture.”

The two-hour first...

A lawsuit brought by families of Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting victims against a gun manufacturer will be the subject of a limited series project.

Echo Lake Entertainment (Hulu’s The Great, The Girl From Plainville) is producing the project from Robin Swicord (When They See Us, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Sarah Koskoff (Hello I Must Be Going) and Echo Lake’s Mary Jane Skalski, with consultation from several families involved in the suit.

Koskoff also has a personal connection to the story: Her brother, Josh Koskoff, was the plaintiffs’ lawyer in the case. Josh Koskoff will also consult on the project, which has yet to be to be shopped to potential outlets.

The limited series will tell the story of how nine Sandy Hook families sued to hold Remington Arms — at the time of the mass shooting owned by venture capital firm Cerberus Capital Management —accountable...

A limited series about the Sandy Hook shooting and the ensuing eight-year legal battle between victims’ families and gun manufacturer Remington Arms has landed at Echo Lake Entertainment. Oscar nominee Robin Swicord (“When They See Us”) and Sarah Koskoff will create the show in consultation with several families directly affected by the tragedy and their attorneys.

Swicord, Koskoff and producer Mary Jane Skalski of Echo Lake Entertainment are teaming as executive producers to tell the story of the Sandy Hook case, which uncovered how a New York private equity firm purchased legacy American gun companies in the mid-2000s, effectively creating the equivalent of Big Pharma in the consumer arms industry. Swicord and Koskoff have followed the case closely and are consulting with several families who brought the lawsuit, as well as their attorney, Josh Koskoff (Sarah Koskoff’s brother).

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The Sundance Institute has selected the 11 screenwriters that will participate in the ninth annual Screenwriters Intensive which will take place digitally on March 4-5. The writers selected are Radhika Apte, William Kwok, Tulica Singh, Timothy Ware, Daniel Klein, Jo Hatcher, Chy Chi, Xavier Coleman, Joyce Sherri, Brian Robau and Jessica Mendez Siqueiros.

The Intensive is a two-day workshop for emerging independent writers and writer/directors developing their first fiction features. The writers, which are from traditionally underrepresented communities, will have the opportunity to refine their stories under the guidance of established writers and the Institute’s Feature Film Program, led by Ilyse McKimmie, Deputy Director, Sundance Institute Feature Film Program, and the program’s Founding Director, Michelle Satter.

“We are inspired by this group of dynamic artists, who are each telling indelible stories with specificity, boldness, and their own distinctive style,” said McKimmie “It’s a privilege to bring them...

The Sundance Institute announced the eleven screenwriters who will take part in their seventh annual Screenwriters Intensive. Taking place in Los Angeles tomorrow and Friday, the Intensive is “a two-day workshop for writers or writer/directors from underrepresented communities developing their first fiction feature. Fellows at the Intensive will advance the art and craft of their work under the guidance of experienced filmmakers and in collaboration with Institute’s Feature Film Program.” Advisors are Andrew Ahn, Kyle Patrick Alvarez, Patricia Cardoso, Deena Goldstone, Tanya Hamilton, Elgin James, So Yong Kim, Sarah Koskoff, Tracy Oliver, Joan Tewkesbury, and Andy Wolk. The program is […]...

The Sundance Institute announced the eleven screenwriters who will take part in their seventh annual Screenwriters Intensive. Taking place in Los Angeles tomorrow and Friday, the Intensive is “a two-day workshop for writers or writer/directors from underrepresented communities developing their first fiction feature. Fellows at the Intensive will advance the art and craft of their work under the guidance of experienced filmmakers and in collaboration with Institute’s Feature Film Program.” Advisors are Andrew Ahn, Kyle Patrick Alvarez, Patricia Cardoso, Deena Goldstone, Tanya Hamilton, Elgin James, So Yong Kim, Sarah Koskoff, Tracy Oliver, Joan Tewkesbury, and Andy Wolk. The program is […]...

The Sundance Institute announced today the 11 screenwriters that have been selected to participate in their 7th annual Screenwriters Intensive in Los Angeles which is set to take place Feb. 28-March 1.

The 2019 Screenwriters Intensive Fellows (and their projects) are: Fawaz Al-Matrouk (Mr. Rob), Haley Anderson (Coyote Boys), Justin Denis (Beware of the Boomerang), Adamma Ebo, Skye Emerson (Challenger), Gerardo Coello Escalante (Forgive Us Sinners), Deborah Esquenazi(Queen of Wands), Tiffanie Hsu (Wonderland), Carlen May-Mann and Beck Kitsis (Strawberry Summer), and Laurel Parmet (The Starling Girl).

