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SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL: LONDON 2024 REVEALS FULL PROGRAMME LINE-UP BURSTING WITH BOLD CINEMATIC VOICES FOR 11TH EDITION SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL: LONDON 2024 REVEALS FULL PROGRAMME LINE-UP BURSTING WITH BOLD CINEMATIC VOICES FOR 11TH EDITION

SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL: LONDON 2024 REVEALS FULL PROGRAMME LINE-UP BURSTING WITH BOLD CINEMATIC VOICES FOR 11TH EDITION

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IN ADDITION TO FICTION AND DOCUMENTARY FEATURES, THE SELECTION INCLUDES:
● PROGRAMME OF SPECIALLY CURATED UK SHORT FILMS ● SURPRISE FILM SCREENING RETURNS ● PROGRAMME WILL ALSO INCLUDE TITLES TO CELEBRATE 40TH EDITION OF THE SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL IN THE U.S.

Tickets on sale to Picturehouse members and festival passholders now

Tickets to general public on sale April 30

Festival runs at Picturehouse Central, London, 6-9 June 2024

London, 23 April 2024 — Picturehouse and the nonprofit Sundance Institute announced today the lineup of 11 feature fiction and documentary films, a specially curated programme of UK short films and a strand of repertory titles to celebrate the 40th edition of the Sundance Film Festival in the U.S. for the 11th edition of Sundance Film Festival: London 2024, taking place from 6 to 9 June at Picturehouse Central.

These 11 feature films premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival in Utah in January and were specially curated for London by the Sundance Film Festival programming team in collaboration with Picturehouse. The Festival previously announced that it will open on 6 June with the UK premiere of writer and director Rich Peppiatt’s raucous and infectious Irish-language film, Kneecap and will close on 9 June with the UK premiere of Dìdi (弟弟) written and directed by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Sean Wang.

In addition to those award-winning opening and closing night films, the Festival presents a full programme bursting with buzzy hits from established and first-time feature filmmakers, across narrative film and documentary. These titles are: Sasquatch Sunset by acclaimed directors David and Nathan Zellner, starring Riley Keough (Mad Max: Fury Road, American Honey) and Academy Award® nominee Jesse Eisenberg (Zombieland, The Social Network); Rob Peace, Chiwetel Ejiofor’s adaptation of Jeff Hobbs’ bestselling and critically acclaimed biography; monster rom-com Your Monster, Caroline Lindy’s wholly original debut; Megan Park’s fresh coming-of-age journey of self-discovery My Old Ass starring Maisy Stella (Nashville) and Aubrey Plaza (Emily The Criminal);  Jane Schoenbrun’s second feature, I Saw The TV Glow;  Shuchi Talati’s Girls Will Be Girls winner of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award: World Cinema Dramatic and World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting presented to Preeti Panigrahi earlier this year. The list is rounded off with Thea Hvistendahl’s chilly, disturbing Handling The Undead from Norway, winner of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Original Music presented to Peter Raeburn at this year’s Festival, starring Renate Reinsve (The Worst Person In The World). The documentaries include Skywalkers: A Love Story by multi-Emmy award winning filmmaker Jeff Zimbalist and Never Look Away by Lucy Lawless in her directorial debut.

Once again, the line-up includes a short film programme that is dedicated to UK productions, highlighting some of the amazing talent in the Short Film art form, in films either produced with the UK or made by fil

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5 Films for Earth Day 5 Films for Earth Day

5 Films for Earth Day

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Today we’re celebrating Earth Day – an annual event dedicated to environmental protection. First started in 1970, this environmental movement annually mobilises over 1 billion people from over 190 countries towards undertaking positive action for our planet. We dig into the Aesthetica Film Library to share five thought-provoking films that explore our relationship with the Earth, from poetic animations on the bonds between people and animals to powerful documentaries on change-makers.

Wrapped

Time-lapse photography and CGI animation evocatively combine to show Mother Nature at work. Directed by Florian Wittmann, Falko Paeper and Roman Kaelin, this stunning 2015 experimental film begins as moss grows on a dead rodent lying prone on a busy city street. Gradually, almost imperceptibly, foliage creeps across the pavements and roads until the natural world blends with the urban metropolis. A symbolic look at the delicate balance between mankind and nature.

