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“Kid Thing,” which screened in the NEXT category at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, tells the story of 10 year old Annie (Sydney Aguirre, “The Virile Man,” “The Old World”) whose daily life is full of solitary mischief as she has no friends her age, and her father (Nathan Zellner) does little on the parenting front. Out in the woods playing one day she hears a call for help from a woman (Oscar nominated actress Susan Tyrrell, “Fat City”) in an abandoned well. Annie feels drawn to the well and visits daily but struggles with her emotions and how to deal with the woman's plight.

“Finding North,” from directors Lori Silverbush and Kristi Jacobson, was nominated for a Grand Jury prize in this year’s Documentary Competition at Sundance.

From writer/director David Trueba, "Madrid, 1987," which was in this year’s World Dramatic Competition at Sundance, uses a city in transition as a starting point to examine a passionate relationship which plays out in a very intense, short period of time. Much of the film’s premise comes from Trueba’s own past as a young journalist during the 1980s when Spain was beginning to move away from the aftermath of General Francisco Franco’s reign and how different generations viewed the changes in society.

“About the Pink Sky,” which was in the World Dramatic Competition at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, is the debut film from director Keiichi Kobayashi.

There are always several compelling stories floating around Park City when Sundance and Slamdance both come to town. But the film “Bindlestiffs,” which had its premiere at Slamdance and won the 2012 Audience Choice Award, may have them all beat this year.

“Arbitrage,” Nicholas Jarecki’s feature film debut as a director, was a part of the Premieres section at Sundance 2012.Encompassing several elements, the film is a suspense thriller about love, loyalty and financial issues.

Who would have thought amateur pornography could serve as a backdrop for a compassionate glimpse into a troubled man’s yearning for love and intimacy? Alexandra Berger’s pinpointing documentary “Danland” gave the 2012 class at the recent Slamdance Film Festival the full monty in capturing three and a half years in the life of the vivacious Dan Leal, aka “Porno Dan.”

As a visual artist, Peter McLarnan was used to including cinematic themes and the imagery of movies in his projects. But the Minneapolis native dove into the world of feature filmmaking with “The Sound of Small Things,” which recently had its premiere at Slamdance, wanting to expand upon his ability to tell a story and even trying for a different audience experience.

Documentary filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady have tackled all sorts of topics in their cinematic careers. Their latest film, “Detropia,” which screened earlier this week at Sundance, is a compelling look at the city of Detroit—its crippling recent past (rampant unemployment, massive population loss and a decaying industrial base) and the hope that residents of “The D” still have that the city can thrive once again.

Stepping into the world of Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim takes an absolute love of the absurd, painfully awkward, lingering scenes, and of course, Michael Gross. Heidecker and Wareheim, the masterminds behind Adult Swim’s “Tom Goes to the Mayor” and the genre defining (even though it is a genre of their own making) “Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!” are bringing their unique comic vision to the big screen with “Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie.”

When Film Slate Magazine talked to cinematographer Wyatt Troll at last year’s Sundance Film Festival, he was there for the screening of “Fight for Your Right Revisited,” a short that was a continuation of the Beastie Boys’ seminal “Fight for Your Right (to Party)” video from 1986. The short starred Elijah Wood, Seth Rogen, and Danny McBride as the Beasties, and was written and directed by real life Beastie Adam “MCA” Yauch.

It has been noted before that producing indie films—and then securing distribution for a movie and guiding it so it is seen before an appreciative audience—takes a special kind of dedication. And now, amidst razor thin margins and a film market that is in a state of flux, it takes a producer who understands the process from top to bottom: how to secure foreign market sales, film incentives to help offset a budget, and what is even considered an indie film these days.

Cristian Plesh is Romanian, and grew up watching movies such as “Highlander” and “Mad Max 2.”According to his parents he refused to eat unless the VCR played one of these two movies. While growing up it was never his intention to become a filmmaker, even though he maintained a movie obsessive nature.

The multi-talented British actor Emrhys Cooper pursued performing from a young age. He graduated from the prestigious Laine Theater Arts College in London, at 19 years old, and was snapped up immediately making his debut in London’s West End, in the Queen Musical “We Will Rock You.” This production proved his love affair with the stage. Soon a role followed in the national tour of “Fame: The Musical.” Cooper’s ability to shine, coupled with his passion for Shakespeare, earned him rave reviews for his role of Orlando in “As You like It” with the Red Earth Theater Company.

For the modern-day moviegoer, a short film--and a silent one at that--is not at the top of their list of movies to see this year. Yet, "Sailcloth," written and directed by Elfar Adalsteins and starring the legendary John Hurt ("Elephant Man," "Alien," "V for Vendetta") is a visually stunning, silent short that is as intriguing as the latest Hollywood blockbuster.

BAFTA, Golden Globe and Oscar Nominated Actor John Hurt has graced screens across the world for nearly 50 years. His resume covers every genre, and he has brought one memorable role after another to life for such directors as Ridley Scott, David Lynch, Mel Brooks, Stephen Frears, Gus Van Sant, Jim Jarmusch, Robert Zemeckis, Guillermo del Toro, and Steven Spielberg. 2011 saw an incredible output of top notch performances, with appearances in high profile releases such as “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2”, “Immortals,” “Melancholia,” and “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.”

Film Slate Magazine’s West Coast Editor Jason Chase Tyrrell had the opportunity to chat with Hurt about this amazing slate of releases, as well as his starring role in the short film “Sailcloth,” a silent film by first time director Elfar Adalsteins that has since found inclusion on the Oscar Shortlist for Best Live Action Short Film.

Since its world premiere at Sundance earlier this year, where it won the 2011 Audience Award in the World Cinema Drama category, Alrick Brown’s “Kinyarwanda” has been garnering praise and accolades along the way as it has played the festival circuit. In addition to its prize at Sundance, the film won the Audience Award in the World Cinema section at AFI Fest 2011 earlier this month, and the Grand Prize at the recent Skip City Film Festival in Japan.

Directed by Luc Besson and screened at this year’s AFI Fest, “The Lady” tells the extraordinary journey of Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize Winner, and her husband, Michael Aris, whose love endures despite circumstances of distance and long separations and a hostile regime.

The new film “Wuss,” written and directed by Clay Liford, centers on Mitch, who is a substitute teacher, a Dungeon and Dragons enthusiast—basically a mega dork who still lives at home and is picked on constantly by his sister, friends and even his students. The film, which stars Nate Rubin, Alicia Anthony and Alex Karpovsky, won the 2011 Audience Choice Award in the Young Americans section at this year's AFI Fest.

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, “The Kid with a Bike” (‘Le Gamin au Velo”) is a deeply moving new film by the Dardenne brothers (“L’enfant,” “Rosetta”). The film delves into the emotional life of troubled 11-year-old Cyril (newcomer Thomas Doret). When his father (Jérémie Renier) abandons him, Cyril--a feisty young boy-- obsessively tries to find his bicycle— after all, his father must have cared about him enough not to sell that off, he reasons.