The Intensive is a two-day workshop for writers or writer/directors from underrepresented communities developing their first fiction feature. Fellows at the Intensive will advance the art and craft of their work under the guidance of experienced filmmakers and in collaboration with Institute’s Feature Film Program. The intensive is part of their commitment to introduce the industry to an...

Chicago – As I learned on my inaugural trip to Sundance (check out all the coverage here) this year, there is common discussion as to how things will play outside of the thin mountain air of Park City. People wonder what will be the next “Beasts of the Southern Wild” or “Winter’s Bone” and what will never get the hype it gets at Sundance. Two films that peaked at Sundance 2012, “Hello I Must Be Going” and “Nobody Walks” were recently released on DVD. One is worth your time while the other never should have come off the snowy mountain.

The good news is that the 2012 Opening Night film, “Hello I Must Be Going” still works a year later. It features strong work from Melanie Lynskey, doing her best since her breakthrough with Kate Winslet in “Heavenly Creatures” and quickly allowing viewers to forget time served on “Two and a Half Men.

Hello I Must Be Going

Directed by Todd Louiso

Written by Sarah Koskoff

USA, 2012

Opens Jan. 27 in Toronto

It’s a strange epiphany when one realizes that following their life passion is a self-made path to nowhere. Movies have taught us to seize the day (thank you, Robin Williams), but reality tells us something much different. A Philosophy degree will ultimately get you nowhere, and showing an active interest in photography doesn’t make you Robert Capa (one will be reminded of Scarlett Johansson in Lost in Translation). Hello I Must Be Going is about the crisis between that reality and wistful idealism, and although it tends to be a tad too slight and mild at points, is charming in its whimsy, nonetheless.

In the film, Amy (Melanie Lynskey), a down-on-her-luck 30-something, comes to this epiphany after a divorce and moving back in with her parents (Blythe Danner, John Rubinstein...

1994′s Heavenly Creatures turned out to be the little flick that launched some big careers (along with helping turn New Zealand into a movie making mecca), This docudrama pushed director Peter Jackson out into the big studios and all the way to Middle Earth (with several Academy Awards along the way). Another Creatures alum to go home with gold in a few years was Kate Winslet (with a stop on that doomed boat trip that became the second biggest box office hit of all time). And what about poor, young murderess Pauline? I’m speaking of the talented actress that shared the screen with Ms. W. Well, Melanie Lynskey has racked up a lot of screen time ( big and small screen ) since then. Many may know her as Charlie Harper’s stalker-ex in the TV sitcom smash “Two and a Half Men”. She’s also had some great supporting roles...

Sundance Institute has hired Paul Federbush to become International Director, Feature Film Program (Ffp), a highly sought-after job which Alesia Weston left open when she left in May to become Executive Director of the Jerusalem Film Centre and Fesival. Federbush began September 24 and is reporting to Michelle Satter, Founding Director, Feature Film Program.

Paul is already reaching out into new geographic areas searching for those filmmakers who have the greatest potential for making a brand new mark on the worldwide film business. His responsibility is the planning and execution of the international work of Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program which includes year round support for International artists through Labs, granting, and ongoing mentorship providing creative and tactical support. Federbush will oversee international Labs in collaboration with local partners in the Middle East and India, outreach and discover new international filmmakers and projects, steward programs such as the Sundance Institute|Mahindra Global Filmmaking Award and Sundance| Nhk Award, and support the international artists participating in the annual Sundance Labs in Utah. In addition he will develop opportunities to further advance and broaden the scope of the Ffp’s International initiative.

We congratulate Paul and are proud to be able to say that we have known him since his early days at Fine Line. Federbush is a seasoned production, acquisition, and distribution executive with eighteen years of experience in the entertainment industry. Most recently Federbush, along with partner Laura Kim, started a distribution company, Red Flag Releasing. Prior to forming Red Flag, Federbush served as Senior Vice President of Production and Acquisitions at Warner Independent Pictures where he oversaw the acquisition, production, and development of projects including Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire, and Hany Abu Assad’s Paradise Now.

For nearly three decades, Sundance Institute has promoted independent storytelling to inform and inspire audiences across political, social, religious and cultural differences. Through Labs, direct artist granting, special projects with key partners and the Sundance Film Festival, the Institute serves as the leading advocate for independent artists worldwide. Sundance Institute Feature Film Program Over its 30-year history, the Sundance Institute Feature Film Program has supported an extensive list of award-winning and groundbreaking independent films.

