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The term ‘Afrofuturism*’ was coined by an American writer, Mark Dery, in 1994, and many of the key artists and theorists associated with the movement — Sun Ra, George Clinton, Janelle Monae, Flying Lotus, Greg Tate, Octavia Butler, Samuel R. Delany, Alondra Nelson, the list goes on — are/were American. But is it solely an American deal? In curating the film program ‘Space is the Place: Afrofuturism on Film’ at Brooklyn’s BAMcinématek, I wanted to highlight that the movement also has a distinct international, pan-African reach.** I included Wanuri Kahiu’s superb “Pumzi”, which is Kenya’s first science fiction film. “Afronauts” by Frances Bodomo — who grew up in Ghana (and Norway,...

From Kenyan director Wanuri Kahiu (probably known mostly for her Focus Features Africa First sci-fi short film Pumzi) comes an original political drama titled State House, which traverses the unseen world of the head of state’s residence and office, peeking into an arena that is constantly rife with political intrigue and scandalous relationships. State House follows the servants who run the house, the Comptroller that rules it and the guests, politicians and diplomats that fill its corridors. Comparisons to similar popular series like Downton Abbey, are probably unavoidable, given the subject matter. Described as “distinctively Kenyan, and yet widely...

I love this group! Like many others, my introduction to them was their 2009 album 82, although it didn't seem to really gain international attention until the following year. The video for the second single from the album - Ha-He - was probably what really did it, especially here in the USA. It was a spoof of blaxploitation films, featuring a protagonist named "Makmende". The video went super-viral within a short time, and was labeled Kenya’s first viral internet meme, leading to features in the national media on the group on CNN, in The Wall Street Journal and others. Pumzi director Wanuri Kahiu (along with Anjali Nayar) who shouldn't be a...

A documentary she's apparently been working on for about 2 years now, but I'm only just now learning about it... Kenyan director Wanuri Kahiu (probably known mostly for her Focus Features Africa First sci-fi short film Pumzi) is in post-production on a documentary titled Ger: To Be Separate, which chronicles South Sudanese actor, model and social activist, Ger Duany's journey from child soldier, to refugee, to Hollywood actor, and international model, and his amazing journey back home as he votes for the first time for a new Sudan and celebrates its division. The release of the documentary will mark the beginning of Ger’s mission to help rebuild his country,...

The 2012 installment of the Afrika Eye Film Festival in Bristol, UK, launches on Friday, November 9th, and will include in its lineup of film screenings, talks, and more, a celebration of 50 years of Jamaican independence. The opening night film will be the sensational new film from Senegalese director Moussa Touré, La Pirogue. Panel highlights include a discussion on how digital can help grow and cultivate audiences for cinema in Africa, which will include panellists Wanuri Kahiu, director of Pumzi, David Tosh Gitonga, director of Nairobi Half Life, John Mwangi, owner of Zenj Multimedia Communications, Bob Nyanja, director of The Rugged Priest, and...

What most resonates with me in watching this 15-minute presentation by Wanuri Kahiu (writer/director of Pumzi) are her comments about the imaginative stories her mother would tell her when she was a child, which she (Wanuri) has now come to realize really were science fiction. It immediately sent me back to my youth, when the older folks in our family (immediate and extended) would also tell us these imaginative, dare I say *speculative fiction* stories that I was entertained by at the time (or scared by, if that was the intent), but haven't really thought of beyond simply being remnants of my childhood. This made me realize the wealth of ideas for stories that I have to draw...

The third Durban FilmMart wrapped with a host of monetary awards given to documentary and feature film projects by African filmmakers. Durban Film Office head Toni Monty, addressing more than 400 delegates Monday on the market's closing night, said that its growth over the past three years is "a major indication that we are addressing the needs and challenges relevant to African cinema." One of those awards came from Arte France, and went to Kenyan director Wanuri Kahiu (Pumzi) and producer Steven Markovitz (Viva Riva! and more) for a feature film project titled Jambula Tree - a South African-Kenya co-production. Plot details...

$10,000 In Financing Goes To Five

New Moviemakers For Their Short Films

New York, October 6th, 2011 . For a fourth consecutive year, Focus Features. Africa First program for short films, the worldwide film company.s initiative earmarked exclusively for emerging filmmakers of African nationality and residence, has awarded five filmmakers $10,000 apiece, Focus CEO James Schamus announced today.

The uniquely conceived initiative offers eligible and participating filmmakers the chance to be awarded the $10,000 in financing for pre-production, production, and/or post-production on their narrative short film made in continental Africa and tapping into the resources of the film industry there. Of equal importance, the program brings the filmmakers together with each other and with a renowned group of advisors, major figures in the African film world, for support and mentorship. The short films coming out of the program have been showcased at the Sundance, Toronto, and Berlin Film Festivals; the Film Society of...

