Sundance 2011 – the contenders are revealed

Sundance, the film festival fiefdom of Uncle Bob Redford, might have dimmed slightly in terms of importance to the Hollywood studios in recent times, but it is still the event of the year as far as American independent movie-makers are concerned. The nominations have just been revealed for the 2011 edition of the festival, which will run from 20-30 January next year.

There's an absolute avalanche of Sundance 2011 info today, with titles revealed in the US and World Dramatic categories, the US and World Documentary categories, and the New Frontier field too - that latter area being designed to celebrate 'the convergence of film, art, and new media technologies as a hotbed for cinematic innovation'. Consequently, so as not to utterly bombard you with new movies in a single news post, this is but the first of two Sundance stories today, focusing on the two dramatic categories, with another one going online later which will highlight the documentaries and New Frontier stuff.

Last year's Sundance gave debuts to the likes of Cyrus, Four Lions and the controversy-courting The Killer Inside Me, while Lionsgate and Focus Features demonstrated that the days of the bumper Sundance distribution deal weren't quite dead, respectively forking out close to $4m for Buried, and just shy of $5m for The Kids Are All Right. The dramatic category winners were Winter's Bone (US) and Animal Kingdom (World), and that triumph has certainly proved a springboard to further success for the former, with it having just secured seven nominations for the 2011 Independent Spirit Awards, sneaking ahead of Lisa Cholodenko's The Kids Are All Right's five nods. The 20-year-old star of Winter's Bone, Jennifer Lawrence, has seen her star rise exponentially since that film's Sundance win too. She has been cast as Mystique in Matthew Vaughn's X-Men: First Class, and she is tipped as a front-runner to secure a Best Actress Oscar nomination, as is Annette Bening for her performance in Cholodenko's movie.

So Sundance is still very much a source of interest for the big swingers in Hollywood, with the studios clearly paying keen attention to what goes down at Park City in January. And the festival remains a fascinating blend of films that exhibit a defiantly independent, art-house sensibility, and those angled more to snare the attentions of the Tinseltown top brass. But anyway, on to those movies in the hunt for the 2011 awards, and crikey, if they ain't a lot of 'em. Synopses come courtesy of the Sundance Film Festival website.

US Dramatic Competition

(Comprising 16 movies picked from a fairly astonishing 1,102 submissions. All will receive their world premieres at Sundance 2011)

Another Earth (Director: Mike Cahill; Screenwriters: Mike Cahill and Brit Marling) On the eve of the discovery of a duplicate Earth, a horrible tragedy irrevocably alters the lives of two strangers, who begin an unlikely love affair. Cast: William Mapother, Brit Marling, Jordan Baker, Robin Lord Taylor, Flint Beverage

With echoes of Lars von Trier's forthcoming Melancholia in that plot summary, this was one film singled out by festival director John Cooper in a post-nominations announcement webchat as likely to attract audience attention 'for its kind of sci-fi stylings'.

Benavides Born (Director: Amy Wendel; Screenwriters: Daniel Meisel and Amy Wendel) A high school senior in a forgotten town has earned admission to the University of Texas at Austin but can't afford to go. Her one shot is a scholarship for winning the State Powerlifting Championship. Cast: Corina Calderon, Jeremy Ray Valdez, Joseph Julian Soria, Julia Vera, Julio César Cedillo.

Circumstance (Director and screenwriter: Maryam Keshavarz) A wealthy Iranian family struggles to contain a teenager's growing sexual rebellion and her brother's dangerous obsession. Cast: Nikohl Boosheri, Sarah Kazemy, Reza Sixo Safai, Soheil Parsa, Nasrin Pakkho.

Gun Hill Road (Director and screenwriter: Rashaad Ernesto Green) After three years in prison, Enrique returns to the Bronx to find his wife estranged and his teenage son stumbling towards a transformation that will put the fragile bonds of their family to the test. Cast: Esai Morales, Judy Reyes, Harmony Santana, Vincent Laresca, Miriam Colon.

