Sundance Film Festival 2015: High Profile Documentaries Among Premieres

By Brooks Barnes,  Reprinted from NY TIMES, Carpetbagger

LOS ANGELES – The Sundance Film Festival’s more commercial noncompetition lineup in January will include a documentary expose about college rape, a roster of stalwart indie stars and eagerly awaited new features from Noah Baumbach and Jared Hess, among other directors.

Sundance programmers on Monday said their 2015 “premieres” section – reserved (mostly) for more experienced filmmakers, like Richard Linklater, who debuted his “Boyhood” there – would include 16 narrative features and 13 documentaries. (The competition lineup was announced last week.) The 31st incarnation of the festival will take place in Park City, Utah, from Jan. 22 to Feb. 1.

Sure to generate strong interest among documentaries is “The Hunting Ground,” a searing exploration of sexual crime on college campuses and institutional cover-ups; Kirby Dick, a two-time Oscar nominee (“The Invisible War”), directed the film. Alex Gibney’s high-profile “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief” will also play the festival before appearing on HBO.

Religion is a minor theme. Joining “Going Clear” is “Prophet’s Prey,” about a fundamentalist group that splintered from the Mormon Church. On the narrative side, Mr. Hess – known for “Napoleon Dynamite” – will bring “Don Verdean,” a comedy about “faith and fraud” centered on a Biblical archaeologist. Rodrigo García has “Last Days in the Desert,” starring Ewan McGregor as Jesus. “I am Michael” features James Franco as a man who rejects his homosexuality to become a Christian pastor.

There seem to be fewer mainstream stars looking to get some indie polish – although Jennifer Lopez will pop up in “Lila & Eve,” a dramatic thriller, and Ryan Reynolds is back, this time in a Southern road-trip drama called “Mississippi Grind.” Instead, stars tend to be more along the lines of Rosemarie DeWitt, Blythe Danner, June Squibb, Ethan Hawke, Adam Scott, Marcia Gay Harden, Peter Sarsgaard, Lily Tomlin and Patrick Wilson.

Greta Gerwig stars in “Mistress America,” a comedy about “dream-chasing, score-settling, makeshift families and cat-stealing” from Mr. Baumbach (“Frances Ha”).
Here is the full list:

FEATURE PREMIERES

Brooklyn (Director: John Crowley, Screenwriter: Nick Hornby, based on the book by Colm Tóibín) — In 1950s Ireland, Eilis must confront a terrible dilemma, a heartbreaking choice between two men and two countries, between duty and true love. Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson, Emory Cohen, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent.

Digging for Fire (Director: Joe Swanberg, Screenwriters: Jake Johnson, Joe Swanberg) — The discovery of a bone and a gun sends a husband and wife on separate adventures over the course of a weekend. Cast: Jake Johnson, Rosemarie DeWitt, Orlando Bloom, Brie Larson, Sam Rockwell, Anna Kendrick.

Don Verdean (Director: Jared Hess, Screenwriters: Jared Hess, Jerusha Hess) — Biblical archaeologist Don Verdean is hired by a local church pastor to find faith-promoting relics in the Holy Land. But after a fruitless expedition, he is forced to get creative in this comedy of faith and fraud. Cast: Sam Rockwell, Jemaine Clement, Amy Ryan, Danny McBride, Leslie Bibb, Will Forte.

End of the Tour (Director: James Ponsoldt, Screenwriter: Donald Margulies) — This story of the five-day 1996 interview between Rolling Stone reporter David Lipsky and acclaimed novelist David Foster Wallace explores the tenuous yet intense relationship that develops between journalist and subject. The two men bob and weave, sharing laughs and also concealing and revealing their hidden vulnerabilities. Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Jason Segel, Anna Chlumsky, Joan Cusack, Mamie Gummer, Ron Livingston.

Experimenter (Director and screenwriter: Michael Almereyda) — This is based on the true story of social psychologist Stanley Milgram, who in 1961 conducted a series of radical behavior experiments that tested ordinary humans’ willingness to obey authority by using electric shock. We follow Milgram from meeting his wife through his controversial experiments that sparked public outcry. Cast: Peter Sarsgaard, Winona Ryder, Jim Gaffigan, Kellan Lutz, Taryn Manning, John Leguizamo.

