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For most of its runtime, This Teacher plays things close to the chest. In its tale of a vacation gone bad, director/co-writer Mark Jackson flirts with different ideas and themes, only to switch up the plot the moment the film feels like it’s about to settle into place. It’s a good tactic in making This Teacher maintain a sense of intrigue, but once Jackson shows his hand in the final act, he exposes himself as a filmmaker better suited to build-up than following things through. After taking the shape of several different genres and styles, Jackson and co-writer Dana Thompson’s screenplay ends up becoming a reductive political statement, one that’s proud to declare itself a “post-Trump” film in its look at ignorance and hatred.

Not that there’s anything wrong with being political or direct, but execution matters, and This Teacher’s execution feels like...

A Man and His Women: Lelouch’s Latest a Lumbering, Bloated Ensemble

Nearing his 80’s and with over fifty credits to his name, Oscar and Palme d’Or winning director Claude Lelouch bows his latest venture, We Love You, You Bastard, co-written with writer/actress Valerie Perrin, a title that elicits the kind of chuckles the film itself does not. A dysfunctional family drama harpooned on a comedy of errors scheme flaccidly spins into an ellipses of Bunuelian progeny patterns before a sharp left into Agatha Christie territory extends the running time by an unnecessary forty five minutes. With a varied cast of major French talents, there are a handful of successful moments, but without pronounced payoff. At best, a fluff piece showcasing some industry pros, the increasingly erring narrative mistakes wonky details for subtle prowess and is unfortunately a grating effort from the master director, whose other more recent...

Arguably a natural progression from her freedom-focused 2004 directorial debut, The Colour Of Love, Maryam Keshavarz’s Circumstance is a political yet personal account of two young girls’ strongly frowned upon love and their longing for acceptance in a place where women are making significant progress in regards to wealth and stature.

A fascinating and often very fun insight into the lives of school friends Ati (Nikohl Boosheri) and Shireen (Sarah Kazemy), Circumstance has a lot to say about Iran’s corrupt use of influence and money, but this is woven in as an accepted part of everyday life instead of as a way to make a damning and shocking condemnation of the Iranian system.

For a film with little physical conflict, Keshavarz surprisingly maintains an underlying sense of threat and tension to proceedings, never letting you feel too safe in the girls’ happiness, displaying her more than adequate ability to balance fear with youthful bliss.

The Imposter (15)

(Bart Layton, 2012, UK) Frédéric Bourdin, Charlie Parker, Carey Gibson. 99 mins.

Documentaries don't come much stranger than this. The film begins with the discovery in Spain in 1997 of a 16-year-old boy. Could this really be Nicholas Barclay, who went missing aged 13 from his home in San Antonio, Texas? Well, no. Nicholas's family welcomed this "boy" into their home without realising that he was in fact a 23-year-old French-Algerian master of deception named Frédéric Bourdin. Then things got really weird.

Shadow Dancer (15)

(James Marsh, 2012, UK/Ire) Clive Owen, Andrea Riseborough, Aidan Gillen, Gillian Anderson. 102 mins.

An embittered mother dedicated to the Ira struggle is forced to turn informer by MI5. This stark and suspenseful thriller returns documentary-maker Marsh to scripted drama after Man On Wire and Project Nim.

The Watch (15)

(Akiva Schaffer, 2012, Us) Ben Stiller, Jonah Hill, Vince Vaughn, Richard Ayoade, Rosemarie DeWitt, Mel Rodriguez. 102 mins.

Paul Blart: Mall Cop...

★★★★☆ American Iranian director Maryam Keshavarz debuts with Circumstance (2011), the sensual tale of a complex love triangle set in the swirling underground party scene of Tehran. A wealthy, liberal family struggle to cope with the increasing sexual rebellion of their daughter Atafeh (Nikohl Boosheri), who is falling in love with her best friend Shireen (Sarah Kazemy). The situation is made more complicated with the return of Atafeh's brother, Mehran (Reza Sixo Safai), a devout Muslim who has also fallen for his sister's beautiful companion.

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Winner of the audience award at the Sundance Film Festival, Maryam Keshavarz's directorial debut Circumstance is to be released in the UK by Peccadillo Pictures on August 24.

Rated 15, the 107-minute drama follows a wealthy Iranian family's struggles to contain a teenager's growing sexual rebellion and her brother's dangerous obsession.

Sarah Kazemy, Nikohl Boosheri and Reza Rixo Safai star in the production, also penned by Keshavarz (right).

The UK poster and a selection of stills are included here, along with the official description.

