Slamdance has announced its “anti-algorithm” lineup for the 2022 hybrid festival, marking the 28th annual edition of the “by filmmakers, for filmmakers” event.
The festival also marked its return to its original home in Park City, Utah, where in-person events will take place from Jan. 20-23, 2022 and virtual screenings will take place from Jan. 20-30, 2022. Slamdance is known for helping to discover talents including Christopher Nolan, the Russo Brothers, Lynn Shelton, Lena Dunham, Ari Aster, Andrew Patterson, and Merawi Gerima.
“We are anti-algorithm. That’s always been true, but it’s more urgent than ever as we continue to celebrate truly unique voices that defy simple classification and transcend analytics,” said Slamdance president and co-founder Peter Baxter. “This year our programmers gravitated towards films that embody the true DIY spirit of guerrilla filmmaking and push the boundaries of what’s possible in storytelling. The Slamdance team is honored to introduce every one of these storytellers, who are changing the media narrative and elevating the art form of independent film.”
The 2022 feature competition lineup includes 23 premieres, 13 of which are world premieres, six of which are North American, and four of which are U.S. debuts. Out of a whopping 1,124 submissions, the competition lineup comes from all over the world, including Germany, Australia, Iran, Canada, China, Italy, Poland, and the UK among others.
As has been the case since Slamdance was founded in 1995, all competition films must be feature-length, directorial debuts without U.S. distribution, made with budgets of less than $1 million U.S. dollars.
All films in the lineup were selected by a team of Slamdance alumni via a blind submission process. There were 8,168 total submissions for 2022, over 1500 of which were features.
Only narrative features, documentary features, and episode sections are eligible for the Audience Award, while all films and projects are eligible for the George Sparks Spirit of Slamdance Award and the AGBO Fellowship, the latter of which will continue was founded by Slamdance alumni Anthony and Joe Russo (Avengers: Endgame, Avengers: Infinity War). The fellowship winner receives a $25,000 cash prize, mentorship from the Russo brothers, and office space. Last year, the 2021 fellowship was awarded to Agnieszka Polska for her debut feature Hurrah, We Are Still Alive!
Slamdance also announced selections for the 4th annual Breakouts section, which features films by seasoned directors “who demonstrate a determined vision of filmmaking that is distinctly their own.” Nearly 50% of all selections were previous alumni of the festival.
The festival is also expanding its Unstoppable program, which debuted last year to showcase films by or about creators with visible and non-visible disabilities. It was programmed by disabled festival alumni, and “aims to eliminate the prejudices and gate-keeping that have historically kept disabilities from being represented in the entertainment industry,” according to Slamdance. This year’s Unstoppable program will also include feature films.
A new edition to the 2022 festival is the Blockchain Fairy Tales storytelling program presented by Columbia University’s Digital Storytelling Lab. Using Blockchain technology from the Tezos platform, this two-hour immersive storytelling is available both online and in-person in Park City, where participants will be “able to see their collective ideas come to life on the silver screen and become part of a real blockchain ledger, allowing future participants to use these festival-created artifacts to continue the tale,” according to Slamdance.
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The festival’s ever-present shorts program is returning again in 2022, as is the third annual Episodes category. Slamdance is also presenting DIG, a showcase of digital, interactive, and gaming artwork which will be featured at in-person and virtual events throughout 2022.
You can buy passes to the 2022 festival on the Slamdance website here.