Grandma (Director and screenwriter: Paul Weitz) — Self-described misanthrope Elle Reid has her protective bubble burst when her 18-year-old granddaughter, Sage, shows up needing help. The two of them go on a daylong journey that causes Elle to come to terms with her past and Sage to confront her future. Cast: Lily Tomlin, Julia Garner, Marcia Gay Harden, Judy Greer, Laverne Cox, Sam Elliott.

I Am Michael (Director: Justin Kelly, Screenwriters: Justin Kelly, Stacey Miller) — The controversial true story of a gay activist who rejects his homosexuality and becomes a Christian pastor. Cast: James Franco, Zachary Quinto, Emma Roberts.

I’ll See You in My Dreams (Director: Brett Haley, Screenwriters: Brett Haley, Marc Basch) — A sudden loss disrupts Carol’s orderly life, propelling her into the dating world for the first time in 20 years. Finally living in the present tense, she finds herself swept up in not one, but two unexpected relationships that challenge her assumptions about what it means to grow old. Cast: Blythe Danner, Martin Starr, Sam Elliott, Malin Akerman, June Squibb, Rhea Perlman.

Last Days in the Desert (Director and screenwriter: Rodrigo García) — Ewan McGregor is Jesus — and the Devil — in an imagined chapter from his 40 days of fasting and praying in the desert. On his way out of the wilderness, Jesus struggles with the Devil over the fate of a family in crisis, setting himself up for a dramatic test. Cast: Ewan McGregor, Ciaran Hinds, Ayelet Zurer, Tye Sheridan.

Lila & Eve (Director: Charles Stone III, Screenwriter: Patrick Gilfillan) — Lila, a grief-stricken mother reeling from her son’s murder, attends a support group where she meets Eve, who urges her to take matters into her own hands to track down her son’s killers. They soon embark on a journey of revenge, but also recovery. Cast: Viola Davis, Jennifer Lopez, Shea Whigham, Julius Tennon, Ron Caldwell, Aml Ameen.

Mississippi Grind (Directors and screenwriters: Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden) — Gerry is a talented poker player whose habit is getting the best of him. He convinces younger player Curtis to join him on a road trip, and they begin gambling their way towards a high-stakes game in New Orleans. During their journey, true motivations are revealed, and the two bond. Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Ben Mendelsohn, Sienna Miller, Analeigh Tipton, Alfre Woodard, Robin Weigert.

Mistress America (Director: Noah Baumbach, Screenwriters: Noah Baumbach, Greta Gerwig) — Tracy, a lonely college freshman in New York, is rescued from her solitude by her soon-to-be stepsister Brooke, an adventurous gal about town who entangles her in alluringly mad schemes. Mistress America is a comedy about dream-chasing, score-settling, makeshift families and cat-stealing. Cast: Greta Gerwig, Lola Kirke.

Seoul Searching (Director and screenwriter: Benson Lee) — This is a comedy set in the ’80s about a group of foreign-born Korean teenagers who meet at a Seoul summer camp to learn what it means to be Korean. The three boys, from the United States, Mexico, and Germany, then meet three girls who rock their world. Cast: Justin Chon, Jessika Van, In-pyo Cha, Teo Yoo, Esteban Ahn, Byul Kang.

Sleeping With Other People (Director and screenwriter: Leslye Headland) — Jake and Lainey impulsively lose their virginity to each other in college. When their paths cross 12 years later in New York City, they realize they both have become serial cheaters. Bonding over their chronic infidelity, they form a platonic friendship to support each other in their quests for healthy romantic relationships. Cast: Jason Sudeikis, Alison Brie, Adam Scott, Amanda Peet, Jason Mantzoukas, Natasha Lyonne.