Official description

Set in contemporary Iran in the unseen world of Iranian youth culture, filled with underground parties, sex, drugs and defiance, Circumstance is the story of two vivacious young girls - Atafeh and Shireen - discovering their burgeoning sexuality, struggling with their desires and the boundaries placed upon them by the world they were born into.

Winner of the Sundance Audience Award, Circumstance is a thrilling...

Circumstance

Written and directed by Maryam Keshavarz

France, USA, Iran, 2012

Coming out of a recent screening of ‘Circumstance’ (in the presence of Maryam Keshavarz, the writer/director) my friend and I, rather wowed, agreed that while heartache is universal, freedom is a privilege, a didactic take somewhat misrepresentative of the teenage same-sex melodrama not devoid of the occasional near-prurient moments of lingerie-on-nubile-flesh or insistent camera frolicking over the sensuousness of central character Shireen’s (Sarah Kazemy) visage. Despite these pre-eminently Western, rather clichéd visual tropes of framing feminine beauty (no doubt informed by the author’s American upbringing), Keshavarz’s feature debut, winner of the 2011 Sundance Audience Award, carries a refreshing, heart-rending sincerity, an unpolished and at times awkward poise befitting the characters beginner status, in life and in love.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=td-cYUVOg4Q

Atafeh (Nikohl Boosheri) and Shireen are a pair of sixteen-year old Teheran...

Chicago – Set during the precarious moment following Obama’s election and prior to the Green Wave, Maryam Keshavarz’s Iran-set feature debut is one of the most provocative cinematic treasures of 2011. It’s an elegantly lensed tale of star-crossed lovers that delivers a real erotic charge, while providing an excellent showcase for beguiling newcomers Nikohl Boosheri and Sarah Kazemy.

Since any public expression of passion is forbidden between Keshavarz’s two teenage protagonists, it brings a whole other level of tension and dread to their shared attraction. Atafeh (Boosheri) has the resources and security provided by her wealthy family that allows her to live a double life with her friend and eventual lover, Shireen (Kazemy). In order to fully explore their feelings, the young women escape into their fantasies of living in a more enlightened land. For them, Dubai is tantamount to Oz.

DVD Rating: 4.5/5.0

There’s a fleeting but unforgettable moment when Atafeh,...

Chicago – Some films never get a fair shot with audiences. They open in a handful of art house theaters scattered throughout the country before inconspicuously landing on DVD. Passionate movie lovers are left with the task of championing these unjustly obscure titles and helping them to acquire the audience they deserve.

Before I reveal my picks for the top ten Best Overlooked Films of 2011, here are the ten runners-up:

“Autoerotic”

Autoerotic

While Steve McQueen’s magnificent art film, “Shame,” plunges into the dark depths of sexual addiction, Joe Swanberg and Adam Wingard’s “Autoerotic” takes a decidedly more playful approach to similar material. Though Swanberg has made a series of uncommonly intimate films about the sex lives of twentysomething Chicagoans, he’s never attempted a film as overtly comic as this one, and Wingard proves to be an ideal collaborator. “Autoerotic” is easily Swanberg’s most accessible film to date,...

It’s always surprising to learn that people in faraway foreign lands really have the same dreams and desires as folks next door to us here. The main conflict is how their families and communities react and respond to them. For the past several decades Iran has been a big part of the Middle East news. Our last president even included it in his “Axis of Evil”. It turns out that a lot of the population, particularly the young people, really embrace Western culture and attitudes. The new film from writer/director Maryam Keshavarz, Circumstance, shines a light on a part of that country that its government wishes to keep hidden.

Circumstance tells the story of two women in their late teens. Atafeh ( Nikohl Boosheri ) is the outgoing, musically gifted daughter of an upper class family who were at the forefront of the revolution that ousted the Shah several decades ago.

Chicago – Power is a strange, corrupting force. Human beings manufacture power based on governments, money and religion. Oftentimes an element of humanity must be sacrificed to obtain power. In Iran, that element is women, as religious and governmental oppression conspire to create “Circumstance.”

Rating: 3.5/5.0

A fascinating exploration into culture, Circumstance uses an artistic force to counteract the religiosity and big brother maneuverings in that mysterious country and offers a glimpse into the challenges of suppressing natural urges. In highlighting the plight of lesbian lovers in Iran, the film also exposes the weaknesses of their power structure, as no one seems to be happy with the cultural atmosphere, even those who benefit from it the most.

Set in urban Tehran, Shireen (Sarah Kazemy) and Atafah (Nikohi Boosheri) are 16 year old schoolgirls who are best friends and look out for each other. Their escapades include sneaking around town to find the underground...