Ffp films currently in the marketplace include Benh Zeitlin and Lucy Alibar’s Beasts of the Southern Wild (winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival), Craig Zobel’s Compliance, Mike Birbiglia and Seth Barrish’s Sleepwalk With Me, Todd Louiso and Sarah Koskoff’s Hello I Must Be Going, and Ira Sachs’ Keep the Lights On. Recent international Ffp films include Sally El Hosaini’s My Brother the Devil, Andrei Zyvagintsev’s Elena, Edwin’s Postcards from the Zoo, Alejandro Landes’ Porfirio, and the festival films Haifaa Al Mansour’s Wadjda and Ziad Douieri’s L’Attack.Additional notable films supported over the program’s history include Sean Durkin’s Martha Marcy May Marlene, Dee Rees’ Pariah, Maryam Keshavarz’s Circumstance, Cherien Dabis' Amreeka, Cary Fukunaga's Sin Nombre, Fernando Eimbcke's Lake Tahoe, Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden’s Half Nelson, Andrea Arnold's Red Road, Miranda July’s Me and You and Everyone We Know, Hany Abu-Assad’s Paradise Now, Debra Granik’s Down to the Bone, Josh Marston’s Maria Page 2 Full of Grace, Lisa Cholodenko’s Laurel Canyon, Peter Sollett’s Raising Victor Vargas, John Cameron Mitchell’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream, Kimberly Peirce’s Boys Don't Cry, Lucrecia Martel’s La Cienaga, Walter Salles’ Central Station, Chris Eyre and Sherman Alexie’s Smoke Signals, Nicole Holofcener’s Walking and Talking, Allison Anders' Mi Vida Loca, Paul Thomas Anderson’s Hard Eight, Tamara Jenkins’ Slums of Beverly Hills, and Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs.

Sundance Institute Sundance Institute is a global nonprofit organization founded by Robert Redford in 1981. Through its programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, composers and playwrights, the Institute seeks to discover and support independent film and theatre artists from the United States and around the world, and to introduce audiences to their new work. The Institute promotes independent storytelling to inform, inspire, and unite diverse populations around the globe. Internationally recognized for its annual Sundance Film Festival, Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as Born into Brothels, Trouble the Water, Son of Babylon, Amreeka, An Inconvenient Truth, Spring Awakening, Light in the Piazza and Angels in America, and through its New Frontier initiative, has brought the cinematic works of media artists including Pipilotti Rist, Doug Aitken, Pierre Huyghe, Jennifer Steinkamp, and Matthew Barney . Join Sundance Institute on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. # # #...

Titled after the snarky tune sung by Groucho Marx in the Marx Bros. film Animal Crackers, Hello I Must Be Going is the story of a 30-something woman who becomes re-dependent on her parents after the catastrophe of her divorce. Her emotional slump is changed when she starts a relationship with a young man who happens to be her father’s client’s son (played by Christopher Abbott, from “Girls”). Equally emotionally honest and sexy, the film directed by Todd Louiso and written by Sarah Koskoff proves that this memorable actress is well-deserving of more lead roles in her colorful filmography’s future.

Making her debut in 1994 opposite Kate Winslet in Peter Jackson’s Heavenly Creatures, Lynskey has become a familiar face to both the independent and mainstream film world, appearing in movies like Up in the Air, The Informant!, Sweet Home Alabama, Away We Go, and soon The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

Chicago – Melanie Lynskey is one of those effortlessly sublime character actresses who always seemed destined for stardom. At age 16, she made an astonishing film debut in Peter Jackson’s “Heavenly Creatures” opposite Kate Winslet. In the years that followed, she has proven adept at playing everything from a good-hearted stepsister (in “Ever After”) to a severely screwed-up mom (in “Win Win”).

Rating: 4.0/5.0

Yet Todd Louiso’s “Hello I Must Be Going” is the first film to place Lynskey front and center, and it’s about time. As Amy, a 35-year-old divorcée who moves back in with her parents, Lynskey captures the agony of a grown woman whose directionless life has caused her to become stagnant in the dependency of adult adolescence. While her father, Stan (John Rubinstein), overwhelms her with unconditional support, her mother, Ruth (Blythe Danner), grumbles about the liberal arts degree that went nowhere and the doubts she...

Chicago – Flawed females are often feared by Hollywood because of their questionable commercial appeal. Yet 2012 has provided moviegoers and TV fans with a rich assortment of characters—led by Lena Dunham’s Hannah Horvath on HBO’s “Girls”—that prove women can be every bit as immature, developmentally arrested and utterly fascinating as the guys.