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Danger Overhead Powerlines

Directed by Mia Mullarkey, this 2013 documentary is a call-to-arms following the plight of Teresa Treacy. In 2016, the ESB contacted her to say it would be erecting pylons across her land, cutting down several acres of forest. She refused, requesting that the power lines be run underground. In 2011, she went to prison for this, during which time the ESB felled nearly 1800 trees on her land.

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Nature House Inc.

Multidisciplinary artist Nick Jordan’s work explores the interconnections between cultural, social and natural ecologies. In 2013, he unveiled Nature House Inc., looking at the proliferation of bird houses, built to attract “America’s most wanted bird” – the Purple Martin. Jordan’s extraordinary film offers a glimpse of how over one million Americans have installed these Purple Martin boxes. As a result, these migratory birds are now entirely dependent on man-made shelters during their breeding season.

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Tears of Inge

Alisi Telengut works in the animation field, using hand-made and painterly visuals to create her worlds. This poetic, lyrical 2013 short is based on a real Mongolian nomadic story, offering a profound look at the relationship between humans and animals. Hauntingly scored, it tells of how some camels reject their young at childbirth, due to the pain, and how camel herders play music and sing songs to help the animals accept their young.

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Fern

Starring the brilliant BAFTA-winning actress Monica Dolan (Appropriate Adult), 2017’s Fern is a gentle comedy from writer-director Johnny Kelly (Procrastination). After losing her husband, a

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A Primer on Global Warming, Courtesy of 8 Sundance Film Festival Films A Primer on Global Warming, Courtesy of 8 Sundance Film Festival Films

A Primer on Global Warming, Courtesy of 8 Sundance Film Festival Films

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A still from Climate Refugees

By Vanessa Zimmer

Every April 22 since 1970, Americans have celebrated Earth Day, the dawn of the environmental movement. Now, joined by more than 190 countries on the occasion, activists have banded together to battle polluted air, polluted water, the loss of natural spaces and wildlife, and so much more.

Filmmakers take part in their own fashion, using their lenses to bring the reality of these universal dangers to the masses and a sense of humanity to the stories — like the villagers who lose their livelihoods, their homes to disappearing water supplies.

This year, we at the Sundance Institute choose to focus on perhaps the most urgent of all environmental threats: global warming. We have selected eight films about climate change, which take a look at rising temperatures not only across the land, but also in the seas.

From the Oscar-winning An Inconvenient Truth to 2022’s winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Festival, Utama, check out these explorations of the harmful effects of weather changes globally. (For a more in-depth piece on Utama, click here).

 

An Inconvenient Truth (2006 Sundance Film Festival) — Perhaps the forefather of global warming films, this is the passionate story of former Vice President Al Gore’s dedication to sounding the alarm on the imperative of reversing the trend. “Traveling the world, he has built a visually mesmerizing presentation designed to disabuse doubters of the notion that climate change is debatable,” writes Sundance programmer Caroline Libresco in the Festival Film Guide. The film won an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. Available on Showtime.

Everything’s Cool (2007 Sundance Film Festival) — Denial and deception play the enemies in this documentary, a character-driven piece focusing on the scientists and activists who tried early on to draw attention to global warming. Those characters include a journalist, a Weather Channel climatologist, and a public servant who whistle-blows on the political manipulation of climate-change research. Co-director Judith Hefland called them the “Paul Reveres” of the energy revolution.

Climate Refugees (2010 Sundance Film Festival) — Drought and rising sea levels, both brought about by global warming, are making emigrants of people in Sudan, Bangladesh, China, the islands of Tuvalu, and elsewhere. Where can they go? Writer-director-cinematographer Michael Nash spent two years traveling the globe to tell these human stories. Available on IMDb, Pluto, and Tubi.

Chasing Ice (2012 Sundance Film Festival) — Director-cinematographer Jeff Orlowski followed National Geographic photographer James Balog, with equipment he developed to withstand extremely harsh weath

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ÉCU 2024 Opening Night ÉCU 2024 Opening Night

ÉCU 2024 Opening Night

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The night before, the entire focus and effort of the ÉCU crew went unnoticed in the corridors of a Parisian “Les 7 Parnassiens” cinéma in Boulevard de Montparnasse.
Now, however, as the red carpet unveiled – inviting the filmmakers coming from poles apart countries and continents the scene is set. For these 3 days this boutique cinema turns into a site of pilgrimage for all those who want to give a well-deserved thanks to indie filmmakers.