Circumstance

Directed by: Maryam Keshavarz

Cast: Nikohl Boosheri, Sarah Kazemy, Reza Sixo Safai

Running Time: 1 hr 49 mins

Rating: R

Release Date: September 9, 2011 (Chicago)

Plot: The story of Iranian teenagers Atafeh (Boosheri) and Shireen (Kazemy), who rebel against the censorship and constraints of their country by going to secret nightclubs and starting an intimate relationship with one another.

Who’S It For? Having some understanding of Iranian customs is likely to be helpful in recognizing the movie’s reflective rebelliousness. The film’s existence is just as bold as its characters’ actions.

Expectations: I had not heard much about this film, other than that it was a controversial Iranian film with a lesbian romance in the center of its plot. Though I was encouraged by the apparent praise it received at Sundance, I was still hoping it’d be a little more interesting than the kind of stuff that comes from gay/lesbian cinema.

Shirley MacLaine attends 37th Annual Deauville American Film Festival The Change-Up Premiere. Photo copyright Pixplanete / PR Photos. Shirley MacLaine and Lionel Chouchan attend 37th Annual Deauville American Film Festival The Change-Up Premiere. Photo copyright Pixplanete / PR Photos. Shirley MacLaine attends 37th Annual Deauville American Film Festival The Change-Up Premiere. Photo copyright Pixplanete / PR Photos. Jason Bateman and wife Amanda Anka attend 37th Annual Deauville American Film Festival The Change-Up Premiere. Photo copyright Pixplanete / PR Photos. Sarah Kazemy attends 37th Annual Deauville American Film Festival The Change-Up Premiere. Photo copyright Pixplanete / PR Photos. 09/04/2011 - Carmen Chaplin and Dolores Chaplin - 37th Annual Deauville American Film Festival - "The Change-Up" -...

Drugs, parties, family drama, and the pangs of first love are given a radical twist in the award-winning Iranian movie "Circumstance."

Atafeh (Nikohl Boosheri) and Shireen (Sarah Kazemy) are not your average teens chafing against the limits of society. Driving with your best friend late at night, the music pumping, smoking illicit cigarettes, and going to packed house parties is a totally different story in Tehran, where the girls live.

This isn't a matter of pissing off your parents by breaking curfew or coming home smelling like beer; just being out at night as a woman is illegal. Complicating things is Atafeh's brother Mehran, who is fresh out of rehab and full of religious fervor; he's keeping a close eye on Atafeh and Shireen and their shenanigans.

While Atafeh's family is rich and liberal and can get her out of trouble, they're still subject to the laws and traditions of Iran,...

Persian-American Maryam Keshavarz makes her feature debut with Circumstance, the story of two young Tehranian women struggling against social norms. As it often does, teenage rebellion bleeds into revolution (or counter-revolution here): Sarah Kazemy, the daughter of disappeared intellectuals, and Nikohl Boosheri, whose parents are wealthy and connected, go from hanging out at illegal parties to helping a friend dub Milk into Farsi. The parallels between Milk’s cultural rebellion and their own are hotly debated, but the movie has covert resonance for the two women, whose lifelong friendship has begun to turn sexual. Kazemy and Boosheri dream of escape ...

Funded in part by the Tribeca All Access program, Maryam Keshavarz's Circumstance has been garnering critical acclaim in advance of its theatrical debut on Friday. Maryam Keshavarz's Circumstance, a 2006 Tribeca All Access project, made a huge splash at this year's Sundance Film Festival, winning the Us Dramatic Audience Award. The drama follows the romance that blossoms between two teenage girls in Tehran (first timers Sarah Kazemy and Nikohl Boosheri) amidst the perilous restrictions placed on them by contemporary Iranian society. "With any family in Iran there is this duality, their true face and what's under the surface, and so a kind of schizophrenia is created. There's a whole underground world that happens in Iranian society, and that's what I wanted to explore," Keshavarz explained to The New York Times on Sunday. The film, which opens in New York and Los Angeles this Friday, has also been a hit with critics.

Circumstance

Directed by: Maryam Keshavarz

Starring: Nikohl Boosheri, Sarah Kazemy, Reza Sixo Safai

Rating: R

Release Date: August 19, 2011

Trailer Score: 9/10

Thoughts by Tsr: Bravo. I would like to take this opportunity to tip my hat to this trailer. It’s very rare that this happens to me, but occasionally a trailer can take a film that wasn’t really on my radar and turn it into a film I cannot wait to see. This is certainly the case with this trailer for Maryam Keshavarz’s Circumstance.

