Slamdance Film Festival has announced the roster for its upcoming 30th anniversary edition, which is bookended by Carol Dysinger’s previously announced post-Afghanistan War documentary One Bullet and Vanessa Hope’s IDFA closing night documentary Invisible Nation, a profile of Taiwanese first female president Tsai Ing-wen.
Running January 19-25 in person and January 22-28 online, this year’s event returns to Yarrow Hotel in Park City where the festival launched and will showcase 32 features, of which 17 are world premieres, as well as 75 shorts, and five episodics.
Festival organisers said this year’s event is more diverse than prior iterations with 43% of the films by BIPOC creators and 43% by female or non-binary filmmakers. The selection hails from 20 countries and the programming team received more than 9,000 submissions, 1,729 of which were features.
As in previous years, all films selected in the Narrative Features and Documentary Features competition categories are directorial debuts without US distribution and were budgeted at under $1m.
Selections include Antonis Tsonis’s Brando With The Glass Eye (Gre-Aus) about a method actor who commits a botched heist before a big audition; Fabio D’Orta’s The Complex Forms (It) about a group of desperate people who have sold their bodies to unknown creatures; and Hadley Austin’s documentary Demon Mineral (USA) about uranium mining on sacred land.
Among the programme are The Death Tour (Can) from Stephan Peterson and Sonya Ballantyne, a documentary which follows wrestling hopefuls across remote Indigenous communities in Canada’s Far North; and Bill Plympton’s Slide, a surreal musical animated western dubbed as the result of a film Clint Eastwood and Mel Brooks might make if they became cartoonists.
“Our 2024 Slamdance lineup is a testament to filmmakers who dare to push their stories to the very edge of filmmaking, making it deeply personal yet globally resonant,” said festival director Taylor Miller. “Their raw passion and risk-taking echo our commitment to exploring uncharted territories of cinematic expression. This year, we proudly host the most inclusive and accessible festival we’ve ever had, staying true to the core objectives I aimed to cultivate with our programmers when I took this job.”
Slamdance heads also announced the line-up for the fourth annual Unstoppable programme, a showcase of new films by creators with visible and non-visible disabilities. This section will be headquartered at the University of Utah in the Student Union Theater from January 22-24 with subsequent screenings at the Yarrow. All Unstoppable screenings at the University will be free to the public.
Slamdance’s 2024 festival line-up appears below.
Narrative Features
AFRICAN GIANTS (USA) Director: Omar S. KamaraProducers: Leo Blumberg-Woll, Omar S. Kamara, Jordan TynerOver a weekend visit in Los Angeles, two first-generation Sierra Leonean American brothers navigate the changing dynamics of brotherhood after a surprise announcement.Cast: Dillon Daniel Mutyaba, Omete Anassi, Tanyell Waivers, Josh Lopez, Kathleen Kenny, Scott BenderWorld Premiere
All I’ve Got & Then Some (USA) Directors: Tehben Dean, Rasheed StephensProducers: Tehben Dean, Rasheed Stephens, Amaka Onwuta, Lissa Mazzotta, Josh MitchellBased on a true story, All I’ve Got & Then Some follows a day in the life of Rasheed, a homeless stand-up comedian living out of his car in Los Angeles, giving everything he’s got to make his dreams come true.Cast: Rasheed Stephens, Avis Parsons, Naiya Armour, Boo Kapone, Glen “Big Baby” Davis, Charles Constant, Armie Hicks Jr.World Premiere
BRANDO WITH THE GLASS EYE (Gre-Aus) Director: Antonis TsonisProducers: Tia Spanos Tsonis, Blake NorthfieldA talented method actor commits a heist that goes wrong; he befriends the critically injured victim and tries to reconcile his guilt before his one-shot scholarship audition in New York.Cast: Yiannis Niarros, Kostas Nikoulis, Xenia Dania, Alexandros Chrysanthopoulos, Maria Kallimani, Yiannis Tsortekis, Chara Mata GiannatouWorld Premiere
Darla In Space (USA)Directors: Susie Moon, Eric LaplanteProducers: Erik Mygrant, Hunter SchlesingerDarla Peterson teams up with a sentient orgasm-granting kombucha scoby named Mother to pay off a huge tax debt.Cast: Alex E. Harris, Constance Shulman, Rasheda Crockett, Thomas Jay Ryan, Jenn Lyon, Woody Fu, J.S. Oliver
HELL OF SE (Jap) Director: Sawa KawakamiProducer: Ikuya OnoderaSchool girl “Momo Amano” falls in love with her classmate boy “Hayasaka”, but he loves someone else. Amano’s best friend, “Yoshiyuki”, is opposed to her love. “Hayasaka” is a menstruophile, and one day he took all the used napkins in the school and ran away. From that day on, he never returned to class.Cast: Yura Tsuduri, Watashinoyouna Tenki, Himari Hitomi, Miu Kainuma, Rukapi, Itsuka Hashimura, Tengo SaitoWorld Premiere