Read the full lineup below:
NARRATIVE FEATURES
Actual People – (USA) North American Premiere
Director/Screenwriter: Kit Zauhar; Producers: Kit Zauhar, Andrew Nadkarni, Jason Wang
Goodafternoon Sweetdream – (South Korea) World Premiere
Director/Screenwriter: Bang Seung Hyeon
Hannah Ha Ha – (United States) World Premiere
Directors/Screenwriters: Jordan Tetewsky, Joshua Pikovsky; Producers: Roger Mancusi, Emily Freire
Honeycomb – (Canada) World Premiere
Director/Producer: Avalon Fast; Screenwriters: Avalon Fast, Emmett Roiko
Love Tasting – (Poland) US Premiere
Director/Screenwriters: Dawid Nickel; Producer: Marta Habior
Snow White Dies at the End – (North Macedonia, Cyprus) World Premiere
Director/Screenwriter: Kristijan Risteski; Producer: Darko Popov
The Civil Dead – (USA) World Premiere
Director: Clay Tatum; Screenwriters: Clay Tatum, Whitmer Thomas; Producers: Mike Marasco, Kasandra Baruch
Therapy Dogs – (Canada) World Premiere
Director: Ethan Eng; Screenwriters: Ethan Eng, Justin Morrice; Producers: shy kids, EP: Matthew Miller, Matt Johnson
Ultrainocencia – (Spain) North American Premiere
Director: Manuel Arija; Screenwriters: Manuel Arija, David Climent, Pablo Molinero; Producer: Alma Prieto
Yelling Fire In An Empty Theater – (USA)
Director/Screenwriter: Justin Zuckerman; Producer: Ryan Martin Brown
DOCUMENTARY FEATURES
Doggy Love – (Iran) US Premiere
Director/Screenwriter: Mahmoud Ghaffari; Producers: Mahnaz Jarchi
Ferroequinology – (UK and USA) North American Premiere
Director: Alex Nevill; Producers: Keith Haitkin, Alex Nevill
Forget Me Not – (USA)
Director: Olivier Bernier; Producers: Olivier Bernier, Tiffany Conklin, Patrick Solomon, Ana Lucia Villela, Estela Renner, Luana Lobo, Marcos Nisti
Fury – (Poland) North American Premiere
Director/Screenwriter: Krzysztof Kasior; Producer: Adam Slesicki
Imperfect – (USA)
Directors/Producers: Brian Malone, Regan Linton
New Jack – (USA) World Premiere
Director: Danny Lee, Noah Lee; Producer: Grant Hyun
Sylvie of the Sunshine State – (USA) World Premiere
Director: Sasha Levinson; Screenwriters: Jonathan Sanford, Sasha Levinson; Producers: Katie White, Jonathan Sanford, Chris Brown
Underdog – (USA)
Director: Tommy Hyde; Producers: Aaron Woolf, Kyra Schaefer
BREAKOUTS
Be Right Back – (Germany) World Premiere
Director: Frauke Havemann; Screenwriters: Frauke Havemann, Peter Stamer, Matthias Wittekindt; Producers: Frauke Havemann, Eric Schefter
Facing Monsters – (Australia) US Premiere
Director/Screenwriter: Bentley Dean; Producers: Frank Chidiac, Susanne Morrison, Chris Veerhuis, Sonya Rifici
Killing the Eunuch KHAN – (Iran) North American Premiere
Director/Screenwriter: Abed Abest; Producer: Shahrzad Seifi
Paris is in Harlem – (USA) World Premiere
Director/Screenwriter: Christina Kallas; Producers: Christina Kallas, Josh Mandel
Retrograde – (Canada) World Premiere
Director/Screenwriter: Adrian Murray; Producers: Adrian Murray, Sennah Yee, Priscilla Galvez
We Are Living Things – (USA, China, Italy) North American Premiere
Director: Antonio Tibaldi; Screenwriters: Alex Lora, Antonio Tibaldi; Producers: Fan He, Andrew K. Li, Alex Lora, Antonio Tibaldi
UNSTOPPABLE FEATURES
Iron Family – (USA)
Director: Patrick Longstreth; Producers: Patrick Longstreth, Anne Longstreth, Chad Faries
Poppy – (New Zealand)
Director/Screenwriter: Linda Niccol; Producers: Robin Laing, Alex Cole-Baker
Straighten Up and Fly Right – (USA) World Premiere
Directors/Screenwriters: Kristen Abate, Steven Tanenbaum ; Producers: Kristen Abate, Lindsey Cordero, Armando Croda, Steven Tanenbaum
SPOTLIGHT
The Severing – (USA) World Premiere
Director/Screenwriter: Mark Pellington; Producers: Mark Pellington, Dana Marshall, Nina McNeely
2022 shorts programming includes:
ANIMATION SHORTS
(Cathedral) – (USA) World Premiere
Director: James Bascara
Charlotte – (USA)
Director/Screenwriter: Zach Dorn
