Sundance 2008
Posted Mar 21, 2008
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Even for those who do not relish brisk winter winds, frosty breath on the air, or fresh-fallen snow, there is something else that winter has to offer - Sundance. The attention of the film-loving world shifts to the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah each February. It is known for highlighting independent films the likes of Sex, Lies, and Videotape 1989 (1990 Audience Award winner at Sundance, 1990 Academy Award for best original screenplay and four Independent Spirit Awards) and Smoke Signals 1998 (Sundance Audience Award and Filmmaker's Trophy). The Sundance Institute has produced films such as Little Miss Sunshine (2007 winner of two Academy Awards and four Independent Spirit Awards). In recent years, immigrants and immigration and the clashing, acceptance, and melding of different cultures have been prominent themes among the films at Sundance. Several years ago MurthyDotCom began a list of films on this topic, for which we regularly receive messages of thanks from immigrants, from teachers, and from those in the film industry, as well as regular film buffs. Following are some films from Sundance 2008 that will be added to our film page in the coming days. Find the entire list, in reverse-chronological order at http://www.murthy.com/films.html.
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Frozen River (2008)  Written and directed by Courtney Hunt (USA) and winner of the dramatic Grand Jury Prize at Sundance 2008. Frozen River stars Melissa Leo (The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada 2005) and Misty Upham. It is the story of an alliance between two desperate women in Upstate New York. Hunt examines the realities of human smuggling and the difficult choices with which poor, single mothers are faced.
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La Misma Luna (Under the Same Moon) (2007)  Directed by Patricia Riggen and written by Ligiah Villalobos, this is a heartwarming story about a mother who leaves Mexico to make a home for herself and her son (Adrian Alonso). When the boy's grandmother dies, leaving him alone, he sets off on his own to find his mother (Kate del Castillo). Fox Searchlight purchased this film at the Sundance Film Festival. Recognizing that this theme is more than just the plot for a movie, the film's website has provided links to organizations that help to reunite separated immigrant families.
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The Visitor (2007)  Written and directed by Tom McCarthy (USA), who brought us the award winning, The Station Agent 2003, The Visitor is the story of Walter (Richard Jenkins), a lonely widower and professor of economics, who is called to a conference in New York. When he arrives at the rarely-used apartment he keeps in the City, he startles a young couple who have been squatting there illegally. The young man is from Lebanon (Haaz Sleiman) and his wife from Senegal (Danai Jekesai Gurira). When the young man is arrested and his wife is not allowed to see him in the immigration detention center, Walter is prevailed upon to help her. But in the end, it may be Walter who is truly rescued.
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Strangers (2007)  Written and directed by Erez Tadmor and Guy Nattiv (Israel), this is an impossible love story about an Israeli kibbutznik and a Palestinian from Paris, who meet in Berlin at the World Cup finals when their identical backpacks are switched. The boy follows the girl to Paris, where the harshness of the real world makes its presence felt.
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Towelhead (2007)  Written and directed by Alan Ball (USA), based on a novel by Alicia Erian. 1980s-USA was the time of Desert Storm. Towelhead is the coming-of-age story of a 13-year-old ArabAmerican girl, Jasira (Summer Bishil). The daughter of estranged parents, an American mother (Maria Bello) and a strict and patriotic AmericanLebanese immigrant father (Peter Macdissi), Jasira's sexuality has the men prowling around. Towelhead portrays the racial attitudes that already existed towards Arabs in the U.S., erupting after 9/11.
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Sleep Dealer (2008)  Written by Alex Rivera and David Riker, directed by Alex Rivera (USA / Mexico).  International borders that are impenetrable, militarized corporations, and how the average drone fits into a computerized future are the theme of this compelling film.
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Kicking It (2007)  Written and directed by Susan Koch (USA). Both homelessness and soccer can be found throughout the world. Kicking It brings them together for the film-going audience, showing us the astounding Homeless World Cup. Begun in 2001 to improve the lives of the homeless through sports, we learn that 500 players, representing 48 countries, have earned a trip to Cape Town, South Africa to play in the tournament. Seven players are profiled. Although this is a documentary, there is something reminiscent of the Preston Sturges film classic, Sullivan's Travels 1941 in this theme.
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Captain Abu Raed (2007)  Written and directed by Amin Matalqa (Jordan), this is the first independent film to come out of Jordan. Captain Abu Raed is significant for that reason alone, but the film continues to deliver from there. While this is not a film on immigrants or immigration, it is about the dream of seeing the world and the sharing of imagined experiences through storytelling.