Nikohla Boosheri and Sarah Kazemy, who play the two beautiful leads in the film, appear to deliver powerful performances. The first part of the trailer, which mentions the film being a Sundance Audience Award Winner, makes it clear that these two girls don’t fit in with the oppressiveness women are subjected to in Iran. As the music takes a shift to a more...

Here is a preview at the upcoming films being distributed by Roadside Attractions this year. They have some pretty fantastic things lined up. Take a peek!

Project Nim

In Theatres June 10th

From the Oscar-winning team behind Man On Wire comes the story of Nim, the chimpanzee who in the 1970s became the focus of a landmark experiment which aimed to show that an ape could learn to communicate with language if raised and nurtured like a human child. Following Nim’s extraordinary journey through human society, and the enduring impact he makes on the people he meets along the way, the film is an unflinching and unsentimental biography of an animal we tried to make human. What we learn about his true nature – and indeed our own . is comic, revealing and profoundly unsettling.

The Future

In Theatres July 29th

The Future tells the story of a thirty-something couple who,...

Set in contemporary Iran in the unseen world of Iranian youth culture, filled with underground parties, sex, drugs and defiance, Circumstance is the story of two vivacious young girls — wealthy Atafeh and orphaned Shireen — discovering their burgeoning sexuality and, like 16 year-old girls anywhere, struggling with their desires and the boundaries placed upon them by the world they were born into.

Synopsis:

Atafeh and her brother, Mehran, have grown up in a home filled with music, art, and intellectual curiosity. Atafeh dreams of fame and adventure, and she and her best friend, Shireen, explore Tehran.s underground scene with youthful exuberance and determination to be themselves. Meanwhile, Mehran returns home from drug rehab, and renounces his former decadent life with a vengeance. His once obsessive practice of classical music soon finds more destructive outlets.

Having lost his parents. trust, Mehran is jealous of Atafeh.s loving relationship with their father and...

See the trailer for Cirumstance, starring Nikohl Boosheri, Sarah Kazemy and Reza Sixo Safai. Roadside Attractions distributes the drama which opens August 19th in limited areas. Maryam Keshavarz directs Circumstance from her own script, produced by Karin Chien, Keshavarz and Melissa M. Lee. Winner of this year's Sundance Audience Award, the film marks Keshavarz’s directorial debut. Set in contemporary Iran in the unseen world of Iranian youth culture, filled with underground parties, sex, drugs and defiance, Circumstance is the story of two vivacious young girls -- wealthy Atafeh and orphaned Shireen -- discovering their burgeoning sexuality and, like 16 year-old girls anywhere, struggling with their desires and the boundaries placed upon them by the world they were born into...

See the trailer for Cirumstance, starring Nikohl Boosheri, Sarah Kazemy and Reza Sixo Safai. Roadside Attractions distributes the drama which opens August 19th in limited areas. Maryam Keshavarz directs Circumstance from her own script, produced by Karin Chien, Keshavarz and Melissa M. Lee. Winner of this year's Sundance Audience Award, the film marks Keshavarz’s directorial debut. Set in contemporary Iran in the unseen world of Iranian youth culture, filled with underground parties, sex, drugs and defiance, Circumstance is the story of two vivacious young girls -- wealthy Atafeh and orphaned Shireen -- discovering their burgeoning sexuality and, like 16 year-old girls anywhere, struggling with their desires and the boundaries placed upon them by the world they were born into...

See the trailer for Cirumstance, starring Nikohl Boosheri, Sarah Kazemy and Reza Sixo Safai. Roadside Attractions distributes the drama which opens August 19th in limited areas. Maryam Keshavarz directs Circumstance from her own script, produced by Karin Chien, Keshavarz and Melissa M. Lee. Winner of this year's Sundance Audience Award, the film marks Keshavarz’s directorial debut. Set in contemporary Iran in the unseen world of Iranian youth culture, filled with underground parties, sex, drugs and defiance, Circumstance is the story of two vivacious young girls -- wealthy Atafeh and orphaned Shireen -- discovering their burgeoning sexuality and, like 16 year-old girls anywhere, struggling with their desires and the boundaries placed upon them by the world they were born into...

See the trailer for Cirumstance, starring Nikohl Boosheri, Sarah Kazemy and Reza Sixo Safai. Roadside Attractions distributes the drama which opens August 19th in limited areas. Maryam Keshavarz directs Circumstance from her own script, produced by Karin Chien, Keshavarz and Melissa M. Lee. Winner of this year's Sundance Audience Award, the film marks Keshavarz’s directorial debut. Set in contemporary Iran in the unseen world of Iranian youth culture, filled with underground parties, sex, drugs and defiance, Circumstance is the story of two vivacious young girls -- wealthy Atafeh and orphaned Shireen -- discovering their burgeoning sexuality and, like 16 year-old girls anywhere, struggling with their desires and the boundaries placed upon them by the world they were born into...