Crumbs Of Life – (Poland) North American Premiere
Director/Screenwriter: Katarzyna Miechowicz; Producer: Agata Golanska
Dad Tax – (USA) North American Premiere
Director/Screenwriter: Ida Lasic
I‘m Here – (Poland)
Director/Screenwriter: Julia Orlik; Producer: Agata Golanska
Muerte Murciélago – (Spain) North American Premiere
Director/Screenwriter: Carlos Saiz; Producer: Maria Soler Chopo
Oldboy’s Apples – (USA)
Director/Producer: Brad Hock; Screenwriters: Brad Hock, Sami Graf
On Time Off Time – (Japan)
Director/Screenwriter/Producer: Hirotoshi Iwasaki
Ontbinding – (Belgium) US Premiere
Director/Screenwriter: Dries Bogaert; Producer: KASK
Open One’s Mouth – (Japan)
Director: Akane Murata; Producer: Kei Oyama
Plantarium – (Poland) North American Premiere
Director/Screenwriter: Tomasz Ducki; Producer: Ewelina Gordziejuk
Sensual Pill – (Greece) North American Premiere
Director/Screenwriter/Producer: Sam3
Somebody Take the Wheel – (USA) US Premiere
Director: Kenzie Sutton
Tap Runner – (UK) US Premiere
Director/Screenwriter/Producer: Paolo Chianta
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS
A Few Things I’m Beginning to Understand – (USA)
Director/Producer: Xenia Matthews
A Table Is As Good As Nine Lives – (USA) World Premiere
Director/Screenwriter: Christina Leonardi; Producers: Christina Leonardi, Scott Sweitzer
Freedom Swimmer – (Australia, France, UK, HK)
Director/Screenwriter: Olivia Martin-McGuire; Producers: Brooke Silcox, Ron Dyens, Olivia Martin-McGuire
Gladiolus – (Iran) World Premiere
Director: Azadeh Navai; Producer: Nathan Meier
My Parent, Neal – (USA)
Director: Hannah Saidiner
No Soy Óscar – (USA, Mexico)
Director: Jon Ayon; Producer: Emily Ruth Smith
Telos or Bust – (USA)
Director: Brad Abrahams; Screenwriter: Kai Wada Roath; Producer: Matt Ralston
The Ritual to Beauty – (USA) World Premiere
Director/Producer: Shenny de Los Angeles
The Space Between You & Me – (UK, USA) World Premiere
Director: Lily Ahree Siegel
The Sticklet Weaver – (USA) World Premiere
Director: James Hollenbaugh
Walls Cannot Keep Us From Flying – (USA)
Director: Jonathan Haff Mehring; Producers: Jonathan Haff Mehring, Joe Bressler
DEPARTMENT OF ANARCHY
Geneva Jacuzzi’s Casket – (USA)
Director/Screenwriter: Chris Friend; Producer: Hunter Lee Hughes
It’s Coming It’s Real – (USA) World Premiere
Directors/Screenwriters/Producers: Alexia Oldini, Steven Gray
Little Berlin – (France)
Director/Screenwriter: Kate McMullen; Producers: Paul Waters, Sophie Martin, Nicolas d’Autryve
Platform – (Germany) North American Premiere
Directors/Screenwriters: Steffen Köhn, Johannes Büttner; Producers: Patrick Jasim, Phillip Kaminiak, Paola Calvo
Return of the Action Man – (USA)
Director/Screenwriter: Scott Peters; Producers: Roy Chung, Ryan Chung, Michael Figge
Scarlet Red – (Belgium)
Director/Screenwriter: Toon Loenders; Producer: Geert Van Goethem
Visitors – (Japan)
Director/Screenwriter: Kenichi Ugana
What’s My Name? – (UK) North American Premiere
Director: Arthur Studholme; Screenwriters: Cosmo Wellings, Arthur Studholme; Producers: Uncle Shortbread, Rafe Studholme
Winter Insect, Summer Flower – (USA) World Premiere
Director/Screenwriter: Tee Jaehyung Park, Gbenga Komolafe; Producers: Ava Doorley
Your Houseplants Are Screaming – (USA)
Director: Benjamin Roberds; Producer: Katie Gregg
EXPERIMENTAL SHORTS
Chameleon – (USA)
Director/Screenwriter: Ima Iduozee and Jaamil Olawale Kosoko
Difficult Donuts – (USA) World Premiere
Director/Screenwriter: Trevon Jakaar Coleman;
Compositions for Understanding Relationships – (USA)
Director/Screenwriter: David De La Fuente
Fireflies – (Brazil)
Director: Léo Bittencourt; Screenwriters: Léo Bittencourt and Ricardo Pretti; Producers: Júlia Murat and Léo Bittencourt
Paper Bag Test – (USA)
Director/Screenwriter: Trevon Jakaar Coleman
Show Me Other Places – (Sri Lanka, USA)
