Slamdance, Sundance's indie little brother, has announced the 18 films that will be playing in competition next month. While the economy might be slowing down, there was no shortage of submissions, as Slamdance reports they had 5,000 films vying for a spot in the Festival. Of the 18 films in competition, ten are narrative, eight are documentaries, and eleven are world premieres.
"The quality of indie filmmaking is getting higher while productions costs are getting lower," said Slamdance prexy and co-founder Peter Baxter. "Far apart from the apparent industry downturn, there appears a great sense of what is possible rather than impossible with our submissions."
Of course this year will be very interesting at Slamdance after the success Paranormal Activity. If you didn't know, Activity screened at the 2008 Festival and has since made over $100 million at the domestic box office. It wouldn't surprise me to see a few more buyers looking for a repeat performance.
Check out the list of films playing in competition after the jump.
NARRATIVE COMPETITION
"Cummings Farm" (Andrew Drazek) Comedy about three couples who try group sex at a lakeside strawberry farm, naively hoping it will lead to enlightenment; with Laura Silverman.
"Drones" (Amber Benson & Adam Busch) A man discovers a universal threat to his life, job and the planet; Angela Bettis and Jonathan M. Woodward star.
"The Four-Faced Liar" (Jacob Chase) When a small-town couple meets two best friends, unexpected sparks fly; cast includes Emily Peck, Marga Lewis Ryan and Todd Kubrack.
"The Last Lovecraft: The Relic of Cthulhu" (Henry Saine) An ordinary guy is stuck in his boring life until a strange old man gives him an ancient relic and tells him that he's the last bloodline of H.P. Lovecraft; with Devin McGinn and Kyle Davis.
"One Hundred Mornings" (Conor Horgan) Ireland. Set in a world upended by a complete breakdown of society, two couples hide out in a lakeside cabin hoping to survive the crisis; Ciaran McMenamin, Alex Reid and Rory Keenan star.
"The Scenesters" (Todd Berger) Dark comedy featuring Sherilyn Fenn, Suzanne May and Blaise Miller about a group of crime scene videographers who hatch a plan to catch a serial killer picking off beautiful young hipsters on the east side of Los Angeles.
"Snow and Ashes" (Charles Olivier-Michaud) Canada. A war correspondent in Eastern Europe wakes from a coma to discover his collaborator missing; Rhys Coiro, Lina Roessler and Frederic Gilles star.
"URFrenz" (Jeff Phillips) High school girls and their parents collide over the use of a popular social networking site when the identity and motives of an online boy come into question; featuring Lily Holleman, Gayla Goehl and CaroleAnne Johnson.
"The Wild Hunt" (Alexandre Franchi) Canada. A medieval reenactment game turns into a Shakespearean tragedy when a non-player crashes the event to win back his girlfriend; cast includes Kaniehtiio Horn, Mark Anthony Krupa and Ricky Mabe.
"YellowBrickRoad" (Jesse Holland & Andy Mitton) An expedition looks for answers to something horrible in the forest, but the forest finds something horrible in them; stars Cassidy Freeman, Lee Wilkof and Anessa Ramsey.
DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
"American Jihadist" (Mark Claywell) What makes a man willing to kill and die for his religion?
"Biker Fox" (Jeremy Lamberton) A part docu, part self-help testimonial about Biker Fox, who advocates "cogitating positive vibes to the cortex of your cerebellum."
"Candyman" (Costa Botes) A look at the rise and fall of David Klein, inventor of Jelly Belly sweets.
"General Orders No. 9" (Robert Persons) A history of the state of Georgia or anywhere deer trail becomes Indian trail becomes a county road that gets paved over.
"Mamachas del Ring" (Betty M. Park) Chronicle of the lives of Bolivian women wrestlers.
"Mind of a Demon: The Larry Linkogle Story" (Adam Barker) The birth of freestyle motocross became the demise of the sport's most infamous legend, narrated by Lemmy.
"Rocksteady: The Roots of Reggae" (Stascha Bader) Canada. The musicians of Jamaica's Golden Age of music, Rocksteady, come together after 40 years to record a greatest hits album and perform a concert in Kingston.
"William Burroughs: A Man Within" (Yony Leyser) A portrait of the Beat author and American icon, with David Cronenberg, Gus Van Sant, Peter Weller, Iggy Pop and Laurie Anderson.
List of films via Variety.