As announced earlier this week, the first class of Focus Features’ Africa First Shorts Program, which traveled the globe last year, will finally be available in formats that the rest of the world can see them on, if you weren’t at any of the film festivals in which they screened. And I know a lot of you haven’t seen them!

Well, now you’ll get your opportunity. You have 1 of 3 ways. First, you can purchase or rent the compilation Right Now on Amazon.com’s VOD service – $2.99 for a 48-hour rental; $9.99 to buy. Secondly, if you’re not fund of Amazon’s service, though I don’t know why you wouldn’t be, the films will be available on iTunes on April 26th, about 2 weeks from now. And, third, if you’re “old-fashioned” like Sergio, you’ll be able to pick up a compilation on DVD on May 10th.

Should have announced this already, but better late than never, right? Besides, the dates are still in the future.

The first class of Focus Features’ Africa First Shorts Program, which traveled the globe last year, will finally be available in formats that the rest of the world can see them on, if you weren’t at any of the film festivals in which they screened. And I know a lot of you haven’t seen them!

Well, you’ll get your opportunity when they first make it to iTunes on April 26th, about 2 weeks from now. And if you’re “old-fashioned” like Sergio, you’ll be able to pick up a compilation of all 5 shorts on DVD on May 10th.

The 4 films that make up the freshman class of the Africa First Shorts Program include: futuristic sci-fi tale Pumzi by Wanuri Kahiu (Kenya); public transportation musical Saint Louis Blues by Dyana Gaye (Senegal); The Tunnel,...

The New York African Film Festival begins Today New Yorkers, and the 2011 lineup is an impressive one!

Of note, several films that have been touted on this website (old and new) are scheduled to screen at this year’s festival, including, Andrew Dosunmu’s feature film directorial debut and Sundance 2011 entry, Restless City, in what I believe will be the film’s New York city premiere! I saw the film in January, and found it enchanting. You can read my full review of it Here.

Also, Congolese filmmaker Djo Tunda Wa Munga’s explosive Viva Riva!, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last fall, and swept the African Movie Academy Awards; a film that’s being referred to as “Congolese Avant-Garde.” I saw it a couple of weeks ago, and dug it! Read me review Here.

New Yorkers will also get to see Besouro (a Shadow And Act Film...

The New York African Film Festival begins tomorrow New Yorkers, and the 2011 lineup is an impressive one!

Of note, several films that have been touted on this website (old and new) are scheduled to screen at this year’s festival, including, Andrew Dosunmu’s feature film directorial debut and Sundance 2011 entry, Restless City, in what I believe will be the film’s New York city premiere! I saw the film in January, and found it enchanting. You can read my full review of it Here.

Also, Congolese filmmaker Djo Tunda Wa Munga’s explosive Viva Riva!, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last fall, and swept the African Movie Academy Awards; a film that’s being referred to as “Congolese Avant-Garde.” I saw it a couple of weeks ago, and dug it! Read me review Here.

New Yorkers will also get to see Besouro (a Shadow And Act Film...

One press day #1 of the upcoming New York African Film Festival, I saw the explosive Viva Riva! (my full review of the film Here); and on day two, we were treated to about 90 minutes of short films, all of them from the sophomore class of Focus Features’ Africa First Shorts Program, and I must say, this year’s group of shorts was much stronger than last year’s crop.

Not that the freshman class of the program, which included Wanuri Kahiu’s much talked about sci-fi film Pumzi, was weak. Collectively, this year’s films were really impressive. I’m not sure if it’s simply due to the fact that it is the second year of the program, and so any rough edges aren’t as jagged as they were in the first round; or maybe it just has to do with my own preferences. Another viewer might say...

The New York African Film Festival has announced its 2011 lineup, and it’s an impressive one! I’m excited, and hopefully you will be too, especially if you live in New York.

Of note, several films that have been touted on this website (old and new) are scheduled to screen at this year’s festival, including, Andrew Dosunmu’s feature film directorial debut and Sundance 2011 entry, Restless City, in what I believe will be the film’s New York city premiere! I saw the film at Sundance in January, and found it enchanting. You can read my full review of it Here.

Also, Congolese filmmaker Djo Tunda Wa Munga’s Viva Riva!, which screened at the Toronto Film Festival last fall, and Fespaco last month, where it won some awards; a film that’s being referred to as “Congolese Avant-Garde.” I haven’t seen it, but I’m really looking forward to doing so.