The opening night of the 19th edition of ÉCU film festival greeted the guests with the consistent professionalism, admiration of culture and love for independent film.
For almost a quarter of a century the ÉCU team consists of workers and volunteers – giving all they have with the best compensation being the sight of the joy in the eyes of their guests.

The night opened with strong competition for the Sundays award ceremony, the jurors present and carefully noting every aspect of each film. Guests got to enjoy the results of combined work of independent filmmakers from over 23 countries and the behind the scenes crew.

In between the screenings, our Journalism department got the chance to talk with all the creators and those passionate about film.

We had the pleasure to talk to the director – Arwa Damon and her producer – Guldenay Sonumut of the film “Seize The Summit ”. A filmmaking debut Damon was for years a reporter for CNN. Later she chose to pursue documentary – hoping to reach the audience with a deeper message.
Coming straight from Istanbul we got the chance to ask them some questions about the film.
Damon when asked about the biggest fear regarding her first indie production, she replied :

“A lot of people thought I was crazy”. Later adding :

“I’m more afraid of living with ‘what if’ or ‘only if I tried’ than I am of trying and failing”.

The film tells a story of four survivors of different war zones, climbing the Kilimanjaro Mountain.
She mentioned the difficulties of pulling off an indie documentary “It’s the little logistics”.
She adds about the bureaucratic struggles of filming in warzones –

“I need a permission from the Ukrainian military to shoot close to the frontlines, to get that permission I need to start a production company, another, I’m applying for Afghani visas and they want an official company stamp, so I’m calling my friend at home ‘Can you print me a company stamp’ “.

Different, equally interesting characters –Jacob Polat and Chung Hyun Woo also attended the opening ceremony. The two, respectively, the director and the actor for the Dead Man Walking, Turkish-Korean film participating in the Student Film Category.
The film is Polats graduation project, in our interview he mentioned the beginnings of his journey with cinema – “My dad had a cinema house, so as a child I used to watch lots of films at his house.”
Polat graduated from a Korean film university – his family always had connections to Korea, therefore inspiring him to study there.


He mentioned : “I was the only international student at my university….. I wanted to show the Korean people my city”, when asked about the original motivations behind the film.

Chung Hyun Woo, the main actor in the production, was also present at the Opening Ceremony. He talked about how he gets in character during his roles “Acting is all

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Mexico City Watchlist: 7 Documentaries About Working in CDMX Mexico City Watchlist: 7 Documentaries About Working in CDMX

Mexico City Watchlist: 7 Documentaries About Working in CDMX

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Pictured: Midnight Family

By Stephanie Ornelas 

A great way to get to know a city as culturally unique and rich as Mexico City is to listen to the stories told by those who work there and help keep it running. Documentaries give us the opportunity to do that. They challenge our perspectives and give us a deeper understanding of communities around the world. 

We recently highlighted seven films centered on Mexico City written by women in anticipation of the first edition of Sundance Film Festival CDMX. Now, with the Festival just one week away, we’re turning our attention to the nonfiction stories that focus on the everyday lives of working people in Mexico City, from ambulance drivers and housekeepers to sewer divers and construction workers. 

If you plan on attending Sundance Film Festival CDMX from April 25–28, take a moment to celebrate Ciudad de México and check out these seven Sundance-supported docs that depict the joys and struggles of workers and their families in Mexico City. 

Paulina — 1998 Sundance Film Festival

This powerful documentary centers on a middle-aged housekeeper who spends her days working for wealthy families in Mexico City and reflecting on her childhood in Veracruz. Through dramatic reenactments, the film tells the story of when she returns to her village to confront her family about a traumatic childhood memory. 

Vicky Funari’s project, which was filmed in Mexico City, had its U.S. premiere at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. Check here for viewing options.

Megacities — 1999 Sundance Film Festival

Michael Glawogger documents the everyday lives of citizens in four different cities — Mexico City, Bombay, New York, and Moscow. Over 12 chapters, the film examines and compares the different forms of urban living in four distinct corners of the world.   

“Megacities covers the spectrum from exotic to well-known territories, from the man who sells cooked chicken feet in Mexico [City] to the young woman operating a factory crane in Moscow,” writes Dimitri Eipdes in the Festival Program Guide. Check here for viewing options. 

