Slamdance will screen 19 feature films 7 documentaries and 21 shorts
FEATURE FILMS SCREENING IN COMPETITION:
DEAR PILLOW - (USA, 85 min., Narrative, 2003). WORLD PREMIERE A 17-year-old
supermarket bag boy finds a mentor in a porno magazine writer and soon he is
enmeshed in some very adult situations. Directed by Bryan Poyser.
www.dearpillow.com
GOLDFISH GAME - (Belgium, 105 min., Narrative, 2002) US PREMIERE In this
modern day fable about an extended family that comes together at a castle in
the French Ardennes, man becomes a sum of his secrets, his past and his
moral decisions. Directed by Jan Lauwers. www.needcompany.org
GRAVEYARD ALIVE - A ZOMBIE NURSE IN LOVE - (Canada, 80 min., Narrative,
2003) US PREMIERE A modern feminist B-Horror zombie flick about a lonely
nurse who turns into a sex kitten after being bitten by a zombie. Directed
by Elza Kephart www.bastardamber.com
HOMEWORK - (USA, 77 min., Narrative, 2003) WORLD PREMIERE A 16-year-old
ballet dancer explores her sexual and emotional world in unexpected ways
when she encounters predicaments above and beyond her controlled
environment. Directed by Kevin Asher Green.
IPO - (USA, 100 min., Narrative, 2003) WORLD PREMIERE The dreams and
dilemmas of 12 characters play out against a backdrop of San Francisco's
Mission district as the over-hyped dot com market bubble begins to deflate.
Directed by Daniel Gamburg. www.enlightenedpictures.com
MADNESS AND GENIUS - (USA, 103 min., Narrative, 2003) A college student
failing out of school steals old research from his once brilliant, reclusive
professor, hoping to gain fame and reverence. He turns the professors life
upside down as it forces him to confront the demons that forced him into
solitude. With Tom Noonan. Directed by Ryan Eslinger.
MEMRON - (USA, 76 min., Narrative, 2002) WORLD PREMIERE An improvisational
comedic romp through the ruins of corporate fraud. Memron was once the
greatest company on earth. Now their top executives rule the prison yard
golf course. Directed by Nancy Hower). www.memron.com
NIGHTINGALE IN A MUSIC BOX (USA, 96 min., Narrative, 2002) In the future
there is a technology that can control people's memories. Two women confront
it in this sci-fi drama that examines the question: "How easily can our mind
be taken away from us?" Directed by Hurt McDermott.
SHELTER - (USA, 80 min., Narrative, 2004) WORLD PREMIERE Three destitute
inner-city teens break into a secluded beach house and create a makeshift
family in this unfamiliar and magical setting. But when jealousies erupt the
alliances of two brothers and their pregnant friend are put to the test.
With Ray Santiago (GIRLFIGHT, PINERO). Directed by Benno Schoberth.
www.shelterthemovie.com
TAKE OUT - (USA, 91 min., Narrative, 2003) WORLD PREMIERE An illegal Chinese
immigrant falls behind on payments on an enormous smuggling debt. Ming Ding
has only until the end of the day to come up with the money. Directed by
Shih-Ching Tsou, Sean Baker.
X, Y - (USA, 102 min., Narrative, 2003) WORLD PREMIERE Based on the cult novel
by Michael Blumlein, this dark love story set in hip NYC is about a woman
who wakes up one morning and has lost her identity. The one thing she knows
for sure is that she is a man. Directed by Vladimir Vitkin.
FEATURE DOCUMENTARIES SCREENING IN COMPETITION:
ARAKIMENTARI - (USA, 76 min., Documentary, 2003) WORLD PREMIERE A look at
the life and work of Japanese photographer Nobuyoshi Araki and his impact on
Japanese culture and the depiction of women. Directed by Travis Klose.