Sam’s World (USA) Director: Lily LadyProducer: Dan LalorSam–a non-binary mid 20s sex worker–navigates romantic, sociality and an impending pregnancy-related decision over the course of a weekend in New York City.Cast: Annie Conolly, Ajé Brown, Riley Mac, Quinn, Coco Gordon Moore, Maddie Vasquez, Aurora O’GreenfieldWorld Premiere
The Accident (It) Director: Giuseppe GarauProducer: Cristina TrioAfter being fired, Marcella, a gentle-hearted mother going through separation, buys a tow truck; she gets trapped deeper and deeper in a cynical and aggressive world until a terrible opportunity shines in front of her.Cast: Giulia Mazzarino, Anna Coppola, Alice Dente, Nathalie Bernardi, Elena Savio, Toni Pandolfo, Elisa DentiNorth American Premiere
The Bitcoin Car (Nor) Director: Trygve LuktvasslimoProducers: Trygve Luktvasslimo, Anze PersinAfter pimping out her old Toyota with money she got when a crypto investor started bitcoin mining on her parents grave, a morally challenged goat farmer fears that activity at the mine is endangering everyone.Cast: Sunniva Birkeland Johansen, Henrik Paus, Zoe Winther-Hansen, Johannes Winther Farstad, England Brooks, Espen Beranek Holm, Marianne Jakobsen, Irene SundsfjordNorth American Premiere
The Complex Forms (It) Director: Fabio D’OrtaProducers: Fabio D’Orta, Mariangela Bombardieri, Maria Cristina BombardieriThe anxious wait, in an elegant villa, of a group of desperate people who have sold their bodies to unknown creatures.Cast: David Richard White, Michele Venni, Cesare Bonomelli, Enzo SolazziUS Premiere
The Washer (Ger) Director: Nils A. WittWhile doing the laundry, the young lawyer Jan discovers that the washing machine creates phenomena. The effect can be reproduced and he massively expands his experiments. The machines run 24/7. Is he the only one who knows about it?Cast: Sebastian Bös, Loredana Linglauf, Stephanie Jost, Henry Meyer, Elikem Anyigba, Can ArducWorld Premiere
Documentary Features
Citizen Weiner (USA)Director: Daniel RobbinsProducers: Elliot Allen, Michael Gelfand, Daniel Goldschmidt, Joey Lyons, Daniel RobbinsZack Weiner is an actor residing on New York’s Upper West Side. When the film industry shut down due to COVID-19, Zack and his friend Joe embarked on a unique project: to make a film about running for city council, while actually running for New York‘s city council.Cast: Zack Weiner, Joe Gallagher, Sarah Coffey, James Watson, Aaron Dalla Villa, Cherie Vogelstein, Dan BrightWorld Premiere
Demon Mineral (USA)Director: Hadley AustinProducers: Nevo Shinaar, Emma RobbinsAn account of life in the wake of uranium mining on sacred lands. Shot over 4 years with Diné (Navajo) community oversight and guidance, the film examines the legacy of uranium extraction from the perspectives of both the landscape and its inhabitants.Cast: Emma Robbins, Lisa Robbins, Jesse Holiday, Deb Haaland, Tommy Rock
I’m “George Lucas”: A Connor Ratliff Story (USA) Director: Ryan JacobiProducer: Annamaria SofillasFive years into performing as renowned filmmaker George Lucas in the NY cult comedy show “The George Lucas Talk Show”, comedian Connor Ratliff questions the need for its continuation and his own drive for success and fulfillment in show business.Cast: Connor Ratliff, Griffin Newman, Patrick CotnoirWorld Premiere
On The Way Home (Geor-USA)Director: Giorgi KvelidzeProducers: Nino Shengelaia, David Michael, Giorgi Kvelidze, Charlotte SavageA documentary feature that follows two Georgian families, displaced by war, squatting in an abandoned former Soviet sanatorium as they await government housing.Cast: Nikusha Berulava, Iamze GiorgadzeWorld Premiere
Petro (Sp-Col-USA)Director: Sean MattisonProducers: Trevor Martin, Sean Mattison, Jeremy Gardner, Fernando Monzon, Jessica MillstoneA charismatic former guerrilla’s historic bid for president divides Colombia, a nation weary of conflict and yearning for change.US Premiere
PUNISHMENT (Nor) Director: Øystein MamenProducer: Ingvil GiskeFour inmates on maximum security have chosen to enter a three-week Jesuit silent retreat in prison. They are guided by two priests. The film slowly observes this paradoxical situation, while looking beyond the question of religious belief: How do ethical exercises, rituals, and communal silence affect us? The setting evolves into a prism for gauging a portrait of the existential landscape of the convicted.North American Premiere
