Sundance Film Festival Unveils List Of Competing Films

One of the most anticipated film festivals of the year, the Sundance Film Festival, has revealed its list of competitors and it seems comedies will dominate the scene this year. Film Festival director John Cooper and director of programming Trevor Groth both informed Variety that the addition of so many comedians exploring the possibilities of independent filmmaking played a major role in how the 2015 Film Festival was molded. The comedic influence of this year’s festival can be seen throughout the entire lineup, wherein 103 of the 118 films featured in the film festival are world premieres. Some of the entries include the following.

• Results — A romantic comedy from Andrew Bujalski starring Guy Pearce and Cobie Smulders as personal fitness gurus.
• The Overnight — A comedy starring Adam Scott, Taylor Schilling, Jason Schwartzman, and Judith Godreche in the story of a play date gone wrong.
• The Bronze — Melissa Rauch (The Big Bang Theory) stars as a former Olympic gymnast.
• I Smile Back — Sarah Silverman stars in Adam Salky’s film about a destructive homemaker.

The line between comedy and drama has never been less clear with so many entries challenging the established genre rules, but this comes as no shock to Cooper, well into his fifth year heading the Sundance Film Festival. “Their ability to observe human nature is where they draw comedy from, so it kind of makes sense that they are adding such a great thread to the American indie scene.”

In addition to the dramatic comedies dominating the film festival, more serious dramas will have their debuts.

• Stockholm, Pennsylvania — A film about a woman, portrayed by Saoirse Ronan, who returns home 17 years after her abduction.
• The Stanford Prison Experiment — Billy Crudup, Ezra Miller, and Michael Angarano star in the re-enactment of the 1971 incident.
• Songs My Brothers Taught Me — The story of a Lakota family coming of age on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

ABC News reports that another category, American documentaries, will cover topics including the amateur porn industry, Mexican drug cartels, endangered animals, and Evel Knievel.

“There’s a real intensity that is permeating independent filmmaking these days,” said festival director John Cooper. “Whether it’s the pure entertainment, the comedies and romances being so engaging; whether it’s documentaries that will enrage you and sometimes call to action. Even in the deep dramatic films, we’ve found there’s a real concerted effort to look at empathy for dark subjects and the characters in them.”

A photo slideshow of all of the entries can be viewed here.

Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash opened the film festival last year, claiming the audience and grand jury prizes, and has since gone on to become a major awards contender. Additionally, Jennifer Kent’s The Babadook, which was a Park City at Midnight entry, recently claimed the award for Best First Film at the New York Film Critics’ Circle.

Although films that compete at the Sundance Film Festival are world premieres, they may not be available for many months in some cases.