Ten Thousand Saints (Directors: Robert Pulcini, Shari Springer Berman, Screenwriters: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini) — Based on the acclaimed novel of the same title, this follows three lost kids and their equally lost parents as they come of age in New York’s East Village in the era of CBGB, yuppies and the tinderbox of gentrification that exploded into the Tompkins Square Park riot of 1988. Cast: Ethan Hawke, Asa Butterfield, Emily Mortimer, Julianne Nicholson, Hailee Steinfeld, Emile Hirsch.

Zipper (Director: Mora Stephens, Screenwriters: Mora Stephens, Joel Viertel) — Sam Ellis is a man on the rise — a hotshot federal prosecutor on the cusp of a bright political future. But what was meant to be a one-time experience with an escort turns into a growing addiction — a new demon threatening to destroy his life, family, and career. Cast: Patrick Wilson, Lena Headey, Richard Dreyfuss, Ray Winstone, John Cho, Dianna Agron.

DOCUMENTARY PREMIERES

Beaver Trilogy Part IV (Director: Brad Besser) — A chance meeting in a parking lot in 1979 between filmmaker Trent Harris and a young man from Beaver, Utah, inspired the creation of an underground film that is now known as Beaver Trilogy. But the film itself is only part of the story.

The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution (Director: Stanley Nelson) — This tells of the rise and fall of the Black Panther Party, one of the 20th century’s most alluring and controversial organizations that captivated the world’s attention for nearly 50 years.

Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Story of the National Lampoon (Director: Douglas Tirola) — Three Harvard graduates start a national humor magazine for adults, launching the careers of some of Hollywood’s most legendary talent. But success and excess among its brilliant and subversive contributors begins to challenge its existence.

Fresh Dressed (Director: Sacha Jenkins) — The history of hip-hop fashion from its birth in the South Bronx to its rise as a billion-dollar global industry, this film is supported by rich archival materials, in-depth interviews with individuals crucial to the evolution, and the outsiders who study and admire them.

Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief (Director: Alex Gibney) — This intimately profiles eight former members of the Church of Scientology, shining a light on how true believers are attracted and the things they do in the name of religion.

In Football We Trust (Directors: Tony Vainuku, Erika Cohn) — Four young Polynesian football players struggle to overcome gang violence and poverty as they enter the high-stakes world of recruiting, competitive athletics and family pressures.

The Hunting Ground (Director: Kirby Dick) — From the makers of “The Invisible War” comes a startling exposé of rape crimes on American campuses, institutional cover-ups and the brutal social toll. Weaving together vérité footage and first-person testimonies, the film follows survivors as they pursue their education and justice — despite harsh retaliation, harassment, and pushback.

Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck (Director and screenwriter: Brett Morgen) — Kurt Cobain, lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter of Nirvana, remains an icon 20 years after his death. This film is a raw and visceral journey through Cobain’s life and his career with Nirvana through the lens of his home movies, recordings, artwork, photography, and journals.

The Mask You Live In (Director: Jennifer Siebel Newsom) — Is there a “boy crisis” in America? Is our male population suffering due to our emphasis on power, dominance, and aggression? This film explores how our narrow definition of masculinity is harming our boys, men, and society at large and unveils what we can do about it.

Most Likely to Succeed (Director: Greg Whiteley) — Our current education system is attempting to teach and test skills that even when mastered leave graduates woefully unprepared for the 21st century. This feature-length documentary examines what sort of educational environment is most likely to prepare students for a world changing exponentially.

Prophet’s Prey (Director: Amy Berg) — When Warren Jeffs rose to prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, he bridged the gap between sister wives and rape, befuddling the moral compass of his entire congregation.

Tig (Directors: Kristina Goolsby, Ashley York, Screenwriter: Jennifer Arnold) — This documentary explores comedian Tig Notaro’s extraordinary journey as her life unfolds in grand and unexpected ways, all while she is battling a life-threatening illness and falling in love.

What Happened, Miss Simone? (Director: Liz Garbus) — Classically trained pianist, dive-bar chanteuse, black power icon, and legendary recording artist Nina Simone lived a life of brutal honesty, musical genius, and tortured melancholy. This astonishing epic interweaves never-before-heard recordings and rare footage, creating an unforgettable portrait of one of our least understood, most beloved artists.