Slamdance 2012 announces competition lineup

'We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists'

The 18th Annual Slamdance Film Festival has announced the films that will compete for top prize in the narrative and documentary sections of the Utah festival, that runs alongside its bigger counterpart, the Sundance Film Festival.

The 2012 edition will be showcasing eighteen feature-length competition films (over 5,000 films were submitted) with ten in the narrative section, and the remaining eight being documentaries. Thirteen of the screenings will be world premieres.

Among this year's more interesting-sounding films are the "Catcher in the Rye"-inspired "Bindlestiffs," the topical documentary "We Are Legion," the impeccably titled "Faith, Love and Whiskey" and hip-hop history "I  Want My Name Back."

Slamdance has premiered such films as "Paranormal Activity" and "The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters" that went on to be big theatrical hits. The fest was also a champion of early work by noted directors like Christopher Nolan ("The Dark Knight Rises"), Jared Hess ("Napoleon Dynamite") and Marc Forster ("World War Zl").

The 2012 Slamdance Film Festival takes place January 20 – 26 in Park City, Utah, at the Treasure Mountain Inn.

"Our competition showcase reflects new approaches to filmmaking that mirror the challenging times in which we currently live. These films showcase filmmakers who have a tremendous ability to innovate, experiment, and lead us boldly into the future of independent filmmaking," said Slamdance President and Co-Founder Peter Baxter in a press release.

NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION PROGRAM:

Bindlestiffs - Director: Andrew Edison, Screenwriters: Andrew Edison, Luke Loftin. (USA)
World Premiere
Three smart-mouthed high school virgins, suspended from school on a graffiti charge, flee to the
inner city to live out the plot of The Catcher in the Rye.
Cast: Andrew Edison, Luke Loftin, John Karna

Comforting Skin - Director: Derek Franson, Screenwriter: Derek Franson. (Canada) US
Premiere
A lonely young woman's desperate need for emotional and physical companionship draws her
into a surreal and ultimately destructive relationship with a shifting and whispering tattoo she
has willed to life on her skin.
Cast: Jane Sowerby, Tygh Runyan, Victoria Bidewell

Doppelgänger Paul (or A Film About How Much I Hate Myself) - Director: Dylan Akio Smith,
Kris Elgstrand, Screenwriter: Kris Elgstrand. (Canada) US Premiere
The unlikely relationship of two lonely men whose connection sets off a chain of events resulting
in the loss of a thumb, the theft of a manuscript, and two appearances on a popular morning talk
show.
Cast: Brad Dryborough, Tygh Runyan

Faith, Love and Whiskey - Director: Kristina Nikolova, Screenwriters: Kristina Nikolova, Paul
Dalio. (Bulgaria) World Premiere
A young Bulgarian woman, engaged to a well-off American, panics and runs back home,
reuniting with her drifter friends and the wild life of her past and falling in love with her
passionate but alcoholic best friend.
Cast: Ana Stojanovska, Valeri Yordanov, John Keabler, Lidia Indjova, Yavor Baharov

Heavy Girls - Director: Axel Ranisch, Screenwriters: Axel Ranisch, Heiko Pinkowski, Peter
Trabner. (Germany) US Premiere
Sven lives with his elderly mother; Daniel is her caregiver. When she wanders off, their
misadventure to find her leads them to discover their confusing affection for each other.
Cast: Heiko Pinkowski, Peter Trabner, Ruth Bickelhaupt

OK, Good - Director: Daniel Martinico, Screenwriters: Hugo Armstrong, Daniel Martinico. (USA)
World Premiere
A series of demoralizing auditions and a cultish movement workshop push a struggling actor
over the edge.
Cast: Hugo Armstrong

Roller Town - Director: Andrew Bush, Screenwriters: Andrew Bush, Mark Little, Scott Vrooman.
(Canada) US Premiere
At the peak of disco-mania, three friends try and stop a local crime syndicate from turning their
beloved roller rink into a video arcade.
Cast: Kayla Lorette, Mark Little, Scott Vrooman

The Sound of Small Things – Director/Screenwriter: Peter McLarnan. (USA) World Premiere
Sam and Cara’s attempt to navigate their young marriage is complicated by miscommunication,
suspicion and her deafness.
Cast: Cara Krippner, Sam Hoolihan

Sundowning – Director/Screenwriter: Frank Rinaldi. (Singapore/USA) World Premiere
A story about the relationship between a young woman who has lost her memory and her
mysterious caregiver.
Cast: Shannon Fitzpatrick, Susan Chau

Welcome to Pine Hill - Director/Screenwriter: Keith Miller. (USA) World Premiere
A reformed drug dealer, now a claims adjuster by day and bouncer by night, receives earth-
shattering news that compels him to return to his past and seek transcendence beyond the
Brooklyn concrete.
Cast: Shannon Harper, Mary Meyers, David Williams

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION PROGRAM:

Buffalo Girls - Director: Todd Kellstein. (Thailand/USA) World Premiere
Two eight year old girls fight in rural Thailand’s underground child boxing economy to earn
money to support their families.

Danland - Director: Alexandra Berger, Screenwriters: Ann Husaini, Alexandra Berger. (USA)
World Premiere
Amateur porn producer Dan Leal, aka ‘Porno Dan,’ searches for intimacy despite his industry
and in spite of himself.

The First Season - Director: Rudd Simmons. (USA) World Premiere
To achieve their version of the American dream, the Van Amburg family struggle as they fight
against relentless toil, financial ruin and the harsh reality of dairy farming.

Getting Up - Director: Caskey Ebeling, Screenwriter: Tempt. (USA) World Premiere
After being diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease and rendered almost completely paralyzed,
Tony “Tempt” Quan, a legendary L.A. graffiti artist, regains his voice through technology that
reads the movement of his eyes and enables him to create art and write once again.

I Want My Name Back - Director: Roger Paradiso. (USA) Utah Premiere
Thirty years after the historic recording of the iconic mega-hit “Rapper’s Delight,” Master Gee &
Wonder Mike come back to reclaim their identities and rightful place in Hip Hop history.

Kelly - Director: James Stenson. (USA) World Premiere
Having fled a provincial past, a young, transgender prostitute searches for love and acceptance
in a landscape of broken Hollywood Dreams.

No Ashes, No Phoenix - Director/Screenwriter: Jens Pfeifer. (Germany) World Premiere
A locker room expose about young basketball players in Hagen, Germany who face their fears
of losing and challenge enormous odds to succeed.

We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists - Director/Screenwriter: Brian Knappenberger.
(USA) World Premiere
An intimate look inside the world of Anonymous, the radical "hacktivist" collective that has
redefined civil disobedience for the digital age
 
Meanwhile, see what's playing at the 2012 Sundance Fest here.

Dave Lewis
Producer

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Dave Lewis has been a Los Angeles-based entertainment writer and editor for nearly ten years. Originally hailing from Minneapolis, he moved to L.A. in 1996 to attend USC, before working for various periodicals and web sites including a lengthy stint at Variety.com. He joined the HitFix staff in 2011.