Beginning in 1995, Slamdance Film Festival has discovered such luminaries as Chris Nolan and Marc Foster, and has seen the premiere of what would go on to be major motion pictures, such as ‘Paranormal Activity’ and ‘Mad Hot Ballroom’. This year attracted a similarly eclectic mix, with bright futures ahead for many of those involved.  

Audience Awards: 

‘Kidnapped for Christ’ (doc) (Kate S. Logan dir.) American teenagers are taken from their homes in the middle of the night and shipped to an Evangelical reform school in The Dominican Republic. The school psychologically disorients them through culture shock and isolation, to re-build them into ideal Christian adults. One such student is David, who gets forcibly enrolled in the program after coming out to his parents. The struggles David’s community face to secure his freedom reveal how far the school will go to prevent its students from leaving.

‘Copenhagen’ (feature) (Mark Raso dir.) After weeks of traveling through Europe, the immature William finds himself in Copenhagen, the place of his father’s birth. He befriends the youthful Effy, who works in William’s hotel as part of an internship program, and they set off to find William’s last living relative. Effy’s mix of youthful exuberance and wisdom challenges William unlike any woman ever has. As the attraction builds, he must come to grips with destabilizing elements of his family’s sordid past.

Jury Awards:

‘Rezeta’ (feature) (Fernando Frias De La Parra dir.) Rezeta, a 21-year-old model born in Kosovo, arrives in Mexico City after living off of her beauty in many different countries. Soon she meets Alex, the guy in charge of cleaning her trailer during her first commercial gig in Mexico. Their friendship unfolds naturally, but after two failed attempts at dating stereotypical Mexican males Rezeta becomes romantically interested in Alex. This is the story of their complicated love.

‘I Play with the Phrase Each Other’ (original vision) (Jay Alvarez dir.) The first feature film composed entirely of cell phone calls. Jake, a young neurotic, is persuaded to leave his small home town and move to the city to live with Sean, a fanatical poet who survives by swindling inexperienced Craigslist customers. When Jake arrives, Sean has disappeared, and as he struggles to secure a job and a place to stay, Jake discovers a nocturnal world of neon poverty in which his friend is thriving.