The 2011 Sundance Film Festival, which will run from Jan. 20 to 30, 2011 in and around Park City, Utah, announced its dramatic and documentary in-competition line-up today.
In a break with tradition, there will be no opening night film; instead one narrative and documentary film from the U.S. and World competitions will each screen on the first night. Highlights from the 16 films in the U.S. dramatic competition, culled from 1,102 submissions, include:
Higher Ground -- The directorial debut of Oscar-nominated actress Vera Farmiga ("Up in the Air"), about a mother who joins a fundamentalist community, and starring Farmiga, Joshua Leonard ("Humpday"), and John Hawkes ("Winter's Bone").
"Homework" -- About a rebellious high schooler, starring Freddie Highmore, Emma Roberts, Rita Wilson, and Blair Underwood, written and directed by newcomer Gavin Wiesen.
"The Ledge" -- A thriller about a man who says he has to jump from a ledge by noon, starring Charlie Hunnam (FX's "Sons of Anarchy"), Liv Tyler, Patrick Wilson, and Terrence Howard, written and directed by screenwriter Matthew Chapman ("Runaway Jury).
"The Untitled Sam Levinson Project" (formerly known as "The Loved Ones") -- Two siblings attend an anarchic family wedding. Starring Demi Moore, Kate Bosworth, Ellen Barkin, Ellen Burstyn, and Thomas Haden Church. As the placeholder title suggests, it's written and directed by Sam Levinson ("Operation: Endgame"). Highlights from the 16 films in the U.S. documentary competition, selected from 841 submissions, include:
"Beats, Rhymes, and Life" --The story of influential hip-hop band A Tribe Called Quest, directed by actor Michael Rapaport.
"BEING ELMO: A Puppeteer's Journey" --Yes, it's a documentary about the man behind the beloved Sesame Street muppet Elmo, Kevin Clash.
"Page One: A year inside the New York Times" -- A year-long look into the newsroom of the famed Grey Lady.
"Troubadours" -- A look into the careers and lives of singer-songerwriter icons James Taylor and Carole King.
You can read a full breakdown of all the films in both the U.S. and Global competitions at the Sundance Festival website here.