Sundance London adds UK Spotlight

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Sundance London has unveiled its programme for the second edition set to run April 25-28 at London’s O2, with selections including Shane Carruth’s Upstream Color, documentary Muscle Shoals, and Lake Bell’s critically acclaimed directorial debut In A World…[pictured].

The 2013 festival will add a UK Spotlight section of four films from the UK that premiered at Sundance in Park City, Utah in January. They are: Jeremy Lovering’s In Fear, Michael Winterbottom’s The Look of Love, Andy Heathcote’s The Moo Man and Nick Ryan’s The Summit.

Groth said he was “happy to have the UK Spotlight in the mix. We showed UK shorts last year, and it was great ot see those film teams mixing in with the other attendees. And we had some terrific UK films in Park City this year.”

The panels will include The Art of the Score with David Arnold, a screenwriting discussion with panelists including Tony Grisoni and Peter Straughan, and a comedy panel about British and American senses of humour, with filmmakers Lake Bell and Mike Birbiglia.

Music is again a big component of the festival, with Peaches announced as the first headlining act and The Eagles set to participate in a post-film Q&A.

Trevor Groth, director of programming at Sundance, told Screen: “We had our concerts and screenings that were successful, but this year we’d like to work on the back and forth, so that people go from screening to concert or concert to screening.” The organisers plan to establish more of a communal hangout area at the O2 this year.

Sundance Insitute president and founder Robert Redford will again attend Sundance London. He said: “We would hope for Sundance London to be another ‘Sundance’ experience – lively, culturally relevant and fun. We look forward to engaging with audiences as we discover new voices, new points of view and new perspectives.”

The Feature Film programme is comprised of American independent films that showed at the Utah festival in January, including a number of prize winners. Three more will be announced in coming weeks.

John Cooper, director of the Sundance Film Festival, told Screen: “We’re thrilled to be returning. We’re trying to build on the experience and community there. We left a lot of success last year and we want to grow that. Audiences in London seem adventurous and engaging, especially in the Q&As and panels. We also felt a lot of interest in the process of filmmaking, and in Sundance’s unique view of independent filmmaking.”

He added: “We’re always looking for how Sundance can create a greater film culture and that’s helped by engaging outside our borders.”

FEATURE FILMS

Blackfish, dir Gabriela Cowperthwaite
Blood Brother, dir Steve Hoover
Emanuel And The Truth About Fishes, dir Francesca Gregorini
God Loves Uganda, dir Roger Ross Williams
In A World…, dir Lake Bell
The Inevitable Defeat Of Mister And Pete, dir George Tillman Jr
The Kings Of Summer, dir Jordan Vogt-Roberts
Muscle Shoals, dir Greg ‘Freddy’ Camalier
Running From Crazy, dir Barbara Kopple
Touchy Feely, dir Lynn Shelton
Upstream Color, dir Shane Carruth

SPECIAL EVENT PROGRAMME

History Of The Eagles Part One, dir Allison Ellwood, with Q&A with the band
Peaches Does Herself, dir Peaches, with performances
Sleepwalk With Me, dir Mike Birbiglia, with special Q&A with Birbiglia hosted by Jimmy Carr