www.arakimentari.com
BRUCE HAACK: THE KING OF TECHNO - (USA, 69 min., Documentary, 2003) The
underground world of homespun musician Bruce Haack comes alive with
mind-blowing visuals, wild music and far out stories. Directed by Philip
Anagnos. www.haackmovie.com
BIG CITY DICK: RICHARD PETERSON'S FIRST MOVIE, USA, 129 min., Documentary,
2003) WORLD PREMIERE This captivating journey into the world of a savant
street musician and his lifelong struggle to become a successful recording
artist. His celebrity obsessions range from Jeff Bridges to Johnny Mathis
and then The Stone Temple Pilots discover his music... Directed by Scott
Milam, Ken Harder, Todd Pottinger. www.bigcitydicks.com
FACTOR 8: THE ARKANSAS PRISON BLOOD SCANDAL - (USA, 85 min., Documentary,
2003) WORLD PREMIERE This film investigates the sale of tainted blood from
infected prisoners to Canada, Europe and Japan, thus spreading AIDS and
Hepatitis C. Directed by Kelly Duda.
MONSTER ROAD - (USA, 80 min., Documentary, 2003) WORLD PREMIERE This film
explores the life and work of visionary clay and line animator Bruce
Bickford. Best known for the dark and magical clay animations he created for
musician Frank Zappa in the 1970s, Bickford's films have achieved cult
status worldwide, even though very little of his 40 year body of work has
been released to the public. Directed by Brett Ingram.
www.brighteyepictures.com
PLAGUES & PLEASURES: A LIFE AT THE SALTON SEA - (USA, 79 min., Documentary)
WORLD PREMIERE In the 1960's, the Salton Sea was a premier working class
vacationer's destination and was championed as the next Palm Springs. Today
it sits nearly abandoned. Directed by Chris Metzler & Jeff Springer.
www.deadtilapia.com
THE WATERSHED - (USA, 78 min., Documentary, 2003) In hardly more than a
decade the Trunk family moved from a life of seeming glamour, perfection and
financial success to one of welfare and isolation. Filmmaker Mary Trunk
examines what happened to her and her siblings as children of alcoholic
parents. www.thewatershedproject.com
SHORT FILMS SCREENING IN COMPETITION
"Away In A Trailer" (USA, 7 min., Narrative, 2003) The spirit of Christmas
is dragged kicking and screaming into a trailer park in Sweet Home, Oregon.
Directed by Phil Lantis.
"Crabwalk" (USA, 17 min., Narrative, 2003) In this comedy, A 26-year-old
unemployed college grad, still living at home, is given a final $20
allowance by his parents. His first day of trying to be a grown-up is a
series of bittersweet and darkly comical mishaps. Directed by Jeremy
Saulnier.
"Danceland" (Canada, 22 min., Narrative, 2003) A hermit rebuilds his
childhood schoolhouse, an aging wrestler battles a deteriorating body, the
world's best dancer wins a pair of ruby encrusted tap shoes in this
travelogue of the American West. Directed by Jeffrey Moneo.
"Employee Dang" (USA, 27 min., Narrative, 2003) A Vietnamese immigrant in
the dry cleaning business finds himself at odds with his clientele of black
gangstas. When a large sum of money goes missing, he suspects his
American-born daughter of theft. Directed by Corey Fortune.
"The Fine Art of Poisoning" (USA, 6 min., Animation, 2002) A mood-piece on
the theme of plotting revenge, with gothic imagery rendered in 2D, 3D and
hand drawn animation, combined with still photography. Directed by Bill
Domonkos. (CGI) www.bdom.com/main/animation.html
"The Flag Day Parade" (USA, 12 min., Documentary, 2003) Did North Carolinian
Jim Martin put dynamite in the town mayor's driveway? An intimate look at
the surprising and contradictory inner world of a man who puts on a
Confederate Flag parade. Directed by Curtis Gaston. www.warmupthetourbus.com
"Free" (USA, 8 min., Narrative, 2002) A 10-year-old boy catches a trout in
the Provo, Utah River and takes it for a pet. But keeping a fish alive in
captivity is quite a chore. Told from the fish's point of view. Directed by
Todd Maetani.
"Freestyle" (USA, 26:22 min., Documentary, 2003) A look at a new competitive
dog sport called "Musical Canine Freestyle" or dancing with dogs and
its colorful practitioners of all ages who hope to take it all the way to
the Olympics. Directed by Elena Elmoznino.
