Sundance Announces Competition and NEXT Lineups, Featuring Returning Favorites and a Secret Director

The 2016 Sundance Film Festival may be months away from kicking off in snowy Park City, Utah, but the annual festival has begun rolling out its various lineups, including today’s announcement of its competition sections — including U.S. Dramatic, U.S. Documentary, World Cinema Dramatic and World Documentary offerings — along with its out of competition NEXT lineup.

The slate includes a number of familiar names, most notably “Simon Killer” filmmaker Antonio Campos, who will return to the festival with “Christine” (a narrative feature about TV reporter Christine Chubbuck, who killed herself live on-air in 1974; interestingly enough, the Sundance slate also includes a Chubbuck-centric documentary, “Kate Plays Christine,” a new feature from director Robert Greene that looks to blend fact and fiction in ways similar to his previous documentary, “Actress”) and “This is Martin Bonner” director Chad Hartigan, who will debut his “Morris from America” at the festival. Sundance mainstay David Gordon Green doesn’t have a directorial outing in this batch, but he does serve as co-writer on Andrew Neel’s fact-based “Goat,” and “Life After Beth” helmer Jeff Baena returns to the fest with the raucous-sounding “Joshy.”

READ MORE: Sundance Wishlist: 32 Films We Hope Will Head to Park City in 2016

This lineup also plays home to a number of heavily anticipated directorial debuts from actors, including Nate Parker’s “The Birth of a Nation,” Clea DuVall’s “The Intervention” and Sian Heder’s “Tallulah” (which has adapted from her own short, “Mother”). Elsewhere, Richard Tanne will make his feature directorial debut with “Southside With You,” a telling of Barack and Michelle Obama’s first date.

Also of note is a power-packed documentary section, including Jeff Feuerzeig’s “Author: The JT LeRoy Story,” Kim A. Snyder’s “Newtown,” Robert Cannan and Ross Adam’s “The Lovers and the Despot” and Shimon Dotan’s “The Settlers.” The U.S. Documentary section also plays home to perhaps the most intriguing feature announced today: “Holy Hell,” a doc about “a loving, secretive and spiritual community” that was “shockingly torn apart” after decades in existence. That film’s director? Currently “undisclosed,” though as the film is built around said filmmaker’s own experiences with the group and their archival material, the festival may play host to one hell of an identity reveal.

Of the slate, Robert Redford, President and Founder of Sundance Institute, said, “From diverse backgrounds,

places and perspectives, these independent artists are united by the power of

their stories and vision. Their films will soon launch onto the global stage,

beginning their journeys through our culture. A new year in independent film

will start right here — on the mountain — in January.”

John Cooper, Director of the Sundance Film

Festival, also weighed in, saying, “Fueled by wild creativity, fresh perspectives and a deep

understanding of the craft of storytelling, independent film is evolving. Our

Festival continues to show that film has the power to inspire, challenge and

surprise audiences in new ways.”

More of the Sundance lineup will be revealed in the coming weeks, including the Premiere and Documentary Premiere sections, along with more Sundance-centric offerings like New Frontier and their always-robust short film lineup. The festival takes place January 21-31, 2016. Below are the 65 titles announced today by Sundance as part of their Competition and NEXT sections. Synopses provided by Sundance.

READ MORE: Sundance Programmers Unveil, Discuss 2016 Competition, NEXT Lineups (EXCLUSIVE)

U.S. DRAMATIC

COMPETITION

Presenting the world premieres of 16 narrative feature

films, the Dramatic Competition offers Festivalgoers a first look at

groundbreaking new voices in American independent film.

“As You Are” / U.S.A. (Director: Miles Joris-Peyrafitte,

Screenwriters: Miles Joris-Peyrafitte, Madison Harrison) — As You Are is the telling and retelling of a relationship between

three teenagers as it traces the course of their friendship through a

construction of disparate memories prompted by a police investigation. Cast: Owen Campbell, Charlie Heaton, Amandla

Stenberg, John Scurti, Scott Cohen, Mary Stuart Masterson. World Premiere

“The Birth of a Nation” / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Nate

Parker) — Set against the antebellum South, this story follows Nat Turner, a

literate slave and preacher, whose financially strained owner, Samuel Turner,

accepts an offer to use Nat’s preaching to subdue unruly slaves.

After witnessing countless atrocities against fellow slaves, Nat devises a plan

to lead his people to freedom. Cast: Nate

Parker, Armie Hammer, Aja Naomi King, Jackie Earle Haley, Gabrielle Union, Mark

Boone Jr. World Premiere

“Christine” / U.S.A. (Director: Antonio Campos, Screenwriter:

Craig Shilowich) — In 1974, a female TV news reporter aims for high standards

in life and love in Sarasota, Florida. Missing her mark is not an option. This

story is based on true events. Cast:

Rebecca Hall, Michael C. Hall, Maria Dizzia, Tracy Letts, J. Smith-Cameron.

