The 2014 Sundance Film Festival just announced the films that will be screening in the U.S. Dramatic Competition.  We've got the first images and synopses from the following movies that will be playing in that category:

• Camp X-Ray – Written and directed by Peter Sattler; starring Kristen Stewart, Payman Maadi, Lane Garrison, J.J. Soria, and John Carroll Lynch.
• Cold in July – Directed by Jim Mickle; starring Michael C. Hall, Don Johnson, Sam Shepard, Vinessa Shaw, Nick Damici, and Wyatt Russell.
• God's Pocket – Directed and co-written by John Slattery; starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Richard Jenkins, Christina Hendricks, and John Turturro.
• Happy Christmas – Written and directed by Joe Swanberg; starring Anna Kendrick, Melanie Lynskey, Mark Webber, Lena Dunham, and Joe Swanberg.

Hit the jump for the images and synopses.  The 2014 Sundance Film Festival runs January 16 – 26th.

Camp X-Ray / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Peter Sattler) — A young woman is stationed as a guard in Guantanamo Bay, where she forms an unlikely friendship with one of the detainees. Cast: Kristen Stewart, Payman Maadi, Lane Garrison, J.J. Soria, John Carroll Lynch.

Cold in July / U.S.A. (Director: Jim Mickle, Screenwriters: Jim Mickle, Nick Damici) — After killing a home intruder, a small town Texas man's life unravels into a dark underworld of corruption and violence. Cast: Michael C. Hall, Don Johnson, Sam Shepard, Vinessa Shaw, Nick Damici, Wyatt Russell.

God's Pocket / U.S.A. (Director: John Slattery, Screenwriters: John Slattery, Alex Metcalf) — When Mickey's stepson Leon is killed in a construction "accident," Mickey tries to bury the bad news with the body. But when the boy's mother demands the truth, Mickey finds himself stuck between a body he can’t bury, a wife he can’t please, and a debt he can’t pay. Cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Richard Jenkins, Christina Hendricks, John Turturro.

 

Happy Christmas / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Joe Swanberg) — After a breakup with her boyfriend, a young woman moves in with her older brother, his wife, and their 2-year-old son. Cast: Anna Kendrick, Melanie Lynskey, Mark Webber, Lena Dunham, Joe Swanberg.

Click here for all of our Sundance 2014 coverage.