"Habana Holiday" ("Yo Soy Malo," USA, 5 min., 2003) An American tourist in
Havana takes his DV camera into the local demimonde of male hustlers, and
ends up answering some pointed questions. Directed by Chris Maher.
www.supermarky.org
"Ladies Room" (USA, 14 min., Experimental, 2003) Serious, comical, sexy and
satirical, the goings-on in a place where men aren't allowed reveal aspects
of what it's like to be a woman. Directed by Kate Bernstein.
www.ladiesroom-themovie.com
"Live Bait" (USA, 7.2 min., Animation, 2003) A starving fisherman is saved
by three bird women and their island of instant gratification. Directed by
Sarah Brown.
"The Love Ballad of Scarab Hack" (USA, 14 min., Narrative) A lonely troll
woman living in the modern world decides to grow herself a man. But he turns
out to be deformed and she rejects him only to find that love, once created,
is not so easily destroyed. Directed by Javier Bonafont.
"MalaQueerche: Queer Punk Rock Show" (USA, 26 min., Narrative, 2003) When
the Mullet gang kidnaps the Mohawks' drummer and punctures their tires with
butt-plugs, the Mohawks must enlist an army of Queerions and a Dyke March to
reclaim their rightful Punk Rock Stardom. Directed by Sarah Adorable, Devon
Devine.
"Model Prisoner" (USA, 8 min., Documentary, 2003) The extremes of
dehumanization in the prison system are examined in this look at the Visible
Human Project, which consists of slicing and photographing nearly 2000
millimeter-thick sections of the body of an executed prisoner. Directed by
Katherin McInnis.
"Old Glory" (USA, 7 min., Documentary, 2003) This satirical look at the role
of the "Stars and Stripes" in post-9/11 culture is a survey of
nouveau-patriot fashion statements and good old-fashioned jingoistic
attitudes. Directed by Andy Schocken.
"Oxford Cowboy" (Great Britain, 24 min., Narrative, 2003) Brash, loud,
idealistic and relentlessly enthusiastic, a visiting American student can't
understand why English students don't like him. Directed by Cath Gulick.
"Particle Valentine" (USA, 4 min., Animation, 2003) Abstract animation tells
a symbolic tale that involves an orgy of butterflies and the cycle of life.
Directed by Christine Dunn.
"Requiem" (USA, 3 min., Animation, 2003) A Japanese woman's true story of
her older brother's final visit home before going off to fight and die in
World War II.. Directed by Roger Oda.
"Revelations #1" (USA, 6.5 min., Animation, 2003) A sweet but brainy
meditation on life, love and such, influenced by channel and web surfing,
apparently. Directed by Gerald Lewis. www.killgerald.com
"Stand By" (USA, 9 min., Narrative, 2003) When the conversation at an
Italian family barbeque strikes a particularly raw nerve, Johnny and his
mother must face the uncomfortable truth about their relationship as mother
and gay son. Directed Tony Osso. www.tony-osso.com
"Tackle Box" (USA, 10.5 min., Narrative, 2003) When an elderly woman with a
passion for fishing passes away there are strange and lingering effects on
the Low country waters where she and her husband spent many happy hours.
Directed by Matthew Mebane. www.tackleboxthemovie.com
For the first time, the 2004 Slamdance Jury will be separated into a
Documentary section and a Narrative section. Documentary Jury members
include:
Robert Koehler (Variety film critic);
Mark Neale (director, WILLIAM
GIBSON: NO MAPS FOR THESE TERRITORIES);
and Penelope Spheeris (THE DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION);
Narrative Jury members include:
Charles Lyons (filmmaker, journalist);
Mark Pellington (director, THE MOTHMAN PROPHECIES);
Anthony Russo (director, WELCOME TO COLLINWOOD);
and Gabe Wardell, Programmer, Silver Docs and Slamdance Head Projectionist.
Noting that one-fourth of the Sundance competition films have strong
Slamdance foundations, Slamdance Co-Founder-at-Large Dan Mirvish said, "It's
exciting to see Sundance and the broader indie film community recognize many
of the filmmakers we've helped identify and nurture over the
years. For 10 years we've been saying that Slamdance is a proving ground
for the best and brightest new filmmakers on the block, and we hope this
helps proves the point."