World Premiere

“Equity” / U.S.A. (Director: Meera Menon, Screenwriter: Amy Fox)

— A female investment banker, fighting to get a promotion at her competitive

Wall Street firm, leads a controversial tech IPO in the post-financial-crisis

world, where regulations are tight but pressure to bring in big money remains

high. Cast: Anna Gunn, James Purefoy,

Sarah Megan Thomas, Alysia Reiner. World

Premiere

“The Free World” / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Jason Lew)

— Following his release from a brutal stretch in prison for crimes he didn’t

commit, Mo is struggling to adapt to life on the outside. When his world

collides with Doris, a mysterious woman with a violent past, he decides to risk

his newfound freedom to keep her in his life. Cast: Boyd Holbrook, Elisabeth Moss, Octavia Spencer, Sung Kang, Waleed

Zuaiter. World Premiere

“Goat“ / U.S.A. (Director: Andrew Neel, Screenwriters: David

Gordon Green, Andrew Neel, Michael Roberts) — Reeling from a terrifying

assault, a 19-year-old boy pledges his brother’s fraternity in an attempt to

prove his manhood. What happens there, in the name of “brotherhood,”

tests both the boys and their relationship in brutal ways. Cast: Nick Jonas, Ben Schnetzer, Virginia Gardner, Danny Flaherty,

Austin Lyon. World Premiere

“The Intervention” / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Clea

DuVall) — A weekend getaway for four couples takes a sharp turn when one of the

couples discovers the entire trip was orchestrated to host an intervention on

their marriage. Cast: Melanie Lynskey,

Cobie Smulders, Alia Shawkat, Clea DuVall, Natasha Lyonne, Ben Schwartz. World

Premiere

“Joshy“ / U.S.A.

(Director and screenwriter: Jeff Baena) — Josh treats what would have been his

bachelor party as an opportunity to reconnect with his friends. Cast: Thomas Middleditch, Adam Pally, Alex

Ross Perry, Nick Kroll, Brett Gelman, Jenny Slate. World Premiere

“Lovesong” / U.S.A. (Director: So Yong Kim, Screenwriters: So

Yong Kim, Bradley Rust Gray) — Neglected by her husband, Sarah embarks on an

impromptu road trip with her young daughter and her best friend, Mindy. Along

the way, the dynamic between the two friends intensifies before circumstances

force them apart. Years later, Sarah attempts to rebuild their intimate

connection in the days before Mindy’s wedding. Cast: Jena Malone, Riley Keough, Brooklyn Decker, Amy Seimetz, Ryan

Eggold, Rosanna Arquette. World Premiere



“Morris from America” / U.S.A., Germany (Director and

screenwriter: Chad Hartigan) — Thirteen-year-old Morris, a hip-hop loving

American, moves to Heidelberg, Germany, with his father. In this completely

foreign land, he falls in love with a local girl, befriends his German

tutor-turned-confidant, and attempts to navigate the unique trials and

tribulations of adolescence. Cast:

Markees Christmas, Craig Robinson, Carla Juri, Lina Keller, Jakub Gierszał,

Levin Henning. World Premiere

“The Settlers” / France, Canada, Israel, Germany (Director:

Shimon Dotan) — The first film of its kind to offer a comprehensive view of the

Jewish settlements in the West Bank, The

Settlers is a historical overview, geopolitical study, and intimate look at

the people at the core of the most daunting challenge facing Israel and the

international community today. World

Premiere “Sky

Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang” / U.S.A. (Director: Kevin Macdonald) —

Having reached the pinnacle of the global art world with his signature

explosion events and gunpowder drawings, world-famous Chinese contemporary

artist Cai Guo-Qiang is still seeking more. We trace his rise from childhood in

Mao’s China and his journey to attempt to realize his lifelong obsession, Sky

Ladder. World Premiere.



“Sonita“

/ Germany, Iran, Switzerland (Director: Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami) — If

18-year-old Sonita had a say, Michael Jackson and Rihanna would be her parents

and she’d be a rapper who tells the story of Afghan women and their fate as

child brides. She finds out that her family plans to sell her to an unknown

husband for $9,000. North American

Premiere

“We Are X” / United Kingdom, U.S.A., Japan (Director: Stephen

Kijak) — As glam rock’s most flamboyant survivors, X Japan ignited a musical

revolution in Japan during the late ’80s with their melodic metal. Twenty years

after their tragic dissolution, X Japan’s leader, Yoshiki, battles with physical

and spiritual demons alongside prejudices of the West to bring their music to

the world. World Premiere “When Two Worlds Collide” / Peru (Directors: Heidi Brandenburg,