Maryam Keshavarz’s drama Circumstance was one of the most well-received films at Sundance 2011 this year, picking up the dramatic audience award. We included it in our rundown of the best of the fest and gave it a positive review. The film stars Sarah Kazemy and Nikohl Boosher as young, liberated women living in an Iran and dealing with rebellion and sexuality. After Roadside Attractions acquired the film for a release this summer, we now have our first trailer and poster via Apple.

Synopsis:

Set in contemporary Iran in the unseen world of Iranian youth culture, filled with underground parties, sex, drugs and defiance, Circumstance is the story of two vivacious young girls — wealthy Atafeh and orphaned Shireen — discovering their burgeoning sexuality and, like 16 year-old girls anywhere, struggling with their desires and the boundaries placed upon them by the world they were born into.

Circumstance hits theaters August 19th, 2011.

What...

Update: Circumstance just won the Us Dramatic Audience Award at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. Though it'll probably never play in the country in which it's set, attendees at the Sundance Film Festival were lucky enough to see Maryam Keshavarz's debut feature Circumstance. Hopefully soon, you will too. Set in modern day Tehran, Iran, this beautiful film focuses on two attractive high school girls named Shireen and Atafeh, played by Sarah Kazemy and Nikohl Boosheri, both making their acting debuts. Though the girls live in a country where women are treated as second class, Shireen and Atafeh use their good looks, talents and smarts to live life as free as humanly possible. The friends eventually develop feelings for each other but when Atafeh's brother Mehran (Reza Sixo Safai) comes home, the girls' liberal point of view is doomed to be challenged. Circumstance is an increasingly claustrophobic love story set against...

Fresh off the whirlwind opening weekend of the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, here are my admittedly skewed impressions of this years cinema extravaganza which seemed queerer than ever despite (or perhaps because of) my being unable to see many of the Lgbt films on view. Fear not. I have a well-developed facility for chiming in relevant commentary on films Ive never seen, and at least one worthy observation on the presentation of the Lgbt films at this notoriously queer straight festival. So here from the perch of January is a glimpse at the queer year in film ahead.

On the Queer with a capital Q end of the spectrum sits Madeline Olneks spectacularly titled Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same (which caused great philosophical reflection amongst one group of lesbians at this years Outfest Queer Brunch who concluded that, truly, arent we all space aliens when you really think about it?...

Circumstance walks the line of a revolution for two hours, never once tripping over its feet. Directed by Maryam Keshavarz, this star-crossed romance features two of the strongest performances of the festival in Sarah Kazemy and Nikohl Boosheri. The two play young, liberated women living in an Iran determined to be socially repressed. Shireen (Kazemy) is the daughter of intellectual writers/rebels long since disappeared, the young woman taken in by her best friend Atafeh’s (Boosheri) family. Atafeh’s a talented musician and diligent student, eager to be distracted.

Shireen provides as much, and then some. Soon the two discover each other’s bodies, and their romance blossoms. None of this feels forced, thanks both to the conviction of these young performers and the confident framing of Keshavarz and his cinematographer Brian Rigney Rubbard.

Young intellectuals on the brink of change serve as a benchmark for most every cinematic movement in history,...

We've been sent the poster for All Flowers in Time, the new film from Tarnation director Jonathan Caouette (Tarnation). The film, which is playing at this year's Sundance Film Festival, stars Caouette and Chloë Sevigny (Big Love). Here's the bizarre synopsis: “I am not from this place” declares a French cowboy. An old toothless man asks, “Do you know why you’re here?”. These shape shifting personalities infect young children with an evil signal in the form of a Dutch TV show. The red eyed girls and boys believe they can now become other people and monsters much to their delight. Hit the jump to check out the creepy poster. The 2011 Sundance Film Festival runs from January 20th – 30th. Click on the poster to see it embiggened. And here are links to the first images from other films playing at Sundance: Another Earth (starring William Mapother, Brit Marling, and Jordan Baker...