One of the year’s most engaging heroines is Amy (Melanie Lynskey) in Todd Louiso’s indie romance, “Hello I Must Be Going.” She’s a 35-year-old divorcée who moves back in with her parents (Blythe Danner and John Rubinstein) and is startled to find herself falling for a smitten 19-year-old actor, Jeremy (Christopher Abbott). In this exclusive two-part interview, Hollywood Chicago spoke with Abbott (star of “Girls” and “Martha Marcy May Marlene”) as well as the married filmmaking team of director Louiso and screenwriter Sarah Koskoff.

Part I: Christopher Abbott

Christopher Abbott stars in...

There’s a moment in the charming new indie Hello I Must Be Going when our heroine, Amy (Melanie Lynskey), is — to understate — down on her luck. She’s recovering from a brutal divorce and has moved back in with her parents, where she skulks about their suburban house in the same schlubby t-shirt and cut-off shorts. Her mother (Blythe Danner) tends to say helpful things like, “Getting fat isn’t going to help anything,” and she’s become tangled up in an affair with a 19-year-old (Girls’ Christopher Abbott). Due to one night’s extra-unfortunate events, Amy ends up on a picturesque beach…...

Title: Hello I Must Be Going Oscilloscope Laboratories Director: Todd Louiso Screenwriter: Sarah Koskoff Cast: Melanie Lynskey, Blythe Danner, Christopher Abbott, John Rubinstein, Julie White Screened at: Review 1, NYC, 8/21/12 Opens: September 7, 2012 Though the two principal characters are not in their twenties, “Hello I Must Be Going” is a typical Sundance offering, chosen this year to open that festival in Park City, Utah. Despite a performance from Melanie Lynskey who is as cute as she was in her first role in 1994 as a girl with a rich fantasy life in Peter Jackson’s “Heavenly Creatures,” the comedy is slight, perhaps to be appreciated more on the small [ Read More ]...

"I had the rug pulled out from under me. Or the wool pulled over my eyes. Or maybe I had the rug pulled over my eyes." That's Amy (Melanie Lynskey), the lead in "Hello I Must Be Going," trying to make sense of her lot in life — she's divorced, depressed, sulking around her parents' Westport home and not entirely sure how she wound up there. It's the combination of Lynskey's winning performance and writer Sarah Koskoff's occasional flourishes of wit that help elevate this otherwise familiar story of a sad-sack...

Hello I Must Be Going, the latest project from director Todd Louiso (Love Liza) features Melanie Lynskey, Christopher Abbott, Blythe Danner and John Rubinstein. Written by Louiso's real life partner, Sarah Koskoff, the film follows Amy (a revelatory Lynskey), a 30-something divorcee who is forced to move back in with her parents. At a dinner party, she meets Jeremy (HBO Girls' Abbott), the 19-year-old stepson of her father's business associate, and the two begin an ill-advised but passionate affair. Disillusioned and stagnant, Amy struggles to find some meaning in life after marriage, discovering that her unfinished master's degree and non-existent bank account are just two of the things holding her back. The only comforts she possesses are Jeremy's company and the films of the Marx Brothers (the source of the film's title). Once her affair with Jeremy is discovered, Amy finally starts down the path of self-enlightenment, a journey that...

The following is a reprint of our review from the Sundance Film Festival. "Hello I Must Be Going" opens this Friday, September 7th. If there's a trend in the fiction narratives at Sundance in 2012, it's the series of smart(-ish), sweet(-er) and smutty(-styled) comedies in the mix here in Park City, some of which have been remarkably well-received ("For a Good Time Call") and some of which are not ("Bachelorette"). Think of it as the aftershocks and propagation wave of Judd Apatow's success, demonstrating that audiences can, and will, like characters who talk about their lives and lusts in blunt terms, make mistakes, and spend part of the time fucking and the rest of it fucking up. Directed by actor-turned-director Todd Louiso and written by Louiso's wife Sarah Koskoff, "Hello I Must Be Going" stars Melanie Lynskey as Amy Minsky, a 35-year-old, shell-shocked and shattered in the wake of her divorce.

We saw the charming first poster last week for the upcoming Hello I Must Be Going, and now the film’s first trailer has hit and it’s just as promising as we were expecting.

Todd Lousio’s film debuted at Sundance last January to excellent early reviews, with Melanie Lynskey’s leading performance particularly highlighted for its excellence.

“Divorced and demoralized Amy Minsky’s prospects look bleak when she is condemned to move back in with her parents at the age of 35. Everyone wants to help, but, as her patience level with advice is plummeting, a bold teenage boy enters her life, igniting her last bit of self-esteem. What ensues is an unconventional love story infused with all the good things Amy needs to get on in life, and that just may include great sex.”

