Sundance NEXT Fest at the Ace Hotel in Los Angeles ( Photo by Ryan Kobane/Sundance Institute)
The following is a press release from Sundance NEXT Fest:
World premiere music videos, conversations between film legends and up-and-coming creatives and three female comedians have been added to the lineup for Sundance NEXT FEST, August 10 to August 13, 2017, at The Theatre at Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles. They join music acts like Lizzo, Electric Guest and Sleigh Bells, the Los Angeles premieres of some of the Sundance Film Festival’s most talked-about films and NEXT FEST After Dark, Presented by Acura, featuring a 25th anniversary screening of Reservoir Dogs on restored 35mm and ceremony honoring Quentin Tarantino. More info, tickets ($15-35) and ticket packages are at sundance.org/next.
Ava DuVernay (Photo by Rebecca Sapp/Getty Images for SBIFF)
America Ferrera (Photo courtesy of Sundance Institute)
CONVERSATIONS
Ava DuVernay (“13th,” “Selma”) will join a conversation, presented by FilmL.A., Inc., with director Justin Chon after Saturday’s 4:00 p.m. screening of Gook. Also on Saturday, Gente-fied executive producer America Ferrera, director/creator/co-writer Marvin Lemus, co-writer Linda Yvette Chavez and producer Aaliyah Williams will be in conversation following the noon screening of all seven episodes of the series.
On Sunday, Emmy Award winner Larry Wilmore will join directors Antonio Santini and Dan Sickles and the subject of Dina for a conversation following the afternoon screening. Peter Bogdanovich (“The Last Picture Show”) will be in conversation with filmmaker Alex Ross Perry following Sunday’s 4:00 p.m. screening of “Golden Exits.”
WORLD PREMIERE MUSIC VIDEOS
Highlighting the connection between music and movies, three brand-new music videos have been added to the lineup and will screen before films.
“Temptation” — Joey Bada$$
Directed by Nathan R. Smith. A little girl journeys through Brooklyn as an omniscient Joey Bada$$ protects her from the alluring temptations she encounters. The track is featured on Joey Bada$$’ latest album, All-Amerikkkan Bada$$. The music video will premiere Saturday, August 12 with the 4:00 p.m. screening of “Gook.”
“Do It, Try It” — M83
Written and directed by David Wilson. A family outing to a burger joint sparks an argument between the parents whilst two children draw pictures to entertain themselves, taking the viewer into their imaginations. This four-minute adventure of mixed media film, fusing live action and hand-drawn animation, premieres Sunday, August 13 with the noon screening of “Dina.”
“Fingers” — Hundred Waters
Directed by Allie Avital. Fingers is an eerie meditation on the dissolution of a relationship featuring 10,000 live insects.The music video will make its world premiere on Sunday, August 13 with the 4:00 p.m. screening of G”olden Exits.”
COMEDIANS
Kate Berlant will host the screening of “Lemon” and performance by Lizzo on Friday, August 11 at 8:00 p.m. Berlant has been described by The New York Times as a “magnetic improvisational comic” and named by Time Out New York as one of New York City’s “Top Three Comics to Watch.” She is also one of Comedy Central’s “Comics to Watch.”
Kate Micucci will host Saturday‘s 8:00 p.m. screening of “Bitch” and performance by Sleigh Bells. Micucci can be seen in “The Little Hours” with Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza, Dave Franco, Molly Shannon and John C. Reilly. Kate is co-creator and co-star of the group Garfunkel and Oates, with Riki Lindhome. They were one of Variety’s comics to watch in 2010 and their two-woman show regularly sold out Largo and UCB.
Natasha Leggero will host Sunday’s 8:00 p.m. screening of “L.A. Times” and performance by Electric Guest. Leggero has built her body of work with numerous roles on prominent television series including NBC’s “Community,” FX’s “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” “Arrested Development,” Comedy Central’s “Reno 911” and “Drunk History,” ABC’s “Suburgatory,” the sketch comedy “Key and Peele,” “Comedy Bang! Bang!,” “Chelsea Lately” and “The Tonight Show,” among many others.
