[1]Ten Canadian feature films will be screened at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, a record for Canada at Sundance. This outstanding selection will also include five shorts and three video installations. With 10 feature films out of a programmed 123 features, Canada will present the third-largest line-up at Sundance—accounting for 8% of the overall selection—after the United States and the United Kingdom. The Sundance Film Festival runs from January 22 to February 1, 2015, in Park City, Utah.
“The Canadian line-up at this year’s Sundance Film Festival stands out for its abundance, quality and diversity, confirming that our country is at the forefront of indie filmmaking,” said Carolle Brabant, Executive Director of Telefilm Canada [1]. “The Canadian selection includes narrative features, documentaries, genre films and children’s films, among them several coproductions. Sundance and Canadian filmmakers have long had a close relationship, and this year our talents are offering a range of daring and inspiring films that reflect the spirit of the Festival itself. I’m especially pleased that the 2015 edition is highlighting the uniqueness and appeal of independent Canadian voices in a particularly dazzling way.”
Over the years, several Canadian feature films have won awards at Sundance:
- La Grande séduction, by Jean-François Pouliot, winner of the Audience Award: World Cinema—Dramatic in 2004
- Eve & The Fire Horse, by Julia Kwan, winner of the World Cinema Special Jury Prize—Dramatic in 2006
- In Between Days, by Kim So Yong, winner of the Special Jury Prize for Independent Vision—Dramatic in 2006
- The Corporation, by Mark Achbar and Jennifer Abbott, winner of the World Cinema Audience Award—Documentary in 2004
- Shake Hands with the Devil, byPeter Raymont, winner of the World Cinema Audience Award—Documentary in 2005. In a rare move, Robert Redford, President and Founder of the Sundance Institute, introduced the film and afterwards took part in a Q&A session, where he stated that this kind of documentary was the reason for which he had originally started Sundance
- Grown Up Movie Star, by Adriana Maggs, for which its star, Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black), in what the Festival called a “breakout performance,” won the World Cinema Special Jury Prize for Acting in 2010
The Sundance Film Festival has also launched several other Canadian films on the international scene, among them Up the Yangtze, by Yung Chang, in 2008; Prom Night in Mississippi, by Paul Saltzman, in 2009; and Payback, by Jennifer Baichwal, in 2012.
Canadian feature films selected by Sundance 2015
World Cinema—Dramatic Competition
- Chorus, François Delisle
World Cinema—Documentary Competition
- The Amina Profile (Le Profil Amina), Sophie Deraspe
- How to Change the World, Jerry Rothwell, United Kingdom/Canada coproduction
New Frontier—Film
- The Forbidden Room, Guy Maddin and Evan Johnson
Premieres
- Brooklyn, John Crowley, coproduction United Kingdom/Ireland/Canada coproduction
Park City at Midnight
- Hellions, Bruce McDonald
- Turbo Kid, Anouk Whissell, François Simard and Yoann-Karl Whissell, Canada/New Zealand coproduction
U.S. Dramatic Competition
- The Witch, Robert Eggers, Unites States/Canada
Spotlight
- Aloft, Claudia Llosa, Spain/France/Canada coproduction
Sundance Kids
- The Games Maker, Juan Pablo Buscarini, Argentina/Canada/Italy coproduction
For complete information about the 2015 Canadian line-up at Sundance and Slamdance, the Sundance Festival’s parallel event dedicated to debut feature films, please visit Telefilm Canada’s 2015 Sundance eBroadcast [2] page.
4 Comments To "Record-Breaking Year For Canada At 2015 Sundance Film Festival"
#1 Comment By Tami Quiring (@VillageGamer) On Wednesday January 14, 2015 @ 12:59 am
Record-Breaking Year For Canada At 2015 #Sundance Film Festival [7] #eyeoncanada
#2 Comment By @Howardbike On Wednesday January 21, 2015 @ 9:20 pm
Record-Breaking Year For Canada At 2015 Sundance Film Festival [8]
#3 Comment By @Howardbike On Wednesday January 21, 2015 @ 9:20 pm
Record-Breaking Year For Canada At 2015 Sundance Film Festival [9]
#4 Comment By Lategan Media Group (@LateganMedia) On Friday January 23, 2015 @ 12:17 pm
Record-Breaking Year For Canada At 2015 #Sundance Film Festival [10]