DAS returns to the Sundance Film Festival — (Thursday, January 17 – Sunday, January 27) — once again representing a number of exciting clients and projects. Partners Marc H. Simon and Andrea F. Cannistraci will be in Park City and though partner Susan H. Bodine will not attend, she is also representing a few films in competition.
“Life According to Sam” makes its world premiere at Sundance, a documentary feature about one family’s fight to save their son from a rare and fatal disease, progeria, in which the average age of death is 13, and there is no treatment and no cure. But Dr. Leslie Gordon and Dr. Scott Berns are struggling to change this – and this year their son Sam is turning 16. (Legal: Susan H. Bodine for the directors/producers Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine. Just last week the Fines were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short for “Inocente,” which they also directed and produced).
“Magic Magic,” starring Juno Temple and Michael Cera, makes its premiere at Sundance — a thriller following a young woman vacationing in Chilè as she descends into madness. (Legal: Susan H. Bodine and Andrea F. Cannistraci for producer Braven Films).
And “Dirty Wars” premieres at Sundance; part documentary, part thriller, the film tracks investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill (author of the international bestseller “Blackwater”) as he probes the covert wars in Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia and beyond. “Astonishingly hard-hitting” — Variety. (Legal for “Dirty Wars”, Susan H. Bodine and Marc H. Simon for distributor Civic Bakery). (Update: Congratulations to “Dirty Wars” on its win of the Sundance Cinematography Award, U.S. Documentary, for Richard Rowley).
Mr. Simon also represents the documentary “Gideon’s Army,” directed and produced by his client Dawn Porter — the story of a group of young, idealistic public defenders working in the Deep South. (Update: Congratulations to “Gideon’s Army” on its win of the Sundance Editing Award, U.S. Documentary, for Matthew Hamachek. The film was also recently selected as the recipient of the Ford Foundation’s prestigious Social Justice Film Fund Award).
In the U.S. Dramatic competition, Mr. Simon also represents “Upstream Color” — a science fiction romantic thriller –written, produced and directed by his client Shane Carruth (“Primer”). Mr. Carruth’s innovative indie distribution strategy for this, his follow-up second feature, has recently earned the media spotlight. (Update: Congratulations on the film’s win of the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Sound Design, for Shane Carruth and Johnny Marshall).
Andrea F. Cannistraci’s client Cindy Tolan was casting director for “May in the Summer,” also in the Dramatic Competition, about an Arab-American woman grappling with culture shock, religion and a loving but strong-willed family, directed by and starring Cherien Dabis.
Packed with screenings, speaking at private panels, and many other events, we are looking forward to another great year at Sundance. Hope to see you there.
Filed in: News
January 16, 2013