Slamdance To Honor Academy Award-Winning Filmmaker Steven Soderbergh With 2019 Founders Award
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- Parent Category: Entertainment
- Category: Entertainment News
- Published on Tuesday, 11 December 2018 21:16
The Slamdance Film Festival today announced that Academy Award winning director Steven Soderbergh (Traffic, Magic Mike) will be presented with their 2019 Founders Award, given to a Slamdance alumnus who has continued to represent the Slamdance organization.
The award was first presented in 2015 to director Christopher Nolan (Inception, Dunkirk) and in 2018 was awarded to Joe and Anthony Russo (Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War). Soderbergh will participate in a live discussion with Slamdance Co-founder and President Peter Baxter before a sneak preview of his newest film, High Flying Bird.
Written by Oscar-winner Tarell Alvin McCraney (Moonlight) and starring André Holland, Zazie Beetz, Melvin Gregg, Sonja Sohn, Zachary Quinto, Kyle MacLachlan and Bill Duke, High Flying Bird takes place during a pro basketball lockout and follows a sports agent (Holland) as he pitches a rookie basketball client (Gregg) on an intriguing and controversial business proposition. The film was produced by Joseph Malloch and executive produced by Holland and Ken Meyer. High Flying Bird will launch globally on Friday, February 8, 2019 on Netflix.
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"'Don't ask for permission!' That was Steven Soderbergh's advice to us when Slamdance was getting started and it continues to be the core of our brand. We answer to no one," said Baxter. "Slamdance filmmakers have changed the entertainment industry and Steven Soderbergh showed us the way. Without his involvement over the last 25 years both as a filmmaker and mentor to our filmmakers, Slamdance wouldn't be the organization it is today."
Slamdance has also announced the world premiere of Ski Bum: The Warren Miller Story as their 2019 opening night film. Directed by award-winning filmmaker Patrick Creadon (Wordplay) and produced by Jeff Conroy under his production banner BoBCat Studios, as well as Joe Berry of Lorton Entertainment, the documentary chronicles the life and times of legendary filmmaker Warren Miller, who served as a driving force in the development and promotion of skiing in America and throughout the world. Miller, who died earlier this year at the age of 93 while the documentary was still in production, sat with the filmmakers months before his passing in what would prove to be his final interview.
In addition to Miller himself, Ski Bum: The Warren Miller Story features interviews with Olympic gold medalist Jonny Moseley, ski legends Scot Schmidt, Dan and John Egan, Kristen Ulmer, Brad Vancour, and fellow ski filmmaker Greg Stump, along with members of Miller's family and the filmmaking team.
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The festival's closing night film, This Teacher, is directed by Slamdance alumni Mark Jackson (Without) and was awarded the Grand Jury Prize at the Los Angeles Film Festival in September. In his third feature, Jackson follows a French Muslim woman (Cesar-winner Hafsia Herzi) as she travels to New York City to visit her childhood best friend. When the reunion proves disastrous, Hafsia disappears to a remote cabin upstate where her vacation gradually descends into a terrifying study of the intolerance and suspicion she encounters and reflects back to an Islamophobic America.
"Being premiere agnostic means Slamdance can shine a spotlight on exceptional films and filmmakers who might otherwise slip through the cracks," said Slamdance co-conspirator Paul Rachman. "The Teacher is a timely and poignant story, beautifully written and directed, anchored by a powerful performance from Hafsia Herzi."
Getting its world premiere out of competition will be The Drone from director Jordan Rubin (Zombeavers). The film follows a newlywed couple as they get terrorized by a consumer drone that has become sentient with the consciousness of a deranged serial killer. In addition, Slamdance has added a special event presentation of Blessing Yen and James Kaelan's America the Beautiful to the lineup. An audience favorite during their September DIG (Digital, Interactive & Gaming) showcase in Los Angeles, America the Beautiful was shot entirely on iPhone and has been called the found-footage thriller for our turbulent political moment.
The 2019 shorts lineup was also unveiled today by Slamdance, showcasing 78 short films from countries around the world including the United States, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, India, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The lineup includes 26 World, 5 North American and 6 US Premieres. Shorts in the Narrative, Documentary and Animation sections are eligible for the 2019 Oscar® Qualifying Shorts competition.
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Added to the 2019 short film program is an all-new Episodes category showcasing episodic work in any style, genre and format intended for broadcast – from comedy and drama to documentaries and social commentary and beyond.
"Our new Episodes program focuses on the next generation of series storytellers who are distorting familiar story structures with unfiltered or unique setups and story arcs," said Episodes program Co-Captain Craig Parish. "We continue to support and be excited by creators who are challenging perceptions and shaping their own art with fewer creative constraints than have traditionally been in place."
The Slamdance shorts program has a rich history of screening the first works of filmmakers who have gone on to highly successful careers in Hollywood, including Rian Johnson, Lena Dunham, Benh Zeitlin, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Don Hertzfeldt, Ari Aster, Andrew Thomas Huang, Jeremiah Zagar, Jon M. Chu and Ana Lily Amirpour.
ABOUT SLAMDANCE:
By filmmakers, for filmmakers. Established in 1995 by a wild bunch of filmmakers who were tired of relying on a large, oblique system to showcase their work, Slamdance has proven, year after year, that when it comes to recognizing talent and launching careers, independent and grassroots communities can do it themselves.
In addition to the Festival, Slamdance serves emerging artists and a growing community with several year-round initiatives. These include the Slamdance Screenplay Competition, its educational program Slamdance Polytechnic, DIG showcase of Digital Interactive and Gaming art, distribution efforts through Slamdance Presents, worldwide screening series Slamdance on the Road, and LA screening series Slamdance Cinema Club.
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Slamdance alumni are unique in their ongoing support of up and coming filmmakers. Some notable names include: The Russo Brothers (Avengers: Infinity War), Christopher Nolan (Dunkirk), Oren Peli (Paranormal Activity), Marc Forster (Christopher Robin), Jeremiah Zagar (We The Animals), Lena Dunham (Girls), Benh Zeitlin (Beasts of the Southern Wild), Greg Mottola (The Daytrippers), Jeremy Saulnier (Green Room), Gina Prince-Blythewood (Shots Fired), Lynn Shelton (Outside In, Humpday), Sean Baker (The Florida Project), Ana Lily Amirpour (A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night) and Ari Aster (Hereditary). Box Office Mojo reports alumni who first showed their work at Slamdance have earned over $17 billion at the Box Office to date.
The 2018 Slamdance Film Festival takes place in Park City, Utah from January 25th - 31st and is presented by sponsors Blackmagic Design and Directors Guild of America.
For more information on Slamdance, visit: https://www.slamdance.com
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