Sundance 2013: News (and Video) Roundup
Now that Sundance is over, you might be wondering how the Austin and Texas films fared. Here's the latest update, plus some links to local coverage (and at the end, fun videos!). I hope we'll see a few of these in Austin in March (or in Dallas in April).
- Before Midnight was picked up by Sony Pictures Classics for North America and UK distribution. This is the third movie in Austin filmmaker Richard Linklater's series with Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. Elizabeth revisited the original Before Sunrise recently for Lone Star Cinema.
- Andrew Bujalski's black-and-white film about man vs. computer in the 80s, Computer Chess, won the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize at Sundance. This award is given to a film that has a science or technology-related theme, or that has main characters who are scientists or engineers. In addition, AMC/Sundance Channel bought the international broadcast rights.
- Another big winner was DFW-area filmmaker David Lowery's latest feature, Ain't Them Bodies Saints, starring Rooney Mara and Casey Affleck. The movie's producers, James M. Johnston and Toby Halbrooks, took home the Indian Paintbrush Producers Award. Director of photography Bradford Young received the Sundance Cinematography Award for his work on this movie and Mother of George. And IFC was also a winner, landing U.S. distribution of the movie.
- New-to-Austin filmmaker David Gordon Green premiered Prince Avalanche at Sundance, and landed a North American distribution deal with Magnolia. The movie stars Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch, and was shot in Central Texas. The film's composer is Austinite David Wingo, who also scored Mud.
- We weren't the only Austin outlet at Sundance. You can read Marjorie Baumgarten's dispatches for the Austin Chronicle at the Picture in Picture blog. I especially like her thoughts on Pit Stop and Computer Chess.
- Over at Austin Movie Blog, Matthew Odam blogged up a storm from Park City. I liked his chats with A Teacher filmmaker Hannah Fidell, Alamo Drafthouse co-founder Tim League and Paramount Theatre programmer Stephen Janisse. He also created his own Lone Stars at Sundance awards.
- Austin critic Don Simpson also went to Sundance and reviewed a phenomenal number of films, to the point where I wonder if he slept at all. His reviews of Texas-connected films include Ain't Them Bodies Saints, A Teacher, Pit Stop and Upstream Color.
I promised you videos, didn't I? Last week, when I was pretending to be at Sundance from my couch, I shared two videos from Arts + Labor about Black Metal and Jonny Mars. Now the Austin production company has two more fun videos for us from Park City. The first one is from the Sundance premiere of Pit Stop, featuring filmmaker Yen Tan and producer Kelly Williams.
And here's one about Arts + Labor at the fest and the work they did on a number of Texas films at Sundance this year.
The fest may be over, but Debbie is still finishing a few more reviews ... keep an eye out!