2011 Entry Period For Focus Features.

Africa First Program To Commence May 16th;

$10,000 In Financing Apiece Earmarked For New Filmmakers

Focus Features will accept entries for its Africa First Program . entering its fourth year . beginning Monday, May 16th and continuing through Monday, August 22nd. Focus CEO James Schamus made the announcement today.

The uniquely conceived initiative, with funds earmarked exclusively for emerging filmmakers of African nationality and residence, is for the fourth consecutive year offering eligible and participating filmmakers the chance to be awarded $10,000 in financing for pre-production, production, and/or post-production on their narrative short film made in continental Africa and tapping into the resources of the film industry there. The program also brings the filmmakers together with each other and with a renowned group of advisors, major figures in the African film world, for support and mentorship. Complete details on Africa First . including application information . can be accessed year-round through www.

Here’s a program we’ve given a lot of ink to on this website, so I won’t rehash. Just read the press release received today, for all the relevant info…

For Immediate Release: 2011 Entry Period For Focus Features’ Africa First Program To Commence May 16th

2011 Entry Period For Focus Features’

Africa First Program To Commence May 16th;

$10,000 In Financing Apiece Earmarked For New Filmmakers

New York , March 2nd, 2011 – Focus Features will accept entries for its Africa First Program – entering its fourth year – beginning Monday, May 16th and continuing through Monday, August 22nd. Focus CEO James Schamus made the announcement today.

The uniquely conceived initiative, with funds earmarked exclusively for emerging filmmakers of African nationality and residence, is for the fourth consecutive year offering eligible and participating filmmakers the chance to be awarded $10,000 in financing for pre-production, production, and/or post-production on their narrative short film made in continental...

Vogue Italia profiles award-winning Kenyan director Wanuri Kahiu in the video below; We’ve profiled and mentioned Wanuri on this website a number of times; she directed the Africa First Focus Features sci-fi short film, Pumzi, and she’s working on an adaptation of Nnedi Okorafor’s novel, Who Fears Death. Kisha Cameron-Dingle, who previously served as associate producer on Raoul Peck’s Sometimes in April and Spike Lee’s Bamboozled, is producing.

Staring exactly a week from today… the 22nd Edition of the Pan-African Film Festival; not the festival currently happening in Los Angeles by the way. I’m referring to the largest, and most prominent film festival in all of Africa, that takes place once every 2 years, in Ouagagadougou, Burkina Faso, also known as Fespaco.

The festival will run from February 28th through March 5th, 2011.

I’ve been searching for a proper listing of all the films scheduled to screen at this year’s event, but haven’t found one. All I have is the 22-page screening schedule, which is somewhat cumbersome to go through. Regardless, I plan on doing so, and highlighting noteworthy titles on this site.

I immediately identified a few that we’ve already given some ink to – specifically, John Akomfrah’s Nine Muses, Andrew Dosunmu’s Restless City, and Mahamat Saleh Haroun’s Cannes winner Un Homme Qui Crie...

The Women In Film International Committee (Wifi) would like you to join them for the 5th Annual Film Shorts Program, showcasing and celebrating the works of “emerging and established Kenyan and Kenyan-American filmmakers.”

And in addition to the films, you’ll get to experience Kenyan music, fine art, cuisine and other cultural elements.

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, Kenyan author of one of the best novels I’ve read in the last 5 years, Wizard Of The Crow, will be present, signing copies of the book, as will actor Edi Gathegi, who’ll be co-starring in X-Men: First Class, celebrated artist Wangechi Mutu, and more.

Wish I could be there!

When? On Saturday, March 5, 2011, from 6:00Pm-10:00Pm.

Where? Stage 29 at Universal Studios, 100 Universal City Plaza (at Lankershim) Universal City, CA 91608.

Tickets are $30, and you can purchase them Here. Sounds steep, but think of all that you’re getting!

Tickets Will...

If you’re a cable subscriber who receives The Africa Channel, you’re in luck to see a few award-winning short films–which we’ve highlighted in previous postings–make their television premiere in honor of Black History Month.

Africa First Program, a project created by Focus Features Films, has joined with The Africa Channel and will debut four successful shorts resulting from the initiative. Here’s a schedule and description lifted from The Africa Channel website.

The Africa Channel, the first mainstream television network in the U.S. fully dedicated to showcasing the richness, diversity and beauty of modern Africa, will premiere four short films produced under Focus Features’ Africa First Program, as part of a series on young filmmakers that honors Black History Month in February.

On Friday, February 18 from 8-9 pm Est, The Africa Channel will open the young filmmakers’ series with the special Africa First: Behind the Cameras,...