In the Pit — 2006 Sundance Film Festival, Documentary Film Program

This fascinating doc follows several construction workers in Mexico City as they build the second story of the Periferico Freeway. Through intimate footage, audiences witness the stark realities and struggles of hundreds of laborers who are working to build the enormous road.

“The film chronicles long days of arduous work, risk-taking, joking, swearing, and philosophizing — rendering its subjects palpable and dimensional b

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Mad Solutions Takes Arab World Rights to Cannes Critics’ Week Opener ‘Ghost Trail’ and Tribeca-Bound ‘Samia’ (EXCLUSIVE) Mad Solutions Takes Arab World Rights to Cannes Critics’ Week Opener ‘Ghost Trail’ and Tribeca-Bound ‘Samia’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Mad Solutions Takes Arab World Rights to Cannes Critics’ Week Opener ‘Ghost Trail’ and Tribeca-Bound ‘Samia’ (EXCLUSIVE)

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Arab distributor Mad Solutions has taken distribution rights for Arab world territories on French director Jonathan Millet’s “Ghost Trail,” ahead of the psychological thriller’s upcoming world premiere as the opening film of Cannes Critics’ Week. “Ghost Trail” is being sold by French arthouse production and distribution giant MK2. Inspired by real-life events, “Ghost Trail” is the […]
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Queer East: 5 Must-Watch Films Queer East: 5 Must-Watch Films

Queer East: 5 Must-Watch Films

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Queer East returns for its fifth year with a programme of spectacular films. Established in 2020, the festival was born out of desire to create an artistic space for bold, unconventional and forward-thinking queer narratives originating from East and Southeast Asia and its diasporic communities. Over the past four years, 350 films have been screened in 42 venues across 23 cities in the UK, Europe and beyond. Today, we are thrilled to offer a peek into this year’s programme with these five films, from an exhilarating, contemporary coming-of-age story to an archival treasure from 1974.

The Last Year of Darkness | Benjamin Mullinkosson

As the city of Chengdu changes, the future of Funky Town, a beloved queer-friendly techno club, is unclear. For a vibrant group of DJs, drag performers, artists, lovers, ravers and skaters, the club is a sanctuary for underground partying and allows them to thrive after the sun sets. It’s the one place that accepts them for who they are. During the day, the regulars of Funky Town battle depression, question their sexuality and struggle to make a living. But with construction cranes looming as a metro station encroaches, the partygoers are forced to face what brought them to the club in the first place – and make the most of their remaining time there. A love letter to the Chengdu underground scene, The Last Year of Darkness is a coming-of-age documentary that celebrates the ephemerality of youth.

A Song Sung Blue | Geng Zihan

We fly to Harbin, north-east China. Here we meet 15-year-old Xian, who is forced to live with her father after her mother goes abroad for work. He is a free-spirited photographer, whom she has barely seen since her parents’ divorce. He’s in a relationship with his assistant, who has an 18-year-old Chinese-Korean daughter called Mingmei. A restless summer ensues, as the lonely, shy Xian becomes intoxicated with the extroverted, worldly Mingmei. A Song Sung Blue is an exhilarating coming-of-age story with vivid cinematography and exceptional performances from young actors Kay Huang and Jing Liang, who perfectly capture the complexities of the girls’ friendship and attraction. A testament to the innocence and impulses of youth, Geng Zihan’s debut feature signals the arrival of a powerful voice in queer cinema.

Sara | Ismail Basbeth

Sara, a trans woman in her mid-thirties, is made to return to her village in rural Indonesia to attend her father’s funeral. Arriving back home, she discovers that her mother has been severely traumatised by the bereavement: not only does she fail to accept her husband’s death, she also has no memory of Sara and treats her like a complete stranger. Seeking to help her mother, Sara resolves to play-act as her late father, the person she despises most and the reason she ran away many years ago. Centred on a stunning performance from Asha Smara Darra, this affecting family drama is about a woman desperate to break free from the past, who must nonetheless confront its enduring and wounding power.

