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Animator Bill Plympton's latest feature and the directorial debut of actor Joe Manganiello ("True Blood," "Magic Mike") are among the movies that will play at the 20th annual Slamdance Film Festival.
Slamdance, the upstart companion to the Sundance Film Festival, announced its special-screening and short-film slates this morning.
A highlight of the short-film slate is "DIY," directed by Slamdance co-founder Peter Baxter. It's a celebration of Slamdance's 20 years, featuring interviews with well-known directors who are Slamdance alumni — including Benh Zeitlin ("Beasts of the Southern Wild"), Christopher Nolan ("The Dark Knight"), Rian Johnson ("Looper"), Marc Forster ("World War Z"), Nina Menkes ("Phantom Love") and Oren Peli ("Paranormal Activity").
Slamdance takes place Jan. 17-23 at the Treasure Mountain Inn on Park City's Old Main Street.
Here are the feature films, with descriptions courtesy of Slamdance:
Features
"Cheatin'" (Director: Bill Plympton; U.S.) • A newlywed wife proves the depth of her love by becoming her cheating husband's mistresses.
"Kinderwald"(Director: Lise Raven; Screenwriters: Lise Raven, Frank Brückner; U.S./Germany) • "Two little boys vanish into the mountains in 1854, and their return becomes a mysterious and brutal test of their mother's faith. Cast: Emily Behr, Frank Brückner, Max Cove, Brian McCann.
"La Bare" (Director: Joe Manganiello; U.S.) • An insider's look at the history, the lives and the culture of the greatest male strip club in the world, La Bare Dallas.
"Waiting for Mamu" (Directors: Thomas Morgan, Francois Caillaud, Dan Chen) • Pushpa Basnet has dedicated her life to ensuring no child spends life in prison. Cast: Pushpa Basnet.
Beyond Program
"Crimes Against Humanity" (Director: Jerzy Rose; Screenwriters: Halle Butler & Jerzy Rose; U.S.) • A sweet and trusting young woman is repeatedly injured in bizarre accidents, but her overconfident boyfriend is far from sympathetic - he's busy playing power games at the university where he works. Cast: Mike Lopez, Lyra Hill, Ted Tremper, Adam Paul, Buki Bodunrin, Tommy Heffron.
"Forever Not Alone (Directors: Monja Art, Caroline Bobek; Austria) • An astonishingly up-close and intimate look at the deep bonds of friendship amongst a group of adolescent girls, as one of them prepares to move away.
"Love Steaks" • (Director: Jakob Lass; Screenwriters: Jakob Lass, Nico Woche, Ines Schiller, Timon Schaeppi; Germany) • A shy massage therapist and a rebellious kitchen worker at a luxury hotel develop a bond that turns into a complicated, bittersweet anti-romance. Cast: Lana Cooper, Franz Rogowski.
"Three Night Stand" (Director/Screenwriter: Pat Kiely; Canada) • Carl's plan to reconnect with Sue is compromised when he discovers that his former girlfriend is running the ski lodge where they're vacationing. Cast: Sam Huntington, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Meaghan Rath, Jonathan Cherry.
"Who Took Johnny" (Directors: David Beilinson, Suki Hawley, Michael Galinsky; USA) • On September 5, 1982, Johnny Gosch, 12, disappeared while preparing to deliver newspapers in West Des Moines, Iowa. For the next 30 years his mother Noreen devoted her life to finding out what happened. Cast: Noreen Gosch, John Walsh.
For information on the shorts programs, go to the Slamdance website.