Three films, three very distinctly different visions, the New African Cinema strand at London Film Festival comprised short films from the Africa First development program run annually by Focus Features, and which we’ve mentioned several times here on S&A.

Collectively, and to varying degrees, these films go a great way to address the call for more varied and diverse images of Africa that we often ask for on this site and which many of our readers seek. I’d recommend seeing them all if you get the chance, whether individually or as a package, as they offer the familiar with a soupcon of the surreal and, if Focus Features continues to provide opportunities for these filmmakers, or indeed, if the filmmakers capitalize on the opportunity they’ve been given to showcase their talent, then their efforts bode well for the future of African cinema.

The Tunnel (Writer/Director – Jenna Bass,...

Mega props to professor/author Nnedi Okorafor, whom I’ve known since MySpace was The online social networking space to be, and where I was first introduced to her and her work… Nnedi’s third novel, Who Fears Death, a novel of the fantasy genre, set in an alternate, post-apocalyptic Saharan Africa, published just this year, has been optioned by producer Kisha Cameron-Dingle, the program director for Focus Features’ Africa First Film Program – a program we’ve covered a bit on this blog.

Cameron-Dingle also previously served as associate producer on Raoul Peck’s Sometimes in April and Spike Lee’s Bamboozled.

A team is already being assembled for the potential production, with the all-important director’s slot going to award-winning Kenyan filmmaker Wanuri Kahiu, writer and director of the short sci-fi film Pumzi, which received mucho coverage on this blog as well.

Now, obviously, an option doesn’t automatically mean an adaptation will happen.

I’ve been wanting to do this for some time – a periodically (maybe annually) updated list of up-and-coming black filmmakers, especially those working mostly outside the mainstream; something we could call “black filmmakers to watch,” preceded by a year, not-so unlike Filmmaker magazine’s annual “25 New Faces of Independent Film” list.

As I’ve already made known on this blog, I’m not necessarily a fan of lists, especially ranked lists where the arts are concerned.

However, I do see Some value in providing black cinema enthusiasts like yourselves (or cinema enthusiasts regardless of race) with the names of noteworthy black filmmakers who may otherwise go unnoticed by the the mainstream press, and even indie film publications like Filmmaker magazine. We’re celebrating those black filmmakers… propping them up, you could say. If a site like ours doesn’t do that, we certainly can’t complain when more prominent media outlets don’t.

Short films are (almost) always amazing and inspiring. It is much more challeging to make a short film, as filmmakers have less time to develop a story and therefore must be as minimalist and economical as possible. Here is part one of my reviews of selected shorts from this year’s festival.

Have you ever wondered who paid for the Last Supper? Or what exactly the apostles talked about after Jesus left to take his last walk as a free man? Well, director and screenwriter Jeff Chan decided to explore these pressing theological questions in the hysterical short The Apostles. After Jesus gives his final blessing and leaves, Peter gets up and takes his seat. This sets of a wave of various complaints and accusations. Did Thomas eat more than his fair share of the bread? Are John’s feelings towards Jesus more than friendly? What would Jesus do: ask...

Becky Preston’s Lovelorn (top); Natalie Eleftheriadis‘ Birthday (bottom) The Cannes Independent Film Festival also announced its awards today. Winners at the 10-day festival dedicated to low-budget filmmaking included first-time British director Becky Preston’s Lovelorn, shot for €200K and voted Best Film at the festival. A psychological/supernatural drama, Lovelorn tells the story of a young man who, in his dream world, attempts to prevent death from taking away his comatose sister. Other winners were Australian actress Natalie Eleftheriadis for her performance in the prostitution drama Birthday, Kenyan filmmaker Wanuri Kahiu for her post-apocalypse short Pumzi, and Cassie Jaye for her documentary Daddy I Do, about the pro-abstinence movement in United States. (Here’s wondering if the documentary features disgraced pro-abstinence Republican congressman Mark [...]...

Pumzi is a short Sci-Fi film starring Kudzani Moswela as Asha (above) and was created by Kenyan Writer/Director Wanuri Kahui. The film is set in futuristic Africa, 35 years after World War III “The Water War”. Pumzi is currently a 20 minute short film (which screened at Sundance), but Kahiu plans to expand Pumzi to a feature length film.

Trailer: Pumzi

Official Synopsis:

Nature is extinct. The outside is dead. Asha lives and works as a museumcurator in one of the indoor communities set up by the Maitu Council. When she receives a box in the mail containing soil, she plants an old seed in it and the seed starts to germinate instantly. Asha appeals to the Council to grant her permission to investigate the possibility of life on the outside but the Council denies her exit visa. Asha breaks out of the inside community to go into the dead and...