Louiso (The Marc Pease Experience, Love Liza) returns behind the camera for his third film,...

Debuting at Sundance this year to very positive reviews, particularly for its leading lady Melanie Lynskey (Two and a Half Men, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World), Hello I Must Be Going looks like one of the year’s very promising dramatic comedies.

A new set of images have made their way online, along with EW’s debut of the charming first poster, seeing Lynskey swimming naked alongside Christopher Abbott (Girls, Martha Marcy May Marlene). There’s no actual nudity though, so not to worry – entirely suitable should you be at work.

“Divorced and demoralized Amy Minsky’s prospects look bleak when she is condemned to move back in with her parents at the age of 35. Everyone wants to help, but, as her patience level with advice is plummeting, a bold teenage boy enters her life, igniting her last bit of self-esteem. What ensues is an unconventional...

Rory Kennedy’s "Ethel" and Eric Toledano and Oliver Nakache’s "The Intouchables" tied for the Audience Award for Best Feature Film at the Nantucket Film Festival awards ceremony on Sunday evening. Stella Meghie’s "Jean of the Joneses" was announced as the winner of the Showtime Tony Cox Screenplay Competition, while Sarah Koskoff received the Award for Best Screenwriting in a Feature Film for "Hello I Must Be Going." Nash Edgerton and David Michod won the Award for Best Screenwriting in a Short Film, and Corinne Ladeinde’s Ernesto won the Audience Award for Best Short Film. Documentary prizes included Best Storytelling in a Documentary (Alison Klayman for "Ai Wei Wei: Never Sorry) and Best Writer/Director (Mike Birbiglia, "Sleepwalk with Me"). “This year’s festival was larger than ever both in the number of films and live events,” added Artistic Director Mystelle...

Last year’s Sundance Film Festival saw an uptick in films regarding, weirdly enough, cults and cult-like sensibilities. This year’s theme has turned to an appropriate cousin to the dangers of indoctrination – the crumbling of the American dream. Characters that bought into what they thought they could (and should) get out of life have faced copious crises throughout the festival’s films, and Todd Louiso‘s lovely Hello I Must Be Going distills those big ideas and issues down to focus on just one victim of the American nightmare. Perpetual supporting standout Melanie Lynskey leads the film as directionless thirtysomething Amy Minsky. Amy’s happy (in her eyes) marriage to David (Dan Futterman) has recently ended, and she’s left with one place to go – back to her parents’ home in chi-chi suburban Connecticut. Without a job, a finished degree, friends, or most of her belongings, Amy is forced to acclimate to Ruth (Blythe Danner) and...

If there's a trend in the fiction narratives at Sundance in 2012, it's the series of smart(-ish), sweet(-er) and smutty(-styled) comedies in the mix here in Park City, some of which have been remarkably well-received ("For a Good Time Call") and some of which are not ("Bachelorette"). Think of it as the aftershocks and propagation wave of Judd Apatow's success, demonstrating that audiences can, and will, like characters who talk about their lives and lusts in blunt terms, make mistakes, and spend part of the time fucking and the rest of it fucking up. Directed by actor-turned-director Todd Louiso and written by Louiso's wife Sarah Koskoff, "Hello I Must Be Going" stars Melanie Lynskey as Amy Minsky, a 35-year-old, shell-shocked and shattered in the wake of her divorce. For three months now, Amy's been staying in her mom and dad's house, which is being renovated; the only...

"Parts of Todd Louiso's Hello I Must Be Going made me happier than I have a right to be," blogs the Boston Globe's Ty Burr, "especially the early scenes in which Melanie Lynskey burrows into the misery of her character, Amy Minsky, a 30-something divorcee who has crawled back home to her parents' suburban home in defeat…. The actress finds a cosmic nobility in Amy's degradation, even as her parents — John Rubenstein and a superb Blythe Danner — look on in growing horror. There's a touch of Harold and Maude whimsy to the character's romance with a disaffected 19-year-old (Christopher Abbott), but their relationship is hotter and funnier and more emotional than you expect…. I liked this movie so much, in fact, that I tried to ignore screenwriter Sarah Koskoff's increasing tendency to have her characters state their innermost feelings in psychologically accurate terms…. Points for the Marx brothers clips,...

At one point in the Sundance opening-night movie Hello I Must Be Going, Melanie Lynskey strips naked and sings the Canadian national anthem to a 19-year-old lover during a playful skinny-dip in the family swimming pool.

There were more passionate scenes where that came from: late-night sex in her parents’ car, a tryst on a couch at a family party, sneaking into her young boyfriend’s room when his folks (who mistakenly think he’s gay) are away…

After the movie’s debut late Thursday, the actress known for playing sweet, soft-spoken supporting roles in movies such as Up in the Air,...