FOOD, DRINKS, GAMES AND MORE AT NEXT DOOR
NEXT DOOR, an outdoor social hub next to the Theatre, returns to Sundance NEXT FEST. Attendees can access with their tickets before or after screenings to mingle and enjoy drinks from Hochstadter’s, Stella Artois and wineries from the Santa Ynez Valley, samples from Califia Farms, experience an Acura NSX Virtual Reality test drive, participate in games from Allbirds and get your questions answered at the Los Angeles Times Ask a Reporter booth.
FREE PANEL
The weekend also includes a free panel on editing a film using Premiere Pro sponsored by Adobe. More info at sundance.org/next
Sundance NEXT FEST supporters include: Principal Sponsors – Acura and Adobe; Major Sponsors – Hochstadter’s Slow & Low Rock & Rye, and Stella Artois®; Supporting Sponsors – Allbirds, Beachside, Califia Farms, Dolby Laboratories, Inc., FilmL.A., Inc., The Theatre at Ace Hotel, Utah Office of Tourism and Film, and Visit the Santa Ynez Valley; and Media Sponsors – LA WEEKLY, Los Angeles Times, Mashable and Time Out.
Marquee at the Theatre at the Ace Hotel (Photo by Ryan Kobane)
The following is a press release from Sundance Next Fest:
Sundance Next Fest takes it to the Next level with the announcement of seven films direct from the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, paired with three energizing musical performances. The fest lights up Los Angeles August 10-13 at The Theatre at Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles, and this year will include presentation of the Institute’s Vanguard Awards to Quentin Tarantino and Dee Rees. This marks the fifth annual Sundance Next Fest and fourth consecutive year that The Theatre at Ace Hotel has hosted the festival. Tickets ($15-$35), as well as day and weekend passes and tickets to Thursday night’s opening event, NEXT FEST After Dark, are now available at sundance.org/next. Proceeds benefit Sundance Institute’s year-round programs for independent artists.
John Cooper, Director of the Sundance Film Festival, said, “This year’s weekend festival offers everything from a Sundance throwback to our first-ever Next Fest episodic screening; the perfect blend to give Angelenos a taste of our Park City Festival. A majority of these movies, filmmakers and musicians are from Los Angeles, so it’s a great opportunity to showcase and celebrate hometown talent.”
The festival reaches new heists on Thursday, August 10 with Next Fest After Dark, presented by Acura, featuring a 25th anniversary screening of Reservoir Dogs on restored 35mm and presentation of the Institute’s Vanguard Leadership Award to Quentin Tarantino. The screening is supported by Cinespia and followed by an outdoor opening night party. Reservoir Dogs debuted at the 1992 Sundance Film Festival following Tarantino’s participation in the Institute’s Directors Lab and returned to its roots with a From the Collection screening at this year’s Festival. The party will include food, drinks, games, music and more, and all proceeds benefit the nonprofit Institute’s year-round programs for independent film and theatre artists. Tarantino is the fifth recipient of this award celebrating creativity and leadership in independent film, joining the likes of journalist and film critic Roger Ebert and actress and arts advocate Glenn Close.
Trevor Groth, Director of Programming for the Sundance Film Festival, said, “’Reservoir Dogs’ debuted as the Festival’s most talked-about film in 1992 and 25 years later, it’s still a fresh, high-caliber thrillride, and more iconic than ever. I can’t think of a better way to kick off Sundance Next Fest than to showcase our history and what we’re all about.”
Sundance Next Fest continues on Friday with the LA premiere of absurd comedy “Lemon,” directed by Janicza Bravo, with a performance by powerhouse vocalist Lizzo. Saturday’s lineup includes: Sundance NEXT FEST’s first-ever episodic selection — a special screening of seven episodes of the comedic drama “Gente-fied,” created by Marvin Lemus; the 2017 Sundance Film Festival’s Audience Award: NEXT-winner “Gook’; and “Bitch,” starring Jason Ritter and Jaime King, paired with a performance by Sleigh Bells who just released their fourth LP, Jessica Rabbit. Sunday’s events include: the Los Angeles premieres of “Dina”, a documentary about an unconventional love story that took home the Grand Jury Prize in Park City; Alex Ross Perry’s latest film “Golden Exits”; and Michelle Morgan’s witty love letter to the city of angels, “LA Times,” accompanied by a live performance by LA-based duo Electric Guest, the band behind the hit “Dear to Me.” Additional program elements for the daytime screenings, including live Q&As with movie icons, will be announced.