Mathew Orzel) — An indigenous leader resists the environmental ruin of

Amazonian lands by big business. As he is forced into exile and faces 20 years

in prison, his quest reveals conflicting visions that shape the fate of the

Amazon and the climate future of our world. World

Premiere NEXT

Pure, bold works distinguished by an innovative,

forward-thinking approach to storytelling populate this program. Digital

technology paired with unfettered creativity promises that the films in this

section will shape a “greater” next wave in American cinema. Presented by

Adobe. “THE 4TH” / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Andre Hyland) —

It’s the Fourth of July in Los Angeles, and Jamie, a broke illustrator who is

behind on his rent, tries to throw a cookout while his overbearing roommate is

out of town, but everything seems to go wrong. Cast: Andre Hyland, Johnny Pemberton, Eliza Coupe, Yasmine Kittles,

Anna Lee Lawson, Paul Erling Oyen. World Premiere “Dark Night” / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Tim Sutton) — A

suburban landscape plays witness to the inevitable, unfolding events that

culminate in a Cineplex massacre. Over the course of one day, from sunrise to

midnight, six strangers—the shooter among them—share in this new American

nightmare. Cast: Robert Jumper, Anna

Rose, Rosie Rodriguez, Karina Macias, Aaron Purvis, Eddie Cacciola. World Premiere “The Eyes of My Mother” / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter:

Nicolas Pesce) — A young, lonely woman is consumed by her deepest and darkest

desires after tragedy strikes her quiet country life. Cast: Kika Magalhães, Will Brill, Paul Nazak, Flora Diaz, Clara Wong,

Diana Agostini. World Premiere “First Girl I Loved“ / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Kerem

Sanga) — Seventeen-year-old Anne just fell in love with Sasha, the most popular

girl at her L.A. public high school. But when Anne tells her best friend,

Clifton—who has always harbored a secret crush on her—he does his best to get

in the way. Cast: Dylan Gelula, Brianna

Hildebrand, Mateo Arias, Jennifer Prediger, Tim Heidecker, Pamela Adlon. World

Premiere “The Fits” / U.S.A., Italy (Director: Anna Rose Holmer,

Screenwriters: Anna Rose Holmer, Saela Davis, Lisa Kjerulff) — In this

psychological portrait, Toni, an 11-year-old tomboy, is assimilating into a

tight-knit dance team in Cincinnati’s West End when a mysterious outbreak of

fainting spells plagues the team, and her desire for acceptance is twisted. Cast: Royalty Hightower, Alexis Neblett,

Da’Sean Minor, Lauren Gibson, Makyla Burnam, Inayah Rodgers. North American

Premiere “How

To Tell You’re A Douchebag” / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter:

Tahir Jetter) — This romantic comedy follows a misogynist who falls in love. Cast: Charles Brice, DeWanda Wise, William

Jackson Harper, Alexander Mulzac, Jenna Williams, Tonye Patano. World Premiere “Jacqueline (Argentine)” / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter:

Bernardo Britto) — A young French woman hires a man to document her

self-imposed political asylum in Argentina after supposedly leaking highly

confidential government secrets. Cast:

Camille Rutherford, Wyatt Cenac, James Benson, Martin Anderson, Sarah Willis,

Enrique Dura. World Premiere “The Land” / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Steven Caple Jr.)

— Four teenage boys devote their summer to escaping the streets of Cleveland,

Ohio, by pursuing a dream life of professional skateboarding. But when they get

caught in the web of the local queenpin, their motley brotherhood is tested,

threatening to make this summer their last. Cast:

Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Moises Arias, Rafi Gavron, Ezri Walker, Erykah Badu,

Michael K. Williams. World Premiere “Operation Avalanche“ / U.S.A., Canada (Director: Matt Johnson,

Screenwriters: Matt Johnson, Josh Boles) — In 1967, four undercover CIA agents

were sent to NASA posing as a documentary film crew. What they discovered led

to one of the biggest conspiracies in American history. Cast: Matt Johnson, Owen Williams, Josh Boles, Ray James. World

Premiere “Sleight” / U.S.A. (Director: JD Dillard, Screenwriters: JD

Dillard, Alex Theurer) — After a young street magician is left to care for his

little sister following their mother’s passing, he turns to dealing drugs, but

quickly runs into trouble with his supplier. When his sister gets kidnapped, he

must rely on his smarts and sleight of hand to save her. Cast: Jacob Latimore, Dulé Hill, Seychelle Gabriel, Storm Reid, Sasheer

Zamata, Cameron Esposito. World Premiere



Per Sundance, for the 2016 festival, 120 feature-length films were selected, representing 37 countries and 48 first-time filmmakers, including 28 in competition. These films were selected from 12,793 submissions, including 4,081 feature-length films and 8,712 short films. Of the feature film submissions, 1,972 were from the U.S. and 2,109 were international. 98 feature films at the Festival will be world premieres.

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