FEATURE FILMS SCREENING IN COMPETITION:
DEAR PILLOW - (USA, 85 min., Narrative, 2003). WORLD PREMIERE A 17-year-old
supermarket bag boy finds a mentor in a porno magazine writer and soon he is
enmeshed in some very adult situations. Directed by Bryan Poyser.
www.dearpillow.com
GOLDFISH GAME (Belguim, 105 min., Narrative, 2002) US PREMIERE In this
modern day fable about an extended family that comes together at a castle in
the French Ardennes, man becomes a sum of his secrets, his past and his
moral decisions. Directed by Jan Lauwers. www.needcompany.org
GRAVEYARD ALIVE - A ZOMBIE NURSE IN LOVE - (Canada, 80 min., Narrative,
2003) US PREMIERE A modern feminist B-Horror zombie flick about a lonely
nurse who turns into a sex kitten after being bitten by a zombie. Directed
by Elza Kephart www.bastardamber.com
Page 3
(Feature Films In Competition Continued)
HOMEWORK - (USA, 77 min., Narrative, 2003) WORLD PREMIERE A 16-year-old
ballet dancer explores her sexual and emotional world in unexpected ways
when she encounters predicaments above and beyond her controlled
environment. Directed by Kevin Asher Green.
IPO - (USA, 100 min., Narrative, 2003) WORLD PREMIERE The dreams and
dilemmas of 12 characters play out against a backdrop of San Francisco's
Mission district as the over-hyped dot com market bubble begins to deflate.
Directed by Daniel Gamburg. www.enlightenedpictures.com
MADNESS AND GENIUS - (USA, 103 min., Narrative, 2003) A college student
failing out of school steals old research from his once brilliant, reclusive
professor, hoping to gain fame and reverence. He turns the professors life
upside down as it forces him to confront the demons that forced him into
solitude. With Tom Noonan. Directed by Ryan Eslinger.
MEMRON - (USA, 76 min., Narrative, 2002) WORLD PREMIERE An improvisational
comedic romp through the ruins of corporate fraud. Memron was once the
greatest company on earth. Now their top executives rule the prison yard
golf course. Directed by Nancy Hower). www.memron.com
NIGHTINGALE IN A MUSIC BOX (USA, 96 min., Narrative, 2002) In the future
there is a technology that can control people's memories. Two women confront
it in this sci-fi drama that examines the question: "How easily can our mind
be taken away from us?" Directed by Hurt McDermott.
SHELTER - (USA, 80 min., Narrative, 2004) WORLD PREMIERE Three destitute
inner-city teens break into a secluded beach house and create a makeshift
family in this unfamiliar and magical setting. But when jealousies erupt the
alliances of two brothers and their pregnant friend are put to the test.
With Ray Santiago (GIRLFIGHT, PINERO). Directed by Benno Schoberth.
www.shelterthemovie.com
TAKE OUT - (USA, 91 min., Narrative, 2003) WORLD PREMIERE An illegal Chinese
immigrant falls behind on payments on an enormous smuggling debt. Ming Ding
has only until the end of the day to come up with the money. Directed by
Shih-Ching Tsou, Sean Baker.
X, Y (USA, 102 min., Narrative, 2003) WORLD PREMIERE Based on the cult novel
by Michael Blumlein, this dark love story set in hip NYC is about a woman
who wakes up one morning and has lost her identity. The one thing she knows
for sure is that she is a man. Directed by Vladimir Vitkin.