HERE (Director: Braden King; Written By: Braden King and Dani Valent) On assignment to create a new, more accurate satellite survey of Armenia, an American cartographer forms a powerful bond with an Armenian expatriate and art photographer. Cast: Ben Foster and Lubna Azabal with Narek Nersisyan, Yuri Kostanyan and Sofik Sarkisyan.

Higher Ground (Director: Vera Farmiga; Screenwriters: Carolyn S. Briggs and Tim Metcalfe) A frustrated young mother turns to a fundamentalist community for answers, but after years of dogma and loss, she must find the courage to ask the questions that will help her reclaim her life. Cast: Vera Farmiga, Joshua Leonard, John Hawkes, Dagmara Dominczyk, Norbert Leo Butz.

A directorial debut for Farmiga, better known of course as an actress in the high-profile likes of The Departed and Up in the Air. Of Higher Ground itself, Cooper remarked, 'It's not the type of movie you'd think she'd make but I found it fascinating.'

Homework (Director and screenwriter: Gavin Wiesen) Quirky, rebellious George has no ambitions other than to cut his next class. But one day, one girl gives him the perfect reason to figure out who he really is. Cast: Freddie Highmore, Emma Roberts, Michael Angarano, Elizabeth Reaser with Rita Wilson and Blair Underwood.

The Ledge (Director and screenwriter: Matthew Chapman) Perched on a ledge, a man says he must jump by noon, while a cop races against time to get to the bottom of it. Cast: Charlie Hunnam, Liv Tyler, Patrick Wilson and Terrence Howard with Christopher Gorham.

An enticing-sounding against-the-clock thriller, boasting a relatively big-name cast. Writer-director Matthew Chapman, incidentally, worked on the script for Walter Salles's High Art, which UK-based users of Indie Movies Online are able to watch here for free.

Like Crazy (Director: Drake Doremus; Screenwriters: Drake Doremus and Ben York Jones) A young American guy and a young British girl meet in college and fall in love. Their love is tested when she is required to leave the country and they must face the challenges of a long-distance relationship. Cast: Anton Yelchin, Felicity Jones, Jennifer Lawrence, Charlie Bewley, Alex Kingston.

Little Birds (Director and screenwriter: Elgin James) Amidst the stark landscape of the Salton Sea, two 15-year-old girls test the limits of their friendship when one follows the other to Los Angeles. Cast: Juno Temple, Kay Panabaker, Leslie Mann, Kate Bosworth, Kyle Gallner.

Martha Marcy May Marlene (Director and screenwriter: Sean Durkin) Haunted by painful memories and increasing paranoia, a damaged woman struggles to re-assimilate with her family after fleeing an abusive cult. Cast: Elizabeth Olsen, Brady Corbet, Hugh Dancy, John Hawkes, Sarah Paulson.

Another film singled out by Cooper, the festival bigwig reckons this 'will get people talking'.

On the Ice (Director and screenwriter: Andrew Okpeaha MacLean) On the snow-covered Arctic tundra, two teenagers try to get away with murder. Cast: Josiah Patkotak, Frank Qutuq Irelan, Teddy Kyle Smith, Adamina Kerr, Sierra Jade Sampson.

Pariah (Director and screenwriter: Dee Rees) When forced to choose between losing her best friend or destroying her family, a Bronx teenager juggles conflicting identities and endures heartbreak in a desperate search for sexual expression. Cast: Adepero Oduye, Pernell Walker, Kim Wayans, Charles Parnell, Aasha Davis.

Take Shelter (Director and screenwriter: Jeff Nichols) A working-class husband and father questions whether his terrifying dreams of an apocalyptic storm signal something real to come or the onset of an inherited mental illness he's feared his whole life. Cast: Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain, Shea Whigham, Katy Mixon, Kathy Baker.