[Premiere Screening: Thursday, January 19, 9:30 pm –Eccles Theatre, Park City]

Sarah Koskoff:

I had always only written for the stage, but when I wrote Hello I Must Be Going it was a film from the beginning and could only be a film.

I wanted to explore what it would be like for a grown woman to wake up suddenly in her parents’ house with nothing of her own, totally dependent–the subtle humiliations of being an adult thrust into the position of being a child. There was something just so horrible and so painfully funny to me about her situation, and I really wanted to render it as truthfully as possible, to follow it from her point-of-view, moment-to-moment. Film was the only way to get as close as I wanted to her experience, to be able to track visceral experience, the way things look and sound when one is in a certain place emotionally–to be able to convey...

As technology moves relentlessly forward, the smart phone has become an everyday item for the general populous, and with it social networks have continued to grow with explosive propensity. For massive events like film festivals, Twitter has become the go-to info stream for up to the second updates on who, what, and where things are happening around town, and of course has become an instant method in which to gauge a film's popularity/critical reception. We've collected a list of Twitter accounts from the filmmakers, actors and folks behind the scenes in the U.S. Drama/Doc Comps, Premiere categories and Next section. Click on the twitter accounts (below) to follow folks such as Christine Vachon, Mike Birbiglia, the Tim and Eric guys for some lively feeds where the secrets of Park City will be revealed. And don't forget to follow the Ioncinema.com team @ioncinema -- Nicholas Bell (Nb), Eric Lavallee (El) and myself,...

“Valley of Saints”, a love story set in Kashmir is all set to compete for the top award in the World Dramatics category of Sundance Film Festival 2012. The film, directed by an American filmmaker Musa Sayeed, had earlier won Film Independent and Sloan Foundation Producer’s Grant for the same films.

“Valley of Saints” is about a Kashmiri boatman Gulzar, who plans to run away from the war and poverty surrounding his village in Kashmir with his best friend, but a beautiful young woman researching the dying lake leads him to contemplate a different future. Sundance Film Festival announced its competition line up on November 30, 2011. Here is the complete lineup:- U.S. Dramatic Competition The world premieres of 16 American narrative feature films.

Beasts of the Southern Wild / U.S.A. (Director: Benh Zeitlin, Screenwriters: Benh Zeitlin, Lucy Alibar) — Waters gonna rise up, wild animals gonna rerun from the grave, and...

Aubrey Plaza, Mark Duplass in Colin Trevorrow's Safety Not Guaranteed Sundance 2012 Movies: The End Of Love, Keep The Lights On/U.S. Dramatic Competition U.S. Dramatic Competition (Part II) Hello I Must Be Going / U.S.A. (Director: Todd Louiso, Screenwriter: Sarah Koskoff) — Divorced, childless, demoralized and condemned to move back in with her parents at the age of 35, Amy Minsky's prospects look bleak – until the unexpected attention of a teenage boy changes everything. Cast: Melanie Lynskey, Blythe Danner, Christopher Abbott, John Rubinstein, Julie White. Nobody Walks / U.S.A. (Director: Ry Russo-Young, Screenwriters: Lena Dunham, Ry Russo-Young) — Martine, a young artist from New York, is invited into the home of a hip, liberal La family for a week. Her presence unravels the family’s carefully maintained status quo, and a mess of sexual and emotional entanglements ensues. Cast: John Krasinski, Olivia Thirlby, Rosemarie DeWitt, India Ennenga, Justin Kirk.

For Ellen, Luv, and the other competition films have been announced for the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. The Sundance Film Festival is “a film festival that takes place annually in the state of Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States…the festival is the premier showcase for new work from American and international independent filmmakers.” For the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, “110 feature-length films were selected, representing 31 countries and 44 first-time filmmakers, including 26 in competition. These films were selected from 4,042 feature-length film submissions composed of 2,059 U.S. and 1,983 international feature-length films. 88 films at the Festival will be world premieres.”

The 2012 Sundance Film Festival will run from January 19, 2011 to January 29, 2011 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah.

The full listing of the competition films in the 2011 Sundance Film Festival are below.

U.S. Dramatic Competition

The world premieres of 16 American narrative feature films.

I love the Sundance Film Festival. The winners of the fest normally have long legs enough to last all the way until the Oscars. This year, for example, "Pariah" was one of the breakout hits from Sundance, and the Dee Rees coming-of-age flick is being distributed by Focus this month. Its star, Adepero Oduye, recently received the Best Female Lead nomination from the Independent Spirit Awards.

