Slamdance 2012 Coverage
Buffalo Girls
In this challenging documentary, director Todd Kellstein gives us a sympathetic look into the world of Stam and Pet, just two of the 30,000 professional Muay Thai fighters in rural Thailand’s underground child boxing circuit. Stam and Pet, both eight years old, are prodded into the boxing circuit by their parents, who use the large prize sums to support each of their families in a struggling farming community. … read more
OK, Good
In his feature film directorial debut, Daniel Martinico brings us OK, Good, a film following the experiences of Los Angeles based actor Paul Kaplan. As he goes to auditions, trains with an acting workshop and goes about his daily life in LA, Paul finds himself in some frustrating situations, which eventaully cause him to lose his calm composure and spiral out of control. … read more
Sundowning
Frank Rinaldi’s debut feature film, shot entirely in Singapore, follows a woman in her twenties named Shannon (played by Shannon Fitzpatrick) as she deals with the early onset of dementia. … read more
Kelly
In his feature film directorial debut, James Stenson brings us Kelly, a documentary about Kelly Van Ryan, a transgender prostitute living in Los Angeles. Stenson reveals Kelly’s life in layers, starting with her living in high demand. But as more about Kelly is revealed, the more one-dimensional she becomes. … read more
Roller Town
Roller Town takes place in a part of the past where everyone roller-skates and everything is awesome. After “gangsters” murder his father, Leo grows up alone, knowing nothing but roller-skating. Leo’s smooth moves at the roller rink help him steal the mayor’s daughter from a local skate-snob, but when the goons who killed his father return to kill disco and turn local teens into video-arcade-addicted zombies, will roller-skating be enough to help Leo defeat them? … read more
We Win Or We Die
Mahdi Zew, an oil company administrator and father of two daughters, pilots his car with a trunk full of explosive gas cylinders into the heart of the Katiba. This suicidal and heroic act devastates his family, yet creates a new future for Benghazi. … read more
Welcome to Pine Hill
Based on real events in the life of lead actor Shannon Harper (playing himself), Welcome to Pine Hill presents an intimate look into the life of a young black man as he severs the ties of his drug-dealing past and attempts to cope with his sudden diagnosis of terminal cancer. … read more
February
Opening with a dark and surreal sex scene, we follow the main character’s search for human connection on the most basic level. Sex permeates the 11-minute film, from the thumping sounds our character hears above the basement floor while fixing a pipe, to the blowjob he receives in an alley outside of a booming nightclub. … read more
The Sound of Small Things
Peter McLarnan presents a gut-wrenching look into the young marriage of Sam and Cara as they struggle to maintain trust and communication despite Cara’s recent deafness. A group of visual artists’ first foray into narrative filmmaking, The Sound of Small Things uses lush cinematography to capture the nuances of human interaction. … read more
Getting Up
Slamdance alumnus Caskey Ebeling’s Getting Up documents the artistic rehabilitation of Los Angeles graffiti legend, social activist and publisher Tempt One. … read more