We’ve been bringing you the first images from films that will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival later this month, and today we’ve got images from a film that will be featured as a part of Park City at Midnight. The Oregonian stars Lindsay Pulsipher (True Blood), Robert Longstreet (Pineapple Express), Barlow Jacobs (That Evening Sun), and Chadwick Brown (Little Children). Written and directed by Calvin Lee Reeder, the film follows the story of a simple woman who survives a brutal car accident only to be thrust into the nightmarish unknown. Hit the jump to check out the images, as well as a brief synopsis for the film. The 2011 Sundance Film Festival runs from January 20 – 30th. The Oregonian (Director and screenwriter: Calvin Lee Reeder) — After surviving a brutal car accident, a simple farm woman limps down the road into the nightmarish unknown. Cast: Lindsay Pulsipher, Robert Longstreet, Matt Olsen,...

Over the past month, we've been bringing you the first images from films that will be playing at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. Today, we have the first images from a couple documentaries that will be making their debut: Reagan from director Eugene Jarecki (Why We Fight) and The Greatest Movie Ever Sold from Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me). Hit the jump to check out images and a brief synopsis for both films. The 2011 Sundance Film Festival runs from January 20 – 30th. Reagan Reagan examines the enigmatic career of one of the revered architects of the modern world – icon, screen star, and two-term president Ronald Reagan. --- The Greatest Movie Ever Sold A documentary about branding, advertising and product placement is financed and made possible by branding, advertising and product placement. --- And here are links to the first images from other films playing at Sundance: Another Earth (starring William Mapother, Brit Marling,...

We’re bringing you the first images from films that will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January, and today we bring you the first images from two documentaries that will premiere out-of-competition at the prestigious festival: Becoming Chaz and The Interrupters. Becoming Chaz follows female-born Chastity Bono (daughter of Sonny and Cher) and her deeply personal journey in transitioning from female to male. The Interrupters comes from Steve James, director of the highly acclaimed 1994 documentary Hoop Dreams. In The Interrupters, James tells the story of ex-gang members who are now protecting their communities from the violence they themselves once employed. Hit the jump to check out images and a brief synopsis for both films, which will be playing out-of-competition. The 2011 Sundance Film Festival runs from January 20 -30th. Becoming Chaz (Directors: Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato) – Born biologically female, Chastity Bono invites the viewer into a deeply personal...

As part of our ongoing coverage for the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, we have the first images from Jeff Nichols’ Take Shelter. Here’s the one-line synopsis: 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. The film stars Michael Shannon (Boardwalk Empire), Jessica Chastain (The Tree of Life), Shea Whigham (Boardwalk Empire), Katy Mixon (Eastbound & Down), and Kathy Baker (Edward Scissorhands). Hit the jump to check out the images. The 2011 Sundance Film Festival runs from January 20 – 30th. [gallery link="file" order="Desc" columns="1"] And here are links to the first images from other films playing at Sundance: Another Earth (starring William Mapother, Brit Marling, and Jordan Baker) Benavides Born (starring Corina Calderon, Jeremy Ray Valdez, and Joseph Julian Soria) Cedar Rapids (starring John C. Reilly, Ed Helms, and Sigourney Weaver) Circumstance (starring Nikohl Boosheri,...

As we count down to the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, we’ll be bringing you new images from the movies that will be playing there. After the jump you’ll find images from Benavides Born and Circumstance. Benavides Born is directed by Amy Wendel and is about “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.” The film stars Corina Calderon, Jeremy Ray Valdez, Joseph Julian Soria, Julia Vera, and Julio César Cedillo.

Circumstance was written and directed by Maryam Keshavarz and centers on “a wealthy Iranian family that struggles to contain a teenager’s growing sexual rebellion and her brother’s dangerous obsession.” The movie stars Nikohl Boosheri, Sarah Kazemy, Reza Sixo Safai, Soheil Parsa, and Nasrin Pakkho. Both films are playing in-competition.

It has been another great year of film. I still have but seven movies left to watch before I complete my “Best of the Year List” but we are already looking towards 2011.

The 57 feature films selected for the four competition programs of the 2011 Sundance Film Festival were announced today, and the titles include some exciting works from returning filmmakers. While the lineup isn’t has loaded with big names it does feature the return of James Marsh whose documentary Man on Wire won the Grand Jury Prize at the fest in 2008. Some interesting movies we should mention that appear on the list are Mike Cahill’s Another Earth, Carlos Moreno’s All Our Dead One (Todos Tus Muertos), Anne Sewitsky’s sexual drama Happy, Happy (Sykt Lykkelig) Rashaad Ernesto Green‘s Gun Hill Road, Sean Durkin‘s Martha Marcy May Marlene, Andrew Okpeaha MacLean‘s On the Ice, Dee Rees...