So now, Sundance has unveiled its in-competition slate for 2012 and the films, as always, are quite intriguing. The fest runs from Jan. 19th to the 29th in Park City, Utah. Check out the full list below:

U.S. Dramatic Competition

The world premieres of 16 American narrative feature films.

Beasts of the Southern Wild / U.S.A. (Director: Benh Zeitlin, Screenwriters: Benh Zeitlin, Lucy Alibar) . Waters gonna rise up, wild animals gonna rerun from the grave, and everything south of the levee is goin. under,...

Park City, Ut – Sundance Institute announced today the films selected for the U.S. and World Cinema Dramatic and Documentary Competitions of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. The Sundance Film Festival will take place January 19 through 29 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah. The complete list of films is available at www.sundance.org/festival.

Robert Redford, Founder and President of Sundance Institute remarked, “We are, and always have been, a festival about the filmmakers. So what are they doing? What are they saying? They are making statements about the changing world we are living in. Some are straight-forward, some novel and some offbeat but always interesting. One can never predict. We know only at the end, and I love that.”

John Cooper, Director of the Sundance Film Festival, said, “In these challenging economic times, filmmakers have had to be more resourceful and truly independent in their approaches to filmmaking.

The Sundance Film Festival is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, the festival is a showcase for new work from American and international independent filmmakers. The Festival has changed over the decades from a low-profile venue for small-budget, independent creators from outside the Hollywood system to a media extravaganza for Hollywood celebrity actors, paparazzi, and luxury lounges set up by companies that are not affiliated with Sundance.

Now the festival is getting ready for the 2012 edition and today they announced the films competing in all categories.

Here is the Sundance press release.

U.S. Dramatic Competition

The world premieres of 16 American narrative feature films.

Beasts of the Southern Wild / U.S.A. (Director: Benh Zeitlin, Screenwriters: Benh Zeitlin, Lucy Alibar) — Waters gonna rise up, wild animals gonna rerun from the grave, and everything south of the levee is goin’ under,...

By Sean O’Connell

Hollywoodnews.com: The 2012 Sundance Film Festival unveiled the first wave of programming for its upcoming event, scheduled for Jan. 19-29, 2012. Multiple titles have been handpicked for the U.S. and World Cinema Dramatic and Documentary Competitions. Additional programming announcements will come over the following week.

“We are, and always have been, a festival about the filmmakers. So what are they doing? What are they saying? They are making statements about the changing world we are living in. Some are straight-forward, some novel and some offbeat but always interesting. One can never predict. We know only at the end, and I love that,” said Robert Redford, Founder and President of Sundance Institute.

Information on the full slate of announced titles follows, directly from the Sundance press release. For more details, visit www.sundance.org/festival.

U.S. Dramatic Competition

The world premieres of 16 American narrative feature films.

Every January, a little film festival called the Sundance Film Festival is held in Park City, Utah, and Sundance has officially announced the first half of this year’s Sundance 2012 competition line-up. This year 58 individual films are gunning for the top award in four different competition categories. The second half of the Sundance lineup will be introduced tomorrow. Some of the biggest names on this Sundance list includes Antonio Campos, Mark Webber, Ry Russo-Young and So Yong Kim. Check out the list below.

U.S. Dramatic Competition

The world premieres of 16 American narrative feature films.

Beasts of the Southern Wild / U.S.A. (Director: Benh Zeitlin, Screenwriters: Benh Zeitlin, Lucy Alibar) — Waters gonna rise up, wild animals gonna rerun from the grave, and everything south of the levee is goin’ under, in this tale of a six year old named Hushpuppy, who lives with her daddy at the edge of the world.

Grab your ski jackets and swag bags and start warming up your eyeballs: the Sundance Film Festival is almost upon us. 2012's Sundance runs from January 19 to 29 in Park City, Utah, and today the fest announced their first wave of programming, 58 titles in the Us and World Dramatic and Documentary Competitions.

The slate so far includes plenty of familiar faces. Sundancers in 2012 will get the first crack at new movies from Antonio Campos ("Afterschool"), Kirby Dick ("This Film is Not Yet Rated"), Ira Sachs ("Forty Shades of Blue"), and Mark Webber ("Explicit Ills"). I'm also intrigued by "Nobody Walks" from "You Won't Miss Me" director Ry Russo-Young and "Tiny Furniture" director Lena Dunham (Russo-Young directed, the two co-wrote the screenplay) and a cast that includes John Krasinski, Olivia Thirlby, and Rosemarie DeWitt. Aubrey Plaza and Mark Duplass star in "Safety Not Guaranteed" about "a trio of magazine employees investigating a...