Sundance alum Dee Rees, writer and director of “Pariah,” “Bessie” and “Mudbound,” will receive the Vanguard Award at Sundance Next Fest, celebrating an emerging artist with creative independence. Rees is an alumna of Sundance Screenwriters, Creative Producing and Directors Labs. She has been the recipient of Sundance Institute’s Time Warner Fellowship and Annenberg Film Fellowship and premiered two feature films at the Sundance Film Festival, Pariah in 2011 and Mudbound in 2017. The Vanguard Award includes a cash grant and mentorship from industry professionals and Institute staff. Rees will be the sixth recipient of this award; past recipients include Damien Chazelle (“Whiplash”), Benh Zeitlin (“Beasts of the Southern Wild”) and Ryan Coogler (“Fruitvale Station”). The Vanguard Award was founded in 2011 to mark the 30th anniversary of the Sundance Institute Feature Film Program and its founding director, Michelle Satter.
Next Door will be open during the festival for guests to continue the party between screenings. Adjacent to The Theatre at Ace Hotel, Next Door is an outdoor space with food, drinks, games and more. Sundance Next Fest is an extension of the popular Next section at the Sundance Film Festival.
Sundance Next Fest After Dark ticket packages, Weekender ticket packages and individual movie tickets are on sale now at sundance.org/next.
Sundance Next Fest supporters include: Principal Sponsors – Acura and Adobe; Media Sponsors – LA WEEKLY, Los Angeles Times, Mashable; and Supporting Sponsors – Allbirds, Beachside, Dolby Laboratories, Inc., FilmL.A., Inc., Hochstadter’s Slow & Low Rock & Rye, Stella Artois®, The Theatre at Ace Hotel, and Utah Office of Tourism and Film.
Here is the schedule for the 2017 Sundance Next Fest
Thursday, August 10
7:30 p.m. – “Reservoir Dogs”
A film still from “Reservoir Dogs” (Photo courtesy of Sundance Institute)
Reservoir Dogs / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Quentin Tarantino) — They were perfect strangers, assembled to pull off the perfect crime. Then their simple robbery explodes into a bloody ambush and the ruthless killers realize one of them is a police informant. But which one? This 25th anniversary screening will be presented on a 35mm print. Cast: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi, Lawrence Tierney, Michael Madsen. 25th ANNIVERSARY
Friday, August 11
8:00 p.m. – “Lemon” + Lizzo
Brett Gelman in “Lemon” (Photo by Jason McCormick, courtesy of Sundance Institute)
Lemon / U.S.A. (Director: Janicza Bravo, Screenwriters: Janicza Bravo, Brett Gelman) — Lemon: a person or thing that proves defective, imperfect, or unsatisfactory. A man whose blind girlfriend is leaving him, whose career is going nowhere and whose family is disappointed in him—Isaac Lachmann is 40. He doesn’t know how he got there. Things were supposed to work out differently. Cast: Brett Gelman, Judy Greer, Michael Cera, Nia Long, Shiri Appleby, Fred Melamed. LOS ANGELES PREMIERE
Lizzo (Photo by Jabari Jacobs)
Lizzo wields the kind of voice that’s right at home in soul, pop, hip-hop, R&B, rock and gospel. The vivacious and versatile vocalist’s impassioned delivery and dynamic range bonds the six tracks on her major label debut EP, Coconut Oil (Nice Life Recording Company/Atlantic Records). Lauded by Noisey, Entertainment Weekly, Paste, Rolling Stone, Spin, Idolator, and more, the EP boasted the hit “Good As Hell,” which was featured on the Original Soundtrack to Barbershop: The Next Cut and churned out over 7.3 million Spotify streams and 1.3 million YouTube views in less than six months.