Terri (Director: Azazel Jacobs; Screenwriters: Patrick Dewitt and Azazel Jacobs) Terri is a story about a big boy who feels alone in a small town. After his high school's vice-principal takes Terri under his wing, he comes to learn there are others that feel the same way he does. And when Terri defends the honor of his secret crush, lonely worlds collide. Cast: Jacob Wysocki, John C. Reilly, Creed Bratton, Olivia Crocicchia, Bridger Zadina.

The Untitled Sam Levinson Project (Director and screenwriter: Sam Levinson) A pair of reckless siblings are dragged into a chaotic family wedding by their overwrought mother. Cast: Demi Moore, Kate Bosworth, Jeffrey DeMunn, Ellen Barkin, Ellen Burstyn, Thomas Haden Church.

A stellar cast for the directorial debut of Sam Levinson, the twenty-something son of Diner and Wag the Dog helmer, Barry.

World Cinema Dramatic Competition

(14 films selected from a whopping 1,073 submissions. Nine will be world premieres, the other five will all only ever have previously been screened in their own countries)

Abraxas (Japan; Director: Naoki Kato; Screenwriters: Dai Sako and Naoki Kato) After botching a speech on career guidance at a local high school, a depressed Zen monk with a heavy metal past realizes that only music can revive his spirit. Cast: Suneohair, Rie Tomosaka, Manami Honjou, Ryouta Murai, Kaoru Kobayashi. 

All Your Dead Ones (Todos Tus Muertos) (Colombia; Director Carlos Moreno; Screenwriters: Alonso Torres and Carlos Moreno) One morning, a peasant wakes to find a pile of bodies in the middle of his crops. When he goes to the authorities, he quickly realizes that the dead ones are a problem nobody wants to deal with. Cast: Alvaro Rodríguez, Jorge Herrera, Martha Marquez, Harold Devasten, John Alex Castillo. 

The Cinema Hold Up (Asalto Al Cine) (Mexico; Director: Iría Gómez Concheiro; Screenwriters: Iria Gómez Concheiro and Juan Pablo Gómez) Four childhood friends in Mexico's Guerrero colony toy with the idea of robbing a cinema. Each hopes that the heist will hurtle them past life's obstacles, only to realize that the caper risks the only thing they have: their friendship. Cast: Gabino Rodríguez, Juan Pablo de Santiago, Ángel Sosa, Paulina Avalos. 

A Few Days of Respite (Quelque Jours de Repit) (Algeria/France; Director and screenwriter: Amor Hakkar) A pair of gay men who have escaped from Iran seek safe harbor in a small French village, where a lonely middle-aged woman offers aid. Cast: Marina Vlady, Samir Guesmi, Amor Hakkar. 

The Guard (Ireland; Director and screenwriter: John Michael McDonagh) A small-town cop in Ireland has a confrontational personality, a subversive sense of humor, a fondness for prostitutes and absolutely no interest whatsoever in the international drug-smuggling ring that has brought a straight-laced FBI agent to his door. However, a surreal chain of events pulls him into the action. Cast: Don Cheadle, Brendan Gleeson, Mark Strong, Liam Cunningham, David Wilmot, Fionnula Flanagan. 

Writer-director John Michael McDonagh is, slightly confusingly, an entirely different and separate entity to writer-director Michael McDonagh, who cast Gleeson in his 2008 critical hit, In Bruges.

Happy, Happy (Sykt Lykkelig) (Norway; Director: Anne Sewitsky; Screenwriter: Ragnhild Tronvoll) A perfect housewife, who just happens to be sex-starved, struggles to keep her emotions in check when an attractive family moves in next door. Cast: Agnes Kittelsen, Henrik Rafaelsen, Maibritt Saerens, Joachim Rafaelsen. 

