Sundance Film Festival 2009

The lineup is out:

FISH TANK
United Kingdom, 2009, 124 MIN
Director: Andrea Arnold

White Ribbon
Austria, France, Germany, Italy, 2009, 144 MIN
Director: Michael Haneke

WAIT FOR ME BUT I WILL NOT COME
Mexico, 2009, 110 MIN
Director: Miroslav Momčilović

GUARDIANS OF NIGHT
Canada, 2008, 85 MIN
Director: Namik Kabil

GOODBYE, HOW ARE YOU?
Mexico, 2008, 58 MIN
Director: Boris Mitić

GIANTS
Uruguay, Argentina, Germany, Spain, 2009, 84 MIN
Director: Adrián Biniez

LITTLE SOLDIER
Denmark, 2008, 100 MIN
Director: Annette K. Olesen

THE MILK OF SORROW
Spain, Peru, 2009, 100 MIN
Director: Claudia Llosa O'Horten

O'HORTEN
Norway, 2007
Director: Bent Hamer

THE NECESSITIES OF LIFE
Canada, 2008, 102 MIN
Director: Benoît Pilon

LETTERS TO THE PRESIDENT
Canada, France, 2009, 74 MIN
Director: Petr Lom

BIRDWATCHERS
Italy, Brazil, 2008, 108 MIN
Director: Marco Bechis

THE SCRATCH
Poland, 2008, 89 MIN
Director: Michał Rosa

LET THE RIGHT ONE IN
Sweden, 2008, 115 MIN
Director: Tomas Alfredson

LEMON TREE
Israel, Germany, France, 2008, 106 MIN
Director: Eran Riklis

STELLA
France, 2008, 103 MIN
Director: Sylvie Verheyde

MY ONLY SUNSHINE
Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, 2008, 121 MIN
Director: Reha Erdem

EVERYONE ELSE
Germany, 2009, 119 MIN
Director: Maren Ade

A WEEK ALONE
Argentina, 2007, 110 MIN
Director: Celina Murga

WORLDS APART
Denmark, 2008, 116 MIN
Director: Niels Arden Oplev

To kick things off, the Palme d'Or is officially on the table.

Are you heading to the Motovun Film Festival, and did you actually manage to find a place to stay?

Just a heads-up—this isn't a thread, nor is it a PDF for peddling lodging capacities.

Which bands are playing?

I have a feeling we might hear at least one Finn perform at some point, though they certainly don't have to be the only ones. You should probably check the official website (www.motovunfilmfestival.com); maybe they've already announced the lineup (I have a hunch they have)...

northerncrane4, why didn't you weigh in on this question about who's performing? Honestly, it isn't even really a question about movies, so... I feel like playing cop here is just pointless. Sure, people come to the Motovun Film Festival to catch specific films, hang out, and all that... but I don't see any issue with someone posting if they're looking for a place to stay or if they have a room to offer. Finding lodging in Motovun during the festival is basically a game of chance anyway... If what I'm saying goes against how you want to run this forum, then feel free to move all posts like this over to the Tourism sub-forum...

The only thing I enjoy more than nitpicking how people moderate active members like ruggedmarlin15 is watching new accounts roll in—whose first order of business seems to be hitting the Film subforum just to hawk vacation rentals.

Heading out to the Motovun Film Festival 😍haven't sorted out any lodging yet. Honestly, I'll probably just end up crashing in a campsite this year, which isn't exactly my idea of luxury, but whatever. I'm mostly there to see Velikanov's film... the guy is genuinely fascinating..

I’m planning on heading out there as well, though I can only make it for Friday, and even then, I'll strictly be checking out the 😢 aquarium since my schedule won't allow for anything else...
🙂But honestly, having something at all is far better than nothing at all.

So, what kind of movies are you guys actually into? I'm looking for some solid recommendations because my watchlist is looking pretty pathetic lately...

Tonight's screening of White Ribbon is playing in High Definition. It looks and sounds fantastic.

I caught a screening of Fish Tank yesterday... it was actually quite a solid film. It runs a bit long, but it’s definitely worth your time if you want something meaningful.

No way—the Motovun Film Festival proves year after year that it’s easily the most charming festival in the area. This year felt particularly poignant, if you ask me—the fact that the winner had to wait an entire year makes it even more touching, since they can now take their award home to both Motovun and Ottawa. 👍

