The line-up has been announced for the 2011 Slamdance Film Festival, and while we found only one true horror film on the list, there are a few others that seem to be genre-bending enough to merit mention here on Dread Central.
Slamdance, which is being presented again by Kodak, runs concurrently with the Sundance Film Festival, January 21-27, 2011 in Park City, Utah. As a year-round organization, Slamdance serves as a showcase for the discovery of new and emerging talent and is dedicated to the nurturing and development of new independent artists and their vision. Slamdance lives by its mantra: “By Filmmakers, For Filmmakers.” No other festival is fully programmed by filmmakers, and for the 2011 Festival Slamdance received a record number of over 5,000 submissions.
Here are the narrative films in competition that should appeal to genre fans:
Six other narrative films and eight documentaries round out the full Slamdance 2011 line-up. “All Is Not Lost” is the theme for the 2011 Festival. In today’s tough economic climate, fewer and fewer films are being picked up for distribution, although there are actually more films being made today than ever before. Even when an indie film does get released, the filmmaker often will not profit from it. In direct line with Slamdance’s mission statement of “by filmmakers, for filmmakers,” this year Slamdance will donate 10 percent of ticket proceeds back to the filmmakers. By taking this mission to a new level, Slamdance hopes to help cut down on an epidemic of bankrupt and “one time only” filmmakers and help bring back to life the working independent filmmaker.
“The quality and breadth of independent film has increased exponentially over the past few years. However, even as audience dissatisfaction with the standard studio fare grows, independent film continues to be squeezed out at the box office. Slamdance to the rescue! We are screening this year’s most exciting, intriguing and INDEPENDENT films,” stated Peter Baxter, Slamdance President and Co-Founder.
Supporting the filmmakers beyond the festival and improving distribution opportunities for its films has become increasingly essential and at the core of what Slamdance stands for. After announcing an exclusive video on demand partnership with Microsoft at last year’s festival, Slamdance will continue to expand its year-round platform and exhibition efforts in 2011 both theatrically and online. This year Slamdance introduces a new distribution award to the best feature film that provides an alternative to the traditional US theatrical system. Screenings will begin in summer 2011 as collaboration between the filmmakers, sponsors and regional film organizations. In addition, the winning feature will also be offered international distribution via Xbox and Zune’s international platforms.
For more information, log onto slamdance.com and follow Slamdance on Twitter and Facebook.