It's the first day in December, and whether you want to recognize it or not, January isn't too far away. Today the awesome folks at the Sundance Film Festival unveiled their first list of films, international and domestic, which will be presented at the festival. Check it out, and yes there are more to come. Sundance Institute announced today the lineup of films selected to screen in the U.S. and World Cinema Dramatic and Documentary Competitions for the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. In addition to the four Competition Categories, the Festival presents films in six out-of-competition sections to be announced on December 2. The 2011 Sundance Film Festival runs January 20-30 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah.For the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, 115 feature-length films were selected, representing 28 countries by 40 first-time filmmakers, including 25 in competition. These films were selected from 3,812 feature-length film submissions composed of 1,943 U.S. and 1,869 international feature-length films.

As we’re getting ready to wrap up another great year of film, some are already looking to 2011 and what it will have to offer and what better way to look a head than with the first round of titles for the year’s first big festival: Sundance.

The list of festival titles isn’t as loaded with as many big name titles as have made the cut in previous years but there’s are definitely some interesting film in the competition line-up including Mike Cahill’s Another Earth which takes place on the eve of the discovery of a duplicate Earth (wicked!), Carlos Moreno’s All Our Dead One (Todos Tus Muertos) about a guy who finds a pile of dead bodies in the middle of his crops, Anne Sewitsky’s sexual drama Happy, Happy (Sykt Lykkelig) along with the Canadian/Japanese co-production Vampire.

Loads of great stuff on the line-up.

The announcement of the movies playing the 2011 Sundance Film Festival is like looking into our film futures. It's December and most movie fans are looking back at the last 12 months, picking out award winners, writing top ten lists, and chances are we haven't even heard of the Sundance films. They're just titles, people, words on a computer screen. Then in January they unspool on screens across Park City, Utah and become something more. Finally, months later, these are the movies we discuss with our friends and choose on ballots at awards parties. Yet we get to read about them now, a year in advance. Last year at this time, who had heard of Four Lions, Catfish, Exit Through The Gift Shop, Blue Valentine, The Kids Are All Right, Winter's Bone, Restrepo or Animal Kingdom? Sundance, that's who. All those films screened at the 2010 festival and now many have become not only personal favorites,...

The Sundance Film Festival has announced the films in competition for the awesome and cold film festival running January 20th through January 30th 2011 in Park City, Utah.

This will be my third year attending the festival, and I'm really excited for it! There's a great line-up of films this year! Check out the list below!

From the press release:

Sundance Institute announced today the lineup of films selected to screen in the U.S. and World Cinema Dramatic and Documentary Competitions for the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. In addition to the four Competition Categories, the Festival presents films in six out-of-competition sections to be announced on December 2. The 2011 Sundance Film Festival runs January 20-30 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah.

On Day One, the Festival will forego the convention of one opening night film and instead screen one narrative film and one documentary from both the U.

Park City, Ut . Sundance Institute announced today the lineup of films selected to screen in the U.S. and World Cinema Dramatic and Documentary Competitions for the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. In addition to the four Competition Categories, the Festival presents films in six out-of-competition sections to be announced on December 2. The 2011 Sundance Film Festival runs January 20-30 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah. The complete list of films is available at http://www.sundance.org/.

On Day One, the Festival will forego the convention of one opening night film and instead screen one narrative film and one documentary from both the U.S. and World Cinema competitions, as well as one shorts program.

John Cooper, Director of the Sundance Film Festival said, .The Festival is a challenge to narrowly define. It is all at once exciting, fun, crazy, engaging, visceral, and sometimes even painful. We can explain storylines,...

Let me toot my own horn a bit. Of the 16 selected films out of 1,102 submissions, I accurately predicted 12. Out of the four that didn't fly on my radar we find American New Wave 25 selected Sean Durkin, who will make it back to back years in Park City. He featured the marvelous, creepy Mary Last Seen there, and would start lensing Martha Marcy May Marlene in the summer...but my thinking was he was Cannes-bound with this one...he may still be, but Sundance is world preem launching pad for the pic. Sam Levinson's debut film, which formerly went by "The Reasonable Bunch" and now has a conflict of interest with the Aussie film by the same title (The Loved Ones) has plenty of star wattage -- but I think the real reason to be buzzed about the film in young actor Ezra Miller who broke out in Afterschool and...

Here's the first Sundance line-up announcement, of the fiction and nonfiction feature competitions, both U.S. and world. A few things of interest, on first scan: Vera Farmiga's directorial debut "Higher Ground," in which she also stars; "The Ledge," which sounds like this year's try for "Buried"; Iñupiaq Arctic thriller "On the Ice"; "Terri," the new film from "Momma's Man" director; Michael Rapaport's doc on A Tribe Called Quest "Beats, Rhymes and Life"; doc about the beloved Muppet "Being Elmo"; "If A Tree Falls," a new film from "Street Fight"'s Marshall Curry; Paddy Considine's feature directorial debut "Tyrannosaur"; and "Vampire," the new film from Japan's Shunji Iwai, a favorite of mine.