Kinyarwanda (Rwanda/USA; Director and screenwriter: Alrick Brown) Based on accounts from survivors, Kinyarwanda tells the story of Rwandans who crossed the lines of hatred during the 1994 genocide, turning mosques into places of refuge for Muslims and Christians, Hutus and Tutsis. Cast: Edouard Bamporiki, Cassandra Freeman, Cleophas Kabasiita, Hadidja Zaninka, Kennedy Mazimpaka, Hassan Kabera. 

Lost Kisses (I baci mai dati) (Italy; Director: Roberta Torre; Screenwriters: Roberta Torre and Laura Nuccilli) A 13-year-old girl in the deprived outskirts of a sprawling Sicilian city becomes a local celebrity to her needy community when word spreads that she just might be able to perform miracles. Cast: Donatella Finocchiaro, Pino Micol, Giuseppe Fiorello, Carla Marchese, Martina Galletta, Tony Palazzo. 

Mad Bastards (Australia; Director: Brendan Fletcher; Screenwriters: Brendan Fletcher in collaboration with Dean Daley-Jones, Greg Tait and John Watson) In a frontier town of northern Australia's Kimberley Region, an urban street warrior meets his match in a local cop. Performances and stories from real people in Kimberley are woven through the music of legendary Broome musicians, The Pigram Brothers. Cast: Dean Daley-Jones, Greg Tait, John Watson, Ngaire Pigram, Lucas Yeeda. 

Restoration (Boker Tov Adon Fidelman) (Israel; Director: Yossi Madmoni; Screenwriter: Erez Kav-El) Aided by a young and mysterious apprentice, an antique furniture restorer struggles to keep his workshop alive, while his relationship with his own estranged son, who is trying to close down the shop, begins to disintegrate. Cast: Sasson Gabay, Henry David, Nevo Kimchi, Sarah Adler. 

The Salesman (Le Vendeur) (Canada; Director and screenwriter: Sébastien Pilote) Car salesman Marcel Lévesque operates by the rules of a bygone era, turning on the charm to make his quota. But the increasing decline of his fading industrial town threatens to plummet this peddler of dreams into an unfriendly reality. Cast: Gilbert Sicotte, Nathalie Cavezzali. 

Ticket to Paradise (Boleto al Paraiso) (Cuba; Director: Gerardo Chijona Valdes; Screenwriters: Gerardo Chijona Valdes, Francisco Garcia Gonzalez and Maykel Rodriguez Ponjuan) A teenage girl running away from her father's sexual harassment meets a young rocker who has escaped to Havana with his misfit group of friends. Set in 1993, during a period of acute shortages in Cuba, the local AIDS hospice begins to look like an unlikely refuge to the hopeless teens. Cast: Miriel Cejas, Héctor Medina, Dunia Matos, Jorge Perugorria, Luis A. Garcia.

Tyrannosaur (United Kingdom; Director and screenwriter: Paddy Considine) For Joseph, a man plagued by self-destructive violence and rage, a chance of redemption appears in the form of Hannah, a Christian charity shop worker with a devastating secret of her own. Cast: Peter Mullan, Eddie Marsan, Olivia Colman. 

An expansion of his BAFTA-winning short film, Dog Altogether, this is the feature debut behind the camera for Bourne Ultimatum actor and Shane Meadows regular Paddy Considine. The role of Joseph, played by Peter Mullan, is apparently based on Considine's own father.

Vampire (Japan/Canada; Director and screenwriter: Iwai Shunji) On the surface, Simon seems like a fairly normal, average young man, devoted to his teaching job and ailing mother. Secretly, he is compelled to hunt through online chat rooms and message boards, searching for the perfect girl who will ensure his own survival. Cast: Kevin Zegers, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Rachel Leigh Cook, Kristin Kreuk, Aoi Yu and Adelaide Clemens. 

Assimilated all that? Picked out which ones you like the sound of? Well, speed on over then to Part Two of our Sundance nominations round-up, focusing on the documentary and New Frontier categories, as well as those movies that will be debuting outside of competition.

More on IndieMovies:
Read the latest movie news and movie reviews. Watch free movies on the site now.