FEATURE DOCUMENTARIES SCREENING IN COMPETITION:
ARAKIMENTARI - (USA, 76 min., Documentary, 2003) WORLD PREMIERE A look at
the life and work of Japanese photographer Nobuyoshi Araki and his impact on
Japanese culture and the depiction of women. Directed by Travis Klose.
www.arakimentari.com
BRUCE HAACK: THE KING OF TECHNO - (USA, 69 min., Documentary, 2003) The
underground world of homespun musician Bruce Haack comes alive with
mind-blowing visuals, wild music and far out stories. Directed by Philip
Anagnos. www.haackmovie.com
BIG CITY DICK: RICHARD PETERSON'S FIRST MOVIE, USA, 129 min., Documentary,
2003) WORLD PREMIERE This captivating journey into the world of a savant
street musician and his lifelong struggle to become a successful recording
artist. His celebrity obsessions range from Jeff Bridges to Johnny Mathis
and then The Stone Temple Pilots discover his music... Directed by Scott
Milam, Ken Harder, Todd Pottinger. www.bigcitydick.com
FACTOR 8: THE ARKANSAS PRISON BLOOD SCANDAL - (USA, 85 min., Documentary,
2003) WORLD PREMIERE This film investigates the sale of tainted blood from
infected prisoners to Canada, Europe and Japan, thus spreading AIDS and
Hepatitis C. Directed by Kelly Duda.
MONSTER ROAD - (USA, 80 min., Documentary, 2003) WORLD PREMIERE This film
explores the life and work of visionary clay and line animator Bruce
Bickford. Best known for the dark and magical clay animations he created for
musician Frank Zappa in the 1970s, Bickford's films have achieved cult
status worldwide, even though very little of his 40 year body of work has
been released to the public. Directed by Brett Ingram.
www.brighteyepictures.com
PLAGUES & PLEASURES: A LIFE AT THE SALTON SEA - (USA, 79 min., Documentary)
WORLD PREMIERE In the 1960's, the Salton Sea was a premier working class
vacationer's destination and was championed as the next Palm Springs. Today
it sits nearly abandoned. Directed by Chris Metzler & Jeff Springer.
www.deadtilapia.com
THE WATERSHED - (USA, 78 min., Documentary, 2003) In hardly more than a
decade the Trunk family moved from a life of seeming glamour, perfection and
financial success to one of welfare and isolation. Filmmaker Mary Trunk
examines what happened to her and her siblings as children of alcoholic
parents. www.thewatershedproject.com
SHORT FILMS SCREENING IN COMPETITION
"Away In A Trailer" (USA, 7 min., Narrative, 2003) The spirit of Christmas
is dragged kicking and screaming into a trailer park in Sweet Home, Oregon.
Directed by Phil Lantis.
"Crabwalk" (USA, 17 min., Narrative, 2003) In this comedy, A 26-year-old
unemployed college grad, still living at home, is given a final $20
allowance by his parents. His first day of trying to be a grown-up is a
series of bittersweet and darkly comical mishaps. Directed by Jeremy
Saulnier.
"Danceland" (Canada, 22 min., Narrative, 2003) A hermit rebuilds his
childhood schoolhouse, an aging wrestler battles a deteriorating body, the
world's best dancer wins a pair of ruby encrusted tap shoes in this
travelogue of the American West. Directed by Jeffrey Moneo.
"Employee Dang" (USA, 27 min., Narrative, 2003) A Vietnamese immigrant in
the dry cleaning business finds himself at odds with his clientele of black
gangstas. When a large sum of money goes missing, he suspects his
American-born daughter of theft. Directed by Corey Fortune.
"The Fine Art of Poisoning" (USA, 6 min., Animation, 2002) A mood-piece on
the theme of plotting revenge, with gothic imagery rendered in 2D, 3D and
hand drawn animation, combined with still photography. Directed by Bill
Domonkos. (CGI) www.bdom.com/main/animation.html
"The Flag Day Parade" (USA, 12 min., Documentary, 2003) Did North Carolinian
Jim Martin put dynamite in the town mayor's driveway? An intimate look at
the surprising and contradictory inner world of a man who puts on a
Confederate Flag parade. Directed by Curtis Gaston. www.warmupthetourbus.com
"Free" (USA, 8 min., Narrative, 2002) A 10-year-old boy catches a trout in
the Provo, Utah River and takes it for a pet. But keeping a fish alive in
captivity is quite a chore. Told from the fish's point of view. Directed by
Todd Maetani.