Director/Screenwriter: Rajee Samarasinghe; Producer: Rajee Samarasinghe
Terrain Behind the Eyes – (South Korea, USA)
Director: Sohee Kim
NARRATIVE SHORTS
Beyond Is The Day – (Poland)
Director/Screenwriter: Damian Kocur; Producers: Damian Kocur, Michał Sadowski
Blind Spots – (Germany)
Director/Screenwriter: Luis Schubert; Producer: Luis Schubert
Bracha – (Israel)
Director: Mickey Triest, Aaron Geva; Screenwriter: Batel Moseri; Producer: Ayelet Imberman
CD-Trip – (USA)
Director: Michael Biggs
Chiatura – (France) North American Premiere
Director/Screenwriter: Toby Andris; Producer: Joanna Sitkowska
Cosboi – (USA) World Premiere
Director/Screenwriter: Gosha Shapiro; Producers: Zoey Pressey, Eli Raskin
Dear Maslow – (USA)
Director/Screenwriter: Elizabeth Godar
Fish Fingers – (Switzerland) North American Premiere
Director/Screenwriter: Lars Mulle
Foulmouth – (USA) World Premiere
Director/Screenwriter: Taylor Thompson; Producer: Trey Braheem
From Water Comes Melon – (USA) World Premiere
Director/Screenwriter: Micah Vassau; Producers: Micah Vassau, Ian McClerin
I Suppose I’m An Inconvenience – (USA)
Director/Screenwriter: Cory Snearowski
In the Jam Jar – (Canada) US Premiere
Director/Screenwriter: Colin Nixon; Producer: Étienne Hansez
Jamal – (Indonesia) US Premiere
Director/Screenwriter: Muhammad Heri Fadli; Producers: I Putu Yudhistira
Kafkas – (UK) North American Premiere
Director: Nick Blake; Screenwriter: Robin Blake, Nick Blake, Marianne Wiggins; Producer: Caroline Dreesmann
Meat – (Uganda, UK) North American Premiere
Director: Asher Rosen; Screenwriters: Ezra Mugisha, Innocent Niyonzima, Bizimana Hussain, Florenz Mariserena, Asher Rosen, Luke Reilly; Producers: Ian Prior, Ezra Mugisha
Places – Lithuania
Director/Screenwriter: Vytautas Katkus; Producer: Klementina Remeikaitė
Ratking – (USA) World Premiere
Director/Screenwriter: Eric Colonna; Producers: Anthony Lucido, Brian White, Eric Colonna
See You, Garbage! – (Canada)
Director/Screenwriter: Romain Dumont; Producers: Patrick Francke-Sirois, Isabelle Grignon-Francke
The Bugs and The Slugs – (USA) World Premiere
Director/Screenwriter: Greyson Horst; Producer: Lucy Smith-Williams
The Event – (USA) World Premiere
Directors: Frank Mosley, Hugo De Sousa; Screenwriter: Hugo De Sousa; Producers: Chelsea Bo, Sean Drummond
Tsugumi – (USA) World Premiere
Director/Screenwriter: Shiyu Hu; Producers: Cindy Wu
True Story: I Feel – (USA)
Director/Screenwriter: Matthew Law; Producers: Matthew Law, Rob Smith, Grasie Mercedes, Lashaun Clay
UNSTOPPABLE SHORTS
Broken Hearts – (USA) World Premiere
Director: Alessandra Lichtenfeld; Screenwriters: Alessandra Lichtenfeld, Max Kaplow; Producers: Maggie M. Bailey, Edna Diaz, Annika Horne, Alessandra Lichtenfeld
Denzel – (UK)
Director/Screenwriter: Michael Gamarano Singleton; Producers: Michael Gamarano Singleton
Freebird – (Canada, USA)
Directors: Michael Joseph McDonald, Joe Bluhm, Nicholas Herd; Screenwriters: Michael Joseph McDonald, Joe Bluhm; Producers: Louis Pilotte, Stefanie Bitton, Jordan Hart, Michael Joseph McDonald, Jennifer Nadeau, Mariana Duran
Noche del Infierno (Hell Night) – (USA)
Director: Andrew Reid; Screenwriters: Jesenia Ruiz, Roberto Saieh; Producers: Jake Katofsky, Gia Rigoli
Illustrating Sam Newton – (Australia) World Premiere
Director/Screenwriter: Lily Drummond; Producers: Lily Drummond, Payton Hogan
Ipseity – Marisa’s Story – (USA)
Director: Nicholas Stachurski
JamieSonShine – (USA)
Directors: Phoebe Jane Hart, Jamieson Hart; Screenwriter: Phoebe Jane Hart; Producers: Phoebe Jane Hart
My Brother is Deaf – (USA)
Director/Screenwriter: Peter Hoffman Kimball; Producers: Bracken Kimball, Peter Hoffman Kimball
Oreo: The Trilogy – (USA) World Premiere
Director/Screenwriter: Cashmere Jasmine; Producers: Bree Jones, Caitlin Arcand
Roommates – (USA) World Premiere