Saturday, August 12
12:00 p.m. – “Gente-fied”
America Ferrera in “Gente-fied” (Photo courtesy of Sundance Institute)
“Gente-fied” / U.S.A. (Director, creator and co-writer: Marvin Lemus, Co-writer: Linda Yvette Chavez, Executive Producers: Charles D. King, Aaliyah Williams, America Ferrera) — Seven characters deal with the effects of change in L.A.’s Boyle Heights. Bicultural millennials and old-school business owners hustle to create spaces that celebrate their Latino identities—even while faced with rent hikes, a housing crisis, and a steady stream of outsiders threatening to gentrify their barrio. NEXT FEST will screen all seven episodes of this short-form episodic series. Cast: Edsson Morales, Alicia Sixtos, Victoria Ortiz, Yareli Arizmendi, Salvador Velez Jr, Rafael Sigler, Art Bonilla. LOS ANGELES PREMIERE
4:00 p.m. – “Gook”
Justin Chon in “Gook” (Photo by Ante Cheng, courtesy of Sundance Institute)
“Gook” / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Justin Chon) — Eli and Daniel—Korean American brothers who run a shoe store in Paramount, California—form an unlikely friendship with Kamilla, an 11-year-old African American girl. As Daniel dreams of becoming a recording artist and Eli struggles to keep the store afloat, LA’s racial tensions erupt during the infamous 1992 riots. Cast: Justin Chon, Simone Baker, David So, Curtiss Cook Jr., Sang Chon, Ben Munoz. Winner of the Audience Award: NEXT at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.
8:00 p.m. – “Bitch” + Sleigh Bells
Marianna Palka in “Bitch” (Photo by Armando Salas, courtesy of Sundance Institute)
“Bitch”/ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Marianna Palka) — A woman snaps under crushing life pressures and assumes the psyche of a vicious dog. Her philandering, absentee husband is forced to become reacquainted with his four children and sister-in-law as they attempt to keep the family together during this bizarre crisis. Cast: Jason Ritter, Jaime King, Marianna Palka, Brighton Sharbino, Rio Mangini, Kingston Foster. LOS ANGELES PREMIERE
Sleigh Bells (Photo courtesy of Sleigh Bells)
Sleigh Bells wasted no time after getting off the ground in 2009, releasing three blistering records in four years. Ready for a break from the road, they took their time on their fourth LP, “Jessica Rabbit,” writing and finishing the record several times only to realize that they wanted to push themselves and the music further. The result is an intense and vulnerable record that’s highly evolved and completely uncategorizable, a major statement from a band wholly committed to advancing their dynamic, uncompromising vision. Jessica Rabbit is the first release on the band’s own record label, Torn Clean.
Sunday, August 13
12:00 p.m. – “Dina”
Dina Buno and Scott Levin in “Dina” (Photo courtesy of Sundance Institute)
“Dina” / U.S.A. (Directors: Dan Sickles, Antonio Santini) — An eccentric suburban woman and a Walmart door-greeter navigate their evolving relationship in this unconventional love story. LOS ANGELES PREMIERE. Winner of the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.
4:00 p.m. – “Golden Exits”
Emily Browning and Adam Horovitz in “Golden Exits” (Photo by Sean Price Williams, courtesy of Sundance Film Institute)
“Golden Exits” / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Alex Ross Perry) — The arrival of a young foreign girl disrupts the lives and emotional balances of two Brooklyn families. Cast: Emily Browning, Adam Horovitz, Mary-Louise Parker, Lily Rabe, Jason Schwartzman, Chloë Sevigny. LOS ANGELES PREMIERE
8:00 p.m. – “L.A. Times” + Electric Guest
Dree Hemingway and Michelle Morgan in “L.A. Times” (Photo courtesy of Sundance Institute)
“L.A. Times” / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Michelle Morgan) — In this classically styled comedy of manners set in Los Angeles, sophisticated thirtysomethings try to determine whether ideal happiness exists in coupledom or if the perfectly suited couple is actually just an urban myth. Cast: Michelle Morgan, Dree Hemingway, Jorma Taccone, Kentucker Audley, Margarita Levieva, Adam Shapiro. LOS ANGELES PREMIERE
Electric Guest (Photo courtesy of Electric Guest)
Electric Guest – L.A.-based duo Asa Taccone and Matthew Compton recently released Plural on Downtown/Interscope Records. The record finds the duo at the absolute top of their game, infusing their version of electronic r&b with an even more confident, adventurous spirit than their 2012 debut album, Mondo, displayed, which Rolling Stone called “a Beck-ian journey into L.A. slacker soul, full of hooky neon jams.” MTV named Electric Guest an Artist To Watch, NME tagged them as a Band Of The Week, and they made the rounds at festivals in addition to taking late night TV by storm with performances on Letterman, Fallon, Conan and more.