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2024 Miami Film Festival Jury & Audience Award Winners Announced 2024 Miami Film Festival Jury & Audience Award Winners Announced

2024 Miami Film Festival Jury & Audience Award Winners Announced

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“Los Frikis,” directed by directed by Tyler Nilson & Michael Schwartz, took the festival’s top jury prize, the $20,000 MARIMBAS Award, at the 41st edition of Miami Dade College’s (MDC) acclaimed Miami Film Festival. The event ran from April 5 – 14, 2024. The award is an international competition for the jury-selected new narrative feature film that best exemplifies richness and resonance for cinema’s future.

Additional winners include: 

  • The $25,000 Made in MIA Feature Film Award was given to a feature film that premiered at the festival and had a substantial portion of the story, setting, and actual filming location in South Florida and that best utilizes their story and theme for universal resonance. 
    • “Mountains,” directed by Monica Sorelle
      • Monica Sorelle created her first feature film “Mountains” through her cinematic arts residency and $50,000 commission she received from the local arts nonprofit, Oolite Arts.
  • $10,000 Jordan Ressler First Feature Award, created by the South Florida family of the late Jordan Ressler and sponsored by the Jordan Ressler Charitable Fund, is presented to the best film made by a filmmaker making a feature narrative film debut.  
    • “In The Summers,” directed by Alessandra Lacorazza.
  • The Audience Feature Film Award went to “The Shadow of the Sun” directed by Miguel Angel Ferrer. First runner-up was “The Performance” directed by Shira Piven, and second runner-up went to “Los Frikis” directed by Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz.
  • The Documentary Achievement Award went to “Daughters,” directed by Angela Patton and Natalie Rae. 
  • The Audience Documentary Film Award went to “Skywalkers: A Love Story” directed by Jeff Zimbalist, Maria Bukhonina. First runner up was “Stories from the Lighthouse” directed by Deborah Dickson, and second runner-up was “Women of Iran” directed by Anonymous. 

 

Short Film Awards 

  • Made in MIA Short Film Award ($10,000) went to “Konpa,” directed by Al’lkens Plancher with an Honorable mention given to “Jack and Sam,” directed by Jordan Matthew Horowitz.
  • Miami International Short Film Award ($4,000) went to “The Anne Frank Gift Shop,” directed by Mickey Rapkin. The award is given to a jury-selected short film (30 min. or less) of any genre from anywhere in the world. 
  • Short Documentary Film Award ($1,000) went “Audio & The Alligator,” directed by Andrés I. Estrada. The award was sponsored by the University of Miami School of Communication Department of Cinematic Arts and co-presented with Bill Cosford Cinema.
  • The Reel South Short Award ($2,000) went to “Over the Wall,” directed by Krystal Tingle. The PBS documentary series Reel South and its producing partner South Florida PBS debut a new award at the Miami Film Festival honoring the best in Southern short-form filmmaking.
  • The Cinemaslam Competition Award ($1,000), held among Florida college film students, went to “Retrospection Of A Home (once upon a time),” directed by Sebastian Marcano-Perez.
  • The Audience Short Film Award went to the drama “Objects of Desire” directed by Alejandro Renteria. First runner-up was “Not Rod,” directed
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2024 Miami Film Festival Full Program Announced 2024 Miami Film Festival Full Program Announced

2024 Miami Film Festival Full Program Announced

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Miami Film Festival announced its acclaimed lineup for its upcoming Festival taking place from April 5-14, 2024. The Festival will open with Thelma, directed by Josh Margolin and starring June Squibb, Fred Hechinger, and Parker Posey. The Festival will close with Ezra, directed by Tony Goldwyn, who will be in attendance on Saturday, April 13. Featuring ten World Premieres, ten North American Premieres, five U.S. Premieres, and 11 East Coast Premieres, and 42 Florida Premieres, the 2024 Miami Film Festival will celebrate more than 165 feature narratives, documentaries, and short films of all genres, from over 31 countries worldwide.

“This year’s lineup spotlights exciting narrative programming, essential documentaries, and groundbreaking shorts, bringing an unbelievable host of films to our local community,” said James Woolley, Executive Director. “The Miami Film Festival is delighted to welcome our audiences back for another year of incredible screenings and inspiring conversations.”

“We are thrilled to be bringing this incredible slate of diverse and exciting films to Miami,” said Lauren Cohen, Director of Programming. “With over 30 countries featured and nearly half of the presented features being directed by women, this lineup showcases films from some of the most prestigious festivals in the world, as well as a hugely impressive slate of works from up-and-coming filmmakers making their world, international, and North American premieres. We are so proud to have a lineup of films that will truly move audiences as we celebrate the very best in world cinema.”