Grabbed my tickets during the presale and spent the whole week living in the camp. I honestly thought I was signing up for a legitimate film festival, but let’s be real: it’s basically just a massive drinking session with occasional breaks for movies. You've got jury members who are nowhere to be found, program events you can't even get into unless you have accreditation (like those Satie and Glass concerts), and screenings that run late while people wander in and out like they're browsing a damn flea market. We were packed into that tiny theater like penguins because the screen was set way too low—you literally had to tilt your head left and right just to catch the subtitles. As for the campsite organization? Beyond words. The whole town reeks of urine, and the chairs in the square are practically falling apart.
The films were actually pretty solid considering the local standards, but if you're being honest and strip away the indie darlings and the classics (which I did enjoy), there’s really not much meat on the bone here.
Fish Tank—the big winner—just wasn't my thing. It felt overstuffed and lifeless, just a bunch of disconnected vignettes that failed to form a cohesive whole. There’s this one scene where the protagonist breaks down—which is supposed to be the emotional core of the movie—but the acting was subpar, and the motivation behind it felt completely hollow.
Planting Kisses—the short film winner—is the exact same story. Compared to the rest of the lineup, it’s weak; it lacks a narrative and relies on a simple concept that never gets properly fleshed out.
My personal picks were O'Horten from the main lineup, White Ribbon (make sure you watch that in High Definition!!), Miami Shorts, and Worthless—that Kaurismäki film from '82. That one is absolutely wild, almost like a Finnish version of Pulp Fiction. It actually reminded me of Rundek in that Shane music video—you know, the one where he's driving that wood chipper.🙂
Last Screening—about Rundek's Cargo Orchestra—was an absolute train wreck. It’s a film about the collapse of America told through the eyes of the band members. But instead of showing us how the music actually comes together or how these people met, it focuses on scenes of passing the torch to Marshall or lighting torches in Ottawa in '84. It was the only screening I actually walked out of before the credits rolled.

brightsurfer4.. I value your take, but I have to disagree on one thing: my neck and back are absolutely killing me after watching Pavlov's Dogs at JMK. And calling the music in that surprise movie the biggest pile of trash ever? It was just boring and exhausting to sit through... I guess I'll only complain about that because everything else was actually great. I'd definitely come back.

Does anyone know the name of the band and that specific song they played right before the movie Let the Right One In?🙏🙏🙏

James Turner3 said:brightsurfer4.. I value your take, but I have to disagree on one thing: my neck and back are absolutely killing me after watching Pavlov's Dogs at JMK. And calling the music in that surprise movie the biggest pile of trash ever? It was just boring and exhausting to sit through... I guess I'll only complain about that because everything else was actually great. I'd definitely come back.

Does anyone know the name of the band and that specific song they played right before the movie Let the Right One In?🙏🙏🙏

Finns

At the festival, they actually played an English version, but... from what I gathered, the title basically means "seven days." Unless I totally missed the mark... 😁

Still, it's a killer track, though.

I spent today in downtown Chicago catching screenings of Fish Tank and Revenge, and I have to say, I walked away feeling quite satisfied with both selections.
Tomorrow, we’re heading out to catch Fish Tank. Her previous film, Red Road, stuck with me even though it felt a little drawn out at the time; looking back, it certainly wasn't half bad. 🙂

Edward Rivera98 said:Finns

At the festival, they actually played an English version, but... from what I gathered, the title basically means "seven days." Unless I totally missed the mark... 😁

Still, it's a killer track, though.

thanks

I haven't checked out Lady Vengeance yet, but honestly, Revenge is killer—it’s actually a step above Fish Tank for me. I can't stand Fish Tank; I think its biggest flaw is just taking itself way too seriously. The movie lacks any real sense of humanity or warmth. Sure, we get it—the protagonist lives in a world where swearing and getting punched in the face is just Tuesday—but whenever they try to pivot toward showing actual human connection or warmth, they totally whiff it.

brightsurfer4 said:I haven't checked out Lady Vengeance yet, but honestly, Revenge is killer—it’s actually a step above Fish Tank for me. I can't stand Fish Tank; I think its biggest flaw is just taking itself way too seriously. The movie lacks any real sense of humanity or warmth. Sure, we get it—the protagonist lives in a world where swearing and getting punched in the face is just Tuesday—but whenever they try to pivot toward showing actual human connection or warmth, they totally whiff it.

Are you talking about Fish Tank? 😁
I don't know, personally, I thought it was fantastic. She simply isn't capable of expressing "humanity and warmth" in any conventional sense. But she’s trying to do the right thing, even if she’s completely failing at it (I mean, how can anyone seriously think they can save the world in Iraq?!). In the end, she pays the price, but she refuses to compromise who she is.

Actually, I wasn't referring to *The Little Soldier*. I finally caught that nuance yesterday while watching 😁*Fish Tank*.
I can't say I was particularly satisfied with it either. It wasn't because of a lack of humanity or warmth—honestly, the scene where she lashes out at that idiot like a little kid felt perfectly fine in that regard. You can't really expect people who are that fundamentally broken to express their emotions in any "normal" way. My issue is more that the film feels somewhat unfinished or underdeveloped in certain stretches. It’s almost as if the director is afraid to lean into classic storytelling techniques. Perhaps that hesitation is exactly why it picked up an award.😕