Ten narratives and eight documentaries are lined up for the 2012 Slamdance Film Festival Competition. Variety's Dave McNary reports that two titles "already generating buzz are Bindlestiffs in the feature lineup and We Are Legion: The Story of Hacktavists in documentaries. Bindlestiffs, directed by Andrew Edison, stars Andrew Edison, Luke Loftin and John Karna as smart-mouthed high school virgins, who are suspended from school on a graffiti charge and flee to the inner city to live out the plot of The Catcher in the Rye. We Are Legion, directed and written by Brian Knappenberger, is a look inside the world of Anonymous, the radical 'hacktivist' collective that's redefined civil disobedience for the digital age."
The other narrative features:
Andrew Bush's Roller Town, with Kayla Lorette, Mark Little and Scott Vrooman.
Derek Franson's Comforting Skin, with Jane Sowerby, Tygh Runyan and Victoria Bidewell. You'll find a lengthy synopsis on the film's Facebook page.
Daniel Martinico's OK, Good, with Hugo Armstrong.
Peter McLarnan's The Sound of Small Things, with Cara Krippner and Sam Hoolihan.
Keith Miller's Welcome to Pine Hill, with Shannon Harper, Mary Meyers and David Williams. Site.
Kristina Nikolova's Faith, Love and Whiskey, with Ana Stojanovska, Valeri Yordanov, John Keabler, Lidia Indjova, Yavor Baharov.
Axel Ranisch's Heavy Girls, with Heiko Pinkowski, Peter Trabner and Ruth Bickelhaupt. From Austria.
Frank Rinaldi's Sundowning, with Shannon Fitzpatrick and Susan Chau.
Dylan Akio Smith and Kris Elgstrand's Doppelgänger Paul (or A Film About How Much I Hate Myself), with Brad Dryborough and Tygh Runyan. Torontoist John Semley calls it "smart. And funny. It's just not as smart and funny as it thinks it is. That said, Doppelgänger's jittery, strung-out poking of contemporary issues of identity and authorship proves consistently engrossing and, when something like real friendship begins emerging at the edges, pretty charming too."
And the documentaries:
Alexandra Berger's Danland. IMDb synopsis: "Amateur porn producer Dan Leal, aka 'Porno Dan,' searches for commitment and intimacy in spite of his industry and himself."
Caskey Ebeling's Getting Up. On the LA graffiti artist Tony "TEMPT" Quan.
Todd Kellstein's Buffalo Girls. Trailer.
Roger Paradiso's I Want My Name Back. "25 years after the historic recording of the iconic mega-hit 'Rapper's Delight,' former original members of The Sugarhill Gang, Master Gee & Wonder Mike, come back to reclaim their identities and rightful place in hip-hop history."
Jens Pfeifer's No Ashes, No Phoenix. From German Films: "After years of trying, the Phoenix Hagen basketball team finally makes it to Germany's 1st league, the 'Bundesliga.' The fans in the small, industrial town of Hagen are thrilled. The problem is, in order to stay in the 1st league they have to win a few games. And Phoenix just keeps on losing. Their young coach is desperate. Looking for help fast, the team signs Michael Jordan. But their savior brings a lot more baggage to Hagen than just a famous name."
Rudd Simmons's The First Season. "When organic milk prices reach their highest level in years, Paul and Phyllis van Amburg take their life savings and buy a dairy. They leave their careers behind and, with three children and a fourth on the way, become full time farmers."
James Stenson's Kelly.
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