Roll Bus Roll: A Jeffrey Lewis Documentary (USA)Director: Ilya PopenkoProducer: Ilya PopenkoMusician Jeffrey Lewis, one of the chief figures of NYC’s anti-folk scene, grapples with crippling anxieties and questions his sanity while embarking on a quest for love. Along the way, he explores the intersection of art and human existence.Cast: Jeffrey Lewis, Adam Green, Jim TestaWorld Premiere
The Death Tour (Can) Directors: Stephan Peterson, Sonya BallantyneProducers: Chris Jericho, Stacey Tenenbaum, Sergeo KirbyThe Death Tour follows wrestling hopefuls across remote indigenous communities in Canada’s far North on ‘the most grueling tour in pro wrestling’. This test of strength and grit will show how far some are willing to go to live their dreams.Cast: Tony Condello, Sage Morin, Sean Dunster, Dez Loreen, Sara McNichol. World Premiere
Breakouts
Anna’s Feelings (Rus) Director: Anna MelikyanProducers: Anna Melikyan, Ekaterina Ryzhaya, Natella Krapivina, Ekaterina Kononenko, Dmitry LitvinovThe story of a simple worker in a provincial factory in Russia, who begins to hear the voices of extraterrestrial civilizations. Now she has to transmit the most important information for humanity.Cast: Anna Mikhalkova, Timofei Tribuntsev, Oleg YagodinUS Premiere
Bike Vessel (USA)Director: Eric D. SealsProducers: Donnie Seals Jr., Resita H. CoxBike Vessel follows a father and son, 35 and 70, as they cycle from St. Louis to Chicago. Film director Eric Seals’ father almost died after three open-heart surgeries. However, he makes a miraculous health recovery after discovering his love for cycling, bringing his son Eric along with him.Cast: Eric D. Seals, Donnie Seals Sr., Sharon Seals, Donnie Seals Jr. Curtis Cotton.
CHAPERONE (USA) Director: Zoe EisenbergProducers: Alison Week, Devin MurphyAlienated by friends and family for her lack of ambition, 29-year-old Misha finds a dangerous acceptance in a bright 19-year-old athlete who mistakes her for a fellow student.Cast: Mitzi Akaha, Laird Akeo, Kanoa Goo, Jessica Jade Andres, Krista Alvarez, Ioane GoodhueWorld Premiere
Love And Work (USA) Director: Pete OhsProducer: Pete OhsDiane and Fox love to work. Unfortunately, they live in a polarized world where having a job is illegal.Cast: Stephanie Hunt, Will Madden, Frank Mosley, Alexi Pappas, John S. DaviesWorld Premiere
One Bullet (Afg)Director: Carol DysingerProducers: Ashim Bhalla, Su Kim, Carol DysingerThis story of female friendship forged amidst America’s longest war is told by a filmmaker who spent 18 years in-and-out of Afghanistan. In this war movie, the battlefield lies behind the curtains of an Afghan home as Bibi Hajji struggles to survive the loss of her youngest child, and the impact of a brother’s death on her remaining sons. A haunting image of that boy surviving a bullet wound prompted director Carol Dysinger to investigate, what happened to him, who fired the shot?
Slide (USA)Director: Bill PlymptonProducers: Rachel Braga Jones, Wendy Cong Zhao, Sean Davis, Natasha Villegas-Cordero, Owen AndrejcoWhat if Clint Eastwood and Mel Brooks became cartoonists and united to create the wackiest, most surreal musical western ever? That’s “Slide.”Cast: Maureen McElheron, Jim Lujan, Tom Racine, Daniel Kaufman, Sasha Odesa, Ana Sophia Colon, Ken Mora, Simone McAlonen
Spotlight Features
Bliss (USA) Director: Joe MaggioProducers: Paula Killen; Matthew Myers; Larry FessendenAn opioid addicted fugitive living off the grid in the desert canyons north of LA plays a twisted game of cat and mouse with a sexually repressed holy-roller in search of her missing sister.Cast: Clint Jordan; Faryl Amadeus; Juan FernandezWorld Premiere
Invisible Nation (USA-Tai)Director: Vanessa HopeProducers: Sylvia Feng, Cassandra Jabola, Ted Hope, Vanessa HopeWith unprecedented access to Taiwan’s first female president Tsai Ing-wen, director Vanessa Hope crafts a fascinating portrait of Taiwan and the country’s struggle to preserve its hard-won democracy. Invisible Nation is a living account of Tsai’s tightrope walk as she balances the hopes and dreams of her nation between the colossal geopolitical forces of the U.S. and China.Cast: President Tsai Ing-wen, Human Rights Commissioner Chen Chu, Taiwan’s Representative to the U.S. Bi-khim Hsiao, Legislator and Heavy Metal Rock Star, Freddy Lim, Taipei City Councilor Wu Pei-yi
The Herricanes (USA)Director: Olivia KuanProducers: James Lee Hernandez, Brian Lazarte, Lisa France, James Short, Justin Baldoni, Andrew CalofThe Houston Herricanes, a women’s professional full-tackle football team, find camaraderie and strength as they controversially open a new door in the world of sports.