MFF will open with the Magnolia Pictures film Thelma. Josh Margolin’s American comedy film follows a grandmother who embarks on a quest to recoup her money after she loses $10,000 in a phone scam. The film stars June Squibb, Fred Hechinger, Richard Roundtree, Parker Posey, Clark Gregg, and Malcolm McDowell. Director Josh Margolin and producer Zoë Worth will be in attendance to introduce the film.

The Festival will close with Bleecker Street’s Ezra, starring Bobby Cannavale, Rose Byrne, Robert De Niro, Vera Farmiga, Whoopi Goldberg, and Rainn Wilson. From director Tony Goldwyn, Ezra follows Max Bernal, a stand-up comedian living with his father, while struggling to co-parent his autistic son Ezra with his ex-wife. When forced to confront difficult decisions about their son’s future, Max and Ezra embark on a cross-country road trip that has a transcendent impact on both their lives. Ezra is an endearing and often funny exploration of a family determined to find their way through life’s complexities with humor, compassion, and heart. 

Three MARQUEE screening presentations will be presented with directors in attendance for post-screening Q&As. These include:

Dear Jassi (India, directed by Tarsem Singh), following the story of a young couple who desperately want to be together, but are separated due to time, distance, and societal expectations. Directly following the Florida Premiere screening of Dear Jassi, the Festival will host a 35mm retrospective screening of Singh’s 2000 film The Cell, co-presented by Popcorn Frights.

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“Stress Positions” Mines Health Anxieties for Comedy “Stress Positions” Mines Health Anxieties for Comedy

“Stress Positions” Mines Health Anxieties for Comedy

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PARK CITY, UTAH – JANUARY 18: (L–R) John Early and Theda Hammel attend the 2024 Sundance Film Festival “Stress Positions” premiere at Library Center Theatre on January 18, 2024, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Chad Salvador/Shutterstock for Sundance Film Festival)

By Annie Lyons

Stress Positions might technically be a COVID-19 movie. But filmmaker Theda Hammel wants you to cast aside your assumptions about what exactly that strange recent genre entails in her feature directorial debut, which premiered on January 18 at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. 

“The threat of contamination is one of the big issues at stake in the movie,” Hammel explains in the film’s post-premiere discussion at the Library Center Theatre in Park City, Utah. “COVID is mentioned one time, but it’s very clear, to me at least, that the [main] character is afraid of a moral, social contamination. The idea is of being afraid of one’s neighbors, afraid of strangers, and even afraid of one’s friends in the event that they manifest something that could be morally, virally dangerous.” 

Adding to her thoughts, cast member John Early chimes in, saying, “I think Theda really understood that there was such screwball potential with COVID. Mythic potential.”

Screwball sounds about right. Inducing anxiety and laughter alike, the U.S. Dramatic Competition film follows the high-strung Terry Goon (Early), a 30-something man who takes up refuge in his soon-to-be ex-husband’s house during the pandemic’s early days. An already tense time intensifies further with the arrival of his estranged, injured nephew Bahlul (Qaher Harhash), a 19-year-old Moroccan model. 

Though Terry tries to look after Bahlul, he can barely keep himself together — and that’s not even mentioning Karla (Hammel), Terry’s equally chaotic best friend. As Bahlul explores his own identity and complicated relationship with his mother, he’s met with a frequent lack of understanding from Terry, who initially assumes Morocco must be part of the Middle East.

Qaher Harhash, John Early, and Theda Hammel attend the 2024 Sundance Film Festival premiere of "Stress Positions"(L–R): Qaher Harhash, John Early, and Theda Hammel. (Photo by Chad Salvador/Shutterstock for Sundance Film Festival)

“Sorry, now we’re just railroading [the Q&A],” Hammel says to audience laughter as she continues an impassioned answer about the thematic layers of the film. “What is being represented is a layer of ignorance. It’s not like a fact-finding movie where you go out, and you get a look at the real world. For somebody in this position, the ‘stress position’ of being Terry Goon at that moment, there is no real world. There is no outside the house. There is no encounter with the Middle East or even with the street!” 

She continues, “The world is coming at him in this house, but somehow he is not growing from this experience.

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