Sundance Film Festival has hit London town (well the outskirts in North Greenwich) for the second time, and this weekend is packed with amazing films, incredible street food and lots of cool stuff going on. With our friends at Red Carpet News we were able to send our reporter Becky along to chat to some of the film makers and stars that attended this years festival . Here are some of the highlights:
Interview with Kaya Scodelario for her breakout role with Jessica Biel in Emanuel and the Truth About Fishes
Emanuel, an acerbic but sensitive teen, lives with her father and stepmother. She’s on the verge of another birthday – a day she has never cared for since her mother died giving birth to her – when the mysterious Linda, a young and hip mother, moves in next door. Intrigued by Linda’s striking resemblance to her late mother, Emanuel begins to babysit for Linda’s newborn daughter. As Emanuel and Linda spend more time together, they develop a bond that becomes deeply entwined in a surprising secret Linda harbors.
Emanuel and the Truth About Fishes is a hyperstylized and often darkly humorous film that vacillates between surrealism and realism while it incorporates suspenseful drama. Writer/director Francesca Gregorini’s tightly constructed script fuses pain with poetry and explores the complexity of being complicit in the lives of our loved ones. In a breakout performance, Kaya Scodelario is the heart of the film as Emanuel, who must take a courageous journey to enter her dream and help extract Linda from hers.
Interview with Lake Bell about her Directorial Debut about the crazy world of voice overs In A World…a
Winner of the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, In A World… is sure to tickle your funny bone as it pokes holes in the clandestine world of Hollywood voice over talent. Carol Solomon, a struggling vocal coach is both irritated and propelled by the gargantuan ego of her father, Sam Sotto, the reigning king of movie-trailer voice-over artists. Carol musters the courage to pursue her secret aspiration to be a voice-over star. She enlists her fiery sister, Dani, as trusted confidante, and engages the skills of a charming sound techie named Louis. Armed with renewed confidence, Carol lands her first voice-over gig – a primo spot – nabbing the job from industry bad boy Gustav Warner. And then the real trouble begins. Carol becomes entangled in a web of dysfunction, sexism, unmitigated ego, and pride.
Lake Bell shines in her enchanting feature directorial debut. The multitalented Bell also wrote and stars in this hilarious comedy. With the help of a captivating ensemble cast that includes Fred Melamed, Demetri Martin, Michaela Watkins, Ken Marino, and Rob Corddry, In A World… brings us into an idiosyncratic world where one woman fights the odds and finally finds her voice.
Interview with Barbara Kopple Director of Running From Crazy
Hailed as one of the most distinguished families in American literature, the Hemingways have always exposed both their bright brilliance and their harrowing secrets. Two-time Academy Award winner and the only person to sweep all three of the Sundance Film Festival’s documentary awards for American Dream, Barbara Kopple focuses her newest film on Mariel Hemingway, a granddaughter of the legendary writer Ernest, as she explores her family’s disturbing history of mental illness and suicide. As a youngster, Mariel followed her supermodel sister, Margaux, into the acting world. Critics immediately praised Mariel’s natural talent, which created a deep rift between the sisters.
Kopple’s bold portrait of the Hemingways intertwines haunting archival footage from Margaux’s personal family documentary with scenes from Mariel’s life today as she advocates for suicide prevention and strives to live a rigorously healthy lifestyle to combat what appears to be her birthright. Mariel’s courageous journey of acceptance and introspection allows her to view her family and turbulent upbringing through new eyes and, for the first time, accept them with a peaceful heart.
So there’s just a taster of what we’ve heard about so far! We’re at the Festival again today so will be catching up with more talented film makers – so make sure you look out for the videos!