Unstoppable Features
DARUMA (USA)Director: Alexander YellenProducers: Kelli McNeil-Yellen, Alexander Yellen, Jodi BinstockPatrick (bitter wheelchair user) must enlist the help of his cantankerous neighbor Robert (double amputee) to transport the four-year-old daughter he never knew he had to live with her maternal grandparents on the other side of the country.Cast: Tobias Forrest, John W. Lawson, Abigail Hawk, Barry Bostwick, Victoria Scott, Joy Nash, Sandi McCree, Austin Basis
Good, Bad Things (USA) Director: Shane D. StangerProducers: Steve Way, Shane D. Stanger, Danny Kurtzman, Sean Crampton, Manuel Gonzalez, Mel McGinnisDanny, a young man with muscular dystrophy who is disillusioned by failed relationships, steps out of his comfort zone and into the world of online dating.Cast: Danny Kurtzman, Brett Dier, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Timothy Granaderos, Samantha Robinson
Leilani’s Fortune (Can)Director/Producer: Loveleen KaurProducer: Loveleen KaurAfter a decade of struggling as an independent artist, “Leilani’s Fortune” follows the blossoming career of queer, Ethiopian-Eritrean artist, Witch Prophet while finally gets the validation and support she needs to create the album of her prophecies.Cast: Witch Prophet, Sun Sun
Look At Me Director: Taylor OlsonProducer: Taylor OlsonA fictional autobiography about an insecure, awkward, and lonely actor who goes on an unwitting journey of self-love in the midst of an eating disorder relapse.Cast: Taylor Olson, Koumbie, Stephanie MacDonald, Sam VigneaultWorld Premiere
NINA Is An ATHLETE (Isr-USA) Directors: Ravit Markus, Livi KesselProducers: Ravit Markus, Livi Kessel, Janine McGoldrickOn the cusp of turning 40, wheelchair badminton champion Nina Gorodetsky aspires to conquer greater competitive heights by representing Israel in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. However, she also wants to conceive, which puts her at a critical career crossroad negotiating a ticking biological clock both as a mother and as an athlete.Cast: Nina Gorodetsky, Dor Kessel, Leon Pugach, Boris Gorodetsky, Tamara Gorodetsky, Reuven Moses, Amir Levy, Ron BolotinWorld Premiere
Episodes
Dog Spelled Backwards (USA)Director: Richie SotoProducer: Tim AlmeidaA Professional Dog Trainer gives viewers an inside look at the American animal shelter system as never seen before.Cast: Tim Almeida, Tipsy, Alger
Eindis Ends It All (USA-Tai)Director: Tamara RosenfeldProducers: Tamara Rosenfeld, Anita TungAfter finding herself inexplicably alone in a post-apocalyptic world, a young woman working through some anger issues must learn to survive the most terrifying thing of all: herself.Cast: Weslie Lechner, Yen Tsao, Stephanie Tang
Lucy & Sara (Chapter 1: Suicide) (UK) Director: Susan ParkProducers: Susan Park, Ryan GageA darkly comedic exploration of two unlikely sisters as they learn to navigate through the vulnerabilities and challenges of life after the passing of their beloved father.Cast: Susan Park, Nicolette Morrison, Jeremy JoyceWorld Premiere
Night Drives – Season 2 Collection (Can)Director: Jono HunterProducer: Jono HunterAn animated sketch comedy series about the joy and futility of life.Cast: Alex Stypula, Chris Sandiford, Ajahnis Charley, Miguel Rivas, Rodrigo Fernandez Stoll, Lory Mpiana, Jono Hunter, Madeline Leon
Restorage (USA)Director: E’an VerdugoProducers: Caleb Davis, Alana RoodIn the light of his estranged father’s passing, Chase inherits an old storage unit that has the ability to fix anything that’s been broken… except for him and his dysfunctional family.Cast: Connor Boyd, Olivia Clari Nice, Jacob Daniels, Joan Deschamps, Stephen Miller, Francis Juare.