Page 5
(Short Films In Competition Continued)
"Freestyle" (USA, 26:22 min., Documentary, 2003) A look at a new competitive
dog sport called "Musical Canine Freestyle" or dancing with dogs and
its colorful practitioners of all ages who hope to take it all the way to
the Olympics. Directed by Elena Elmoznino.
"Habana Holiday" ("Yo Soy Malo," USA, 5 min., 2003) An American tourist in
Havana takes his DV camera into the local demimonde of male hustlers, and
ends up answering some pointed questions. Directed by Chris Maher.
www.supermarky.org
"Ladies Room" (USA, 14 min., Experimental, 2003) Serious, comical, sexy and
satirical, the goings-on in a place where men aren't allowed reveal aspects
of what it's like to be a woman. Directed by Kate Bernstein.
www.ladiesroom-themovie.com
"Live Bait" (USA, 7.2 min., Animation, 2003) A starving fisherman is saved
by three bird women and their island of instant gratification. Directed by
Sarah Brown.
"The Love Ballad of Scarab Hack" (USA, 14 min., Narrative) A lonely troll
woman living in the modern world decides to grow herself a man. But he turns
out to be deformed and she rejects him only to find that love, once created,
is not so easily destroyed. Directed by Javier Bonafont.
"MalaQueerche: Queer Punk Rock Show" (USA, 26 min., Narrative, 2003) When
the Mullet gang kidnaps the Mohawks' drummer and punctures their tires with
butt-plugs, the Mohawks must enlist an army of Queerions and a Dyke March to
reclaim their rightful Punk Rock Stardom. Directed by Sarah Adorable, Devon
Devine.
"Model Prisoner" (USA, 8 min., Documentary, 2003) The extremes of
dehumanization in the prison system are examined in this look at the Visible
Human Project, which consists of slicing and photographing nearly 2000
millimeter-thick sections of the body of an executed prisoner. Directed by
Katherin McInnis.
"Old Glory" (USA, 7 min., Documentary, 2003) This satirical look at the role
of the "Stars and Stripes" in post-9/11 culture is a survey of
nouveau-patriot fashion statements and good old-fashioned jingoistic
attitudes. Directed by Andy Schocken.
"Oxford Cowboy" (Great Britain, 24 min., Narrative, 2003) Brash, loud,
idealistic and relentlessly enthusiastic, a visiting American student can't
understand why English students don't like him. Directed by Cath Gulick.
"Particle Valentine" (USA, 4 min., Animation, 2003) Abstract animation tells
a symbolic tale that involves an orgy of butterflies and the cycle of life.
Directed by Christine Dunn.
"Requiem" (USA, 3 min., Animation, 2003) A Japanese woman's true story of
her older brother's final visit home before going off to fight and die in
World War II.. Directed by Roger Oda.
"Revelations #1" (USA, 6.5 min., Animation, 2003) A sweet but brainy
meditation on life, love and such, influenced by channel and web surfing,
apparently. Directed by Gerald Lewis. www.killgerald.com
"Stand By" (USA, 9 min., Narrative, 2003) When the conversation at an
Italian family barbeque strikes a particularly raw nerve, Johnny and his
mother must face the uncomfortable truth about their relationship as mother
and gay son. Directed Tony Osso. www.tony-osso.com
"Tackle Box" (USA, 10.5 min., Narrative, 2003) When an elderly woman with a
passion for fishing passes away there are strange and lingering effects on
the Low country waters where she and her husband spent many happy hours.
Directed by Matthew Mebane. www.tackleboxthemovie.com
For the first time, the 2004 Slamdance Jury will be separated into a
Documentary section and a Narrative section.
Documentary Jury members include:
Robert Koehler (Variety film critic);
Mark Neale (director, WILLIAM
GIBSON: NO MAPS FOR THESE TERRITORIES);
and Penelope Spheeris (THE DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION);
Narrative Jury members include:
Charles Lyons (filmmaker, journalist);
Mark Pellington (director, THE MOTHMAN PROPHECIES);
Anthony Russo (director, WELCOME TO COLLINWOOD);
and Gabe Wardell, Programmer, Silver Docs and Slamdance Head Projectionist.
Chatelin Bruno 