Director: Ashley Eakin; Screenwriters: Ashley Eakin,Kelsey Johnson; Producers: Paul Feig, Laura Fischer, Kesila Childers, Erica Fishman, Elle Roth-Brunet, Jesy Odio
Selahy (My Weapon) – (Jordan, USA)
Director/Screenwriter: Alaa Zabara; Producers: Pierre Bagley
Signs and Gestures – (UK) US Premiere
Director/Screenwriter: Itandehui Jansen; Producers: Reece Smith
Silent World – (UK) North American Premiere
Director/Screenwriter: Charlie Dennis; Producers: Micheal Newton
South – (USA)
Director/Screenwriter: Kyle Gibbins; Producers: Kyle Gibbins, Patrick Cone
Sparkles – (Australia)
Director: Jacqueline Pelczar; Screenwriter: Tina Fielding; Producers: Cody Greenwood
The Multi – (USA) US Premiere
Directors: Storm Smith, Mikail Chowdhury; Screenwriter: Natasha Ofili; Producers: Natasha Ofili, Mikail Chowdhury
2022 Episodes programming includes:
Devonte – (USA) World Premiere
Director/Screenwriter: Josh Kahn; Producers: Josh Kahn, Charlie Fritschner, Aron Phillips
Hidden Kingdom – (US, Colombia, Dominican Republic) World Premiere
Directors: Sunny Lee, Jacqueline Davis; Producers: Emily Backerman
Inappropriate Jokes Well Told Presents: “A Priest Walking Through The Woods At Night” – (USA) World Premiere
Director: Mario Garza; Screenwriter: Mario Garza, Hugo Bierschenk, Dean Woodhouse; Producers: Julia Elaine Mills
Space Wizards Must Die – (USA) World Premiere
Director/Screenwriter/Producer: Grier Dill
The Ember Knight Show: “Getting Mad” – (USA)
Director: Bobby McCoy; Screenwriter: Ember Knight, Bobby McCoy; Producers: Ember Knight, Bobby McCoy, Mikey Santos, Clara Murray, Dino Stamatopoulos
Wipe Me Away – (Canada)
Director: Eric Picolli; Screenwriters: Florence Lafond, Eric Piccolli; Producers: Philippe Allard, Marco Frascarelli, Mathieu Paiement, Eric Piccolli
Witchsters – (USA)
Director/Screenwriter/Producer: Charla Lauriston
2022 DIG: Digital, Interactive and Gaming selections include:
Be Your Own Dentist – (USA)
Director: Jon Sims; Writers: Katya Zamo, Jon Sims; Producers: Jon Sims, Producer Entertainment Group
Bystanding: The Feingold Syndrome – (Canada, Germany, Israel)
Creator: Nim Shapira; Writer: Lior Zalmanson; Producers: Nim Shapira, Roi Lev, Max Sacker, Loulia Isserlis
Dislocation – (Croatia, France)
Creators/Writers/Producers: Veljko Popovic, Milivoj Popovic
Greenwood Avenue: A Virtual Reality Experience – (USA)
Creator: Ayana Baraka; Directors: Tarik Jackson, Spade Robinson, Talibah Newman; Screenwriters: Spade Robinson, Suzen Baraka, Ayana Baraka; Producers: Ayana Baraka, Osahon Tongo, Kenya Uhuru
Harold Halibut – (Germany)
Creators: Onat Hekimoglu, Ole Tillmann, Fabian Preuschoff, Daniel Beckmann, Ilja Burzev; Writers: Danny Wadeson, Onat Hekimoglu, Ole Tillmann, Fabian Preuschoff
Hydrocosmos – (Italy) US Premiere
Creator/Writer: Milad Tangshir; Producers: Francesca Cinalli
Incomplete – (USA, UK)
Creator/Writer/Producer: Dalena Tran
Little Pakistan – Future Histories – (USA, Pakistan)
Creator/Producer: Sana Akram
Maharaja’s children. Brave bunch in India. – (Poland) North American Premiere
Director: Tomasz Stankiewicz; Writers: Tomasz Stankiewicz, Monika Kowaleczko-Szumowska; Producers: Monika Kowaleczko-Szumowska, Zofia Pregowska
Montegelato – (Italy)
Director/Producer: David Rappe
Patch – (China) North American Premiere
Directors: Wei Huang, Yufei Chen, Juan Hu; Screenwriters: Juan Hu
The Mississippi – (USA) North American Premiere
Director: Keely Kernan; Producer: Dan Frank
We Are Such Stuff as Dreams Are Made On – (UK)
Director/Producer: Sam Crane; Writers: Sam Crane, William Shakespeare
What happens when you try to perform Shakespeare inside Grand Theft Auto?
Cast: Sam Crane, Mark Oosterveen
Main Image: A still from Australia’s Facing Monsters feature documentary competing in Slamdance’s Breakout category. Photo courtesy of Slamdance.
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