Page 29 - Aruba Today
P. 29
PEOPLE & ARTS A29
Friday 4 December 2015
Sundance Film Festival reveals drama, documentary contenders
career trajectory, from The festival’s domestic
premiering his first feature documentary slate fea-
at Sundance in 2012 to di- tures stories of unsung he-
recting the summer smash roes, such as ALS advocate
“Jurassic World”; and and former NFL star Steve
“Fruitvale Station” director Gleason, and perspectives
Ryan Coogler and Michael on gun violence and social
B. Jordan, who followed media. Titles include “New-
up their 2013 Sundance hit town,” about the commu-
with this year’s “Creed.” nity’s recovery from the
Jennifer Lawrence also first 2012 mass shooting at an
broke out at Sundance five elementary school, and
years ago with “Winter’s “Audrie & Daisy,” about
Bone,” which brought her two teenage victims of on-
first Oscar nod. line bullying.q
This photo shows Markees Christmas in a scene from the film, “Morris From America,” directed
by Chad Hartigan. This week, John Cooper and programming director Trevor Groth announced
the slate of American and international dramas and documentaries in competition this year at
the annual festival in Park City, Utah. (Sean McElwee/Sundance Film Institute via AP)
SANDY COHEN said. “There seems to be a moviegoers everywhere
real want and need for dif- should be excited about
AP Entertainment Writer ferent kinds of stories.” what these movies say
Tales of a slave who helps about the state of cinema,
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The his owner, for example, Cooper said. The 117 fea-
as in writer-director-actor ture-length films showing at
dramatic contenders at Nate Parker’s “The Birth of the January festival were
a Nation”; or of a first-gen- culled from more than
the 2016 Sundance Film eration Korean-American 12,700 submissions.
navigating traditional cul- “It proves that there’s a
Festival span history, genre tural expectations and his choice out there, that
own emerging identity in there are other options for
and setting, from the slave “Spa Night.” your entertainment,” he
Other selections include said. “The whole notion of
days in the South to the “Swiss Army Man,” starring discovery is big... It’s the be-
Paul Dano and Daniel Rad- ginning of a cultural year,
gay-sex scene today in cliffe, about a hopeless lon- and also the discovery of
er who befriends a dead new talent: talent that go
LA’s Korean spas. body; and “Tallulah,” star- onto direct other films, and
ring Ellen Page and Allison acting talent that go on to
What unites them, says fes- Janney, about a young be in other films and really
woman who steals a baby become what’s driving the
tival director John Cooper, from a wealthy family. film business forward.”
While most Sundance films Recent Sundance success
is excellent storytelling and won’t be seen outside the stories include Colin Trev-
festival for many months, orrow’s hyper-charged
a “thorough understand-
ing of the craft of filmmak-
ing, especially writing.”
This week, Cooper and
programming director
Trevor Groth announced
the slate of American and
international dramas and
documentaries in compe-
tition this year at the annu-
al festival in Park City, Utah.
“Independent film is evolv-
ing right now,” Cooper
Michael Flatley will hit the road a last time
MARK KENNEDY country who could not on March 17 — St. Pat-
AP Drama Writer make it to New York to ricks’s Day — at The Colos-
NEW YORK (AP) — Mi- bring the show to them seum at Caesars Palace in
chael Flatley’s ailing legs and we have decided to Las Vegas.
will apparently be healthy do a small tour of the U.S.,” Flatley currently is starring
enough for one last Ameri- Flatley said in a statement. in an eight-week engage-
can tour. “I haven’t performed in ment on Broadway at the
The trailblazing former America for years and we Lyric Theatre that will run
“Riverdance” star said are really looking forward through Jan. 3. He appears
Thursday he and his to ending this tour and at the encore of each eve-
farewell show, “Lord of my time on stage with a ning show, dancing along-
the Dance: Dangerous bang!” side holographic movies of
Games,” will strike out on Flatley’s 17-city U.S. tour his iconic dances.
the road and hit such cit- kicks off in Sunrise, Florida, The tour will mark his official
ies as Chicago, Boston, on Feb. 19, and then goes retirement from dancing.
Philadelphia, Dallas and to Georgia, Massachu- He’s said he’s been suffer-
Los Angeles after his stint setts, Connecticut, Penn- ing from spinal, knee, foot
ends on Broadway early sylvania, Michigan, Illinois, and rib pain — the result of
next year. Missouri, Texas, Colorado, years of Irish step-dancing
“We have heard requests California, Arizona and infused with tap and mod-
from our fans across the Washington, D.C. It ends ern dance.q