Going to the Sundance Film Festival is one of my favorite movie events of the year, and I'm excited for what they have going on for 2012. I just love hanging around in cold snowy weather and watching movies all day. Today the 2012 Sundance Film Festival has announced its line-up for competition films. These are all the films eligible for awards, and you most likely haven't heard of any of them. Each film has a little description next to it. The festival will take place January 19th to the 29th.

Check out the press release and full list of movies below and tell us what you think! Will you be attending the festival?

Park City, Ut — Sundance Institute announced today the films selected for the U.S. and World Cinema Dramatic and Documentary Competitions of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. The Sundance Film Festival will take place January 19 through 29 in Park City,...

Snow is falling, the temperature is dropping, movies are getting better. Some might say it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas but I say it's beginning to look a lot like Sundance. The 2012 Sundance Film Festival announced its first batch of films Wednesday, all of which are in competition. Meaning these are the films eligible for awards. It also means that, as of right now, these are the films you probably haven't heard of. But, at this time last year [1], the competition films included a ton that you've surely now heard of such as Another Earth, Circumstance, Like Crazy, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Pariah, The Guard, Tyrannosaur and Take Shelter. Those were just the narratives. In last year's documentary competition, films like Beats, Rhymes and Life, Being Elmo, How to Die in Oregon, Page One, Knuckle, Project Nim and Senna all played. Basically, while you probably haven't heard of these movies yet,...

Sex surrogates, happy drunks, not-so-happy drunks, teenagers in love, a little boy on a gangland odyssey and a trio of time-travel investigators are just a few of the movies in the competition line-up for the Sundance Film Festival this year.

There are also lots and lots of stories of people hooking up, trying to hook up, feeling bad about not hooking up, and all sorts of variations on that theme.

Click through for the newly announced slate of U.S. dramatic competition titles, with festival director John Cooper and chief programmer Trevor Groth as your guides.

If you went to the Park City festival Jan. 19-29, what would go on your must-see list?...

Getty Images The marquee of the Egyptian Theater announces the Sundance Film Festival.

Aging hipsters, Argentinian Elvis impersonators and the dissident Chinese artist Ai Wei Wei are just some of the subjects that will be featured during the Sundance Film Festival this coming January.

The Sundance Institute announced its in-competition film selections for the 2012 fest Wednesday afternoon, debuting a typically eclectic mix of narrative and documentary projects from both veteran filmmakers and festival newcomers. (The full list is below.) In total,...

It seems like we are only just diving into the awards season, but the 2012 film year is right around the corner. There is no better place to get a tast of what is to come than Park City Utah in late January. We’ll be attending the fest again (read last year’s round-up) and today we have the first competition titles. This is the same group from last year which titles include Martha Marcy May Marlene, Like Crazy, Another Earth, Pariah, Being Elmo, Take Shelter and many more. Are there more great films to be found this year? I have no doubt the line-up below will include break-out titles, so lets get to it.

At first glance, the most notable film is Antonio Campos’ Simon Killer, who last directed Afterschool and is in the Martha Marcy trio. It is easily my most-anticipated from this group, along with Quentin Dupieux‘s Rubber follow-up Wrong.

The Sundance Institute revealed their Us and World Cinema Dramatic and Documentary competition titles today for the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. The question, of course, is which films will break out this year after the 2011 Sundance Film Festival brought titles such as ,i>Martha Marcy May Marlene, Pariah, Like Crazy and Take Shelter to the forefront. I have never attended the Sundance Film Festival, primarily because I have never heard good things about the experience, plus it means I can save my money for my trip to Cannes where I have typically seen the some of the best films Sundance had to offer including Blue Valentine two years ago and Martha Marcy May Marlene this year. Which means it serves as a good way for me to find films to make sure I add to my Cannes 2012 must see list... can you figure out which ones they may be? When it...

• Summer is a time for picnics, days at the beach, and Sundance's Director's and Screenwriter's Labs. Out of the eight announced projects attending the Director's lab, seven of them were part of the Screenwriter's lab back in January. The new name added to the lab process is a project from artist/filmmaker Tala Hadid and The Narrow Frame of Midnight. Among the four projects invited to the Screenwriter's Lab we find a familiar name in director (see pic) Todd Louiso (Love Liza, The Marc Pease Experience) and his latest project Hello, I Must Be Going. Following in a natural progression on the Sundance Institute's part to develop young filmmakers and help develop their projects, here are the lucky dozen participants who will have a chance to workshop their films before they go into production - and here is a list of the people who will be there to coach them.

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