Descriptions courtesy of the festival:

U.S. Dramatic Competition

Another Earth (Director: Mike Cahill; Screenwriters: Mike Cahill and Brit Marling) - On the eve of the discovery of a duplicate Earth, a horrible tragedy...

The films playing in-competition at this year’s Sundance Film Festival have been announced. Some of this year’s competitors include Vera Farmiga’s directorial debut Higher Ground, Paddy Considine’s feature directorial debut Tyrannosaur, Matthew Chapman’s thriller The Ledge, Michael Rapaport’s documentary Beats, Rhymes and Life (which is about the hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest), and a documentary about lovable Sesame Street resident Elmo (or rather, his puppeteer).

However, the movies playing in-competition at Sundance are only a fraction of the total number of films that play at the festival. This will be my first year attending the festival and I’m super-excited about going. Hit the jump for a full list of the in-competition films. The 2011 Sundance Film Festival runs from January 20 – 30th.

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U.S. Dramatic Competition

Another Earth (Director: Mike Cahill; Screenwriters: Mike Cahill and Brit Marling) – On the...

HollywoodNews.com: The 2011 Sundance Film Festival has just announced its lineup for January. John Cooper, director of Sundance Film Festival, said, “With more than 10,000 films submitted this year, we have had to make some very tough choices. Yet in the end, I’m excited about the way the program has come together. It’s an incredible honor to introduce these films and filmmaker…these are the stories that will define not only our Festival, but also the cultural year ahead.”

Sundance Institute announced today the lineup of films selected to screen in the U.S. and World Cinema Dramatic and Documentary Competitions for the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. In addition to the four Competition Categories, the Festival presents films in six out-of-competition sections to be announced on December 2. The 2011 Sundance Film Festival runs January 20-30 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah.

On Day One, the Festival will...

The Sundance Film Festival has unveiled its slate for the festival that begins January 20 and runs through January 30, 2011 in Park City, Utah. There is a total of 115 films screening in competition. Here are the films: U.S. Dramatic Competition This year's 16 films were selected from 1,102 submissions. Each is a world premiere. 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. 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,...

The Film Stage is headed to Sundance this year and the festival has just announced its line-up. With over 10,00 entries here is what they narrowed it down to. Most initially notable is Vera Farmiga‘s directorial debut, Higher Ground (pictured above). There is a clear lack of stars as NYTimes notes, so the excitement of discovery is back in full swing. The fest will also announce 6 more out-of-competition categories tomorrow. Check out the full list below via the official site.

Us Dramatic

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.

Benavides Born (Director: Amy Wendel; Screenwriters: Daniel Meisel and Amy Wendel) – A high school senior in a forgotten town...

Well, here they are – the Sundance Film Festival class of 2011, split up into 4 categories as indicated by the headers below. In future posts, I’ll be going over the complete list, highlighting titles that need to be, taking into consideration this blog’s specific interests.

Of note, some titles that I listed on my list of 2011 black films on our radar… Gun Hill Road, Rashaad Ernesto Green’s debut feature (which I actually saw a cut of over the weekend, and gave a thumbs up to; but I’ll talk more about it in detail when the time comes), Dee Rees’ Pariah, and Alrick Brown’s Kinyarwanda. Further, titles we’ve previously covered here… Beats, Rhymes and Life, Michael Rapaport’s documentary on hip-hop legends, A Tribe Called Quest, and The Redemption of General Butt Naked, a documentary on the Liberian warlord turned evangelist.

One film I’m surprised isn...

The Sundance Institute announced today the lineup of films selected to screen in the U.S. and World Cinema Dramatic and Documentary Competitions for the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. Tomorrow will see the announcement of the six out-of-competition sections, which will all screen at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival which runs from January 20-30 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah.

For the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, 115 feature-length films were selected, representing 28 countries by 40 first-time filmmakers, including 25 in competition. These films were selected from 3,812 feature-length film submissions composed of 1,943 U.S. and 1,869 international feature-length films. 92 films at the Festival will be world premieres.

The films featured in the U.S. Dramatic, U.S. Documentary, World Cinema Dramatic and World Cinema Documentary Competition are listed directly below and I've gone through and highlighted a few of the bigger known names to check out. However, Sundance has been introducing us to a...