The place: somewhere in Africa. The time: 35 years after World War III, or better known as “The Water War.”

Much of nature is extinct. The outside world is dead. The land is infertile, as human beings are forced (under a totalitarian-type regime) to live in underground, insulated communities, where dreams are suppressed, electricity is human-powered, and sources of water are human fluid waste, like urine and sweat, which are gathered and recycled into a drinkable liquid.

Our protagonist, Asha (Kudzani Moswela), a researcher at a virtual natural history museum, may have discovered a potential source of water, and in essence, the possibility of life on the outside. However, her superiors deny her application to exit their commune for the outside world to verify the reality of this supposed source, leaving Asha to act (illegally) on her impulses, risking prosecution, roaming a seemingly unending desert, in search of freedom.

The premise itself intrigues,...

A couple of noteworthy revelations in the interesting below 8-minute conversation between the BBC’s Marc Cole, Kenyan filmmaker Wanuri Kahiu (above-right, director of much talked-about sci-fi short, Pumzi), and Brit filmmaker Martha Fiennes. The focus is on women filmmakers; however, both guests (both women) dropped little nuggets worth sharing here.

First, Wandiru’s short film, Pumzi, which has received mucho pub on this blog since we were first made aware of it, will be screening at next month’s New York African Film Festival. I checked the festival’s website, but it hasn’t been updated with 2010 listings; however, I hope that’s rectified soon enough. And since I live in New York, you can be sure that I’ll make every effort to see it, along with the festival’s other offerings.

Secondly, Martha Fiennes talks about a thriller, titled Blown, that she’s been trying to get produced for some time,...

Far from Cape Town, South African film artist Simon Hansen finds open arms at Sundance. Park City, Utah. Days prior to the multiple Oscar nominations for the science-fiction drama "District 9" (adapted screenplay, visual effects, film editing and most importantly, best picture), Cape Town-based filmmaker and producer Simon Hansen and his producing team from Inspired Minority Pictures, Hannah Slezacek and Amira Quinlan, traveled to Park City, Utah for the Sundance Film Festival. Like many industry attendees, they came to Sundance in support of a film they produced, in their case director Wanuri Kahiu’s futuristic short “Pumzi”, part of the New African Cinema program. They also traveled halfway across the globe for reasons beyond personal networking and self-promotion. Hansen and his female cohorts crisscrossed Park City talking with fellow filmmakers, producers, agents and anyone who will listen about the promise of the fast-rowing South African film community as well as...

Far from Cape Town, South African film artist Simon Hansen finds open arms at Sundance. Park City, Utah. Days prior to the multiple Oscar nominations for the science-fiction drama "District 9" (adapted screenplay, visual effects, film editing and most importantly, best picture), Cape Town-based filmmaker and producer Simon Hansen and his producing team from Inspired Minority Pictures, Hannah Slezacek and Amira Quinlan, traveled to Park City, Utah for the Sundance Film Festival. Like many industry attendees, they came to Sundance in support of a film they produced, in their case director Wanuri Kahiu’s futuristic short “Pumzi”, part of the New African Cinema program. They also traveled halfway across the globe for reasons beyond personal networking and self-promotion. Hansen and his female cohorts crisscrossed Park City talking with fellow filmmakers, producers, agents and anyone who will listen about the promise of the fast-rowing South African film community as well as...

“Pumzi” is a very interesting short film about life in Kenya after the world water wars. In a highly restricted underground community, a woman discovers a small seedling and fights to bring it to the dried out and barren surface. The short film is very pro and has that old school Moon feeling. “Pumzi” is being screened at the Sundance film fest and will I’m sure get a permanent host on the internets sometime soon. Ironic that a Sci-Fi short film of this quality can’t get a hosting in Kenya because the infrastructure there is, for now, too primitive. Wired has an interview with writer/director Wanuri Kahiu that is worth your time. Here’s a clip.

We are pleased to support our country South Africa by offering you a look at "Pumzi," a 20 minute-long science fiction short about futurist Africa, set 35 years after World War III - "The Water War." Simon Hansen, a school friend I've known for over 25 years, produces alongside Hanna Slezacek. Amira Quinlan serves as co-producer. Hansen produced probably the most well-known short to date now in "Alive in Joburg," the short that the remarkably potent "District 9" was based on.

While there's no doubt at all that Neill Blomkamp deserves every scrap of praise that he has received for the fantastic District 9, there is also no doubt that these sorts of creations never happen in a vacuum. There are absolutely always other hands involved. And one pair of those hands belong to Simon Hansen, the visual effects artist who co-produced District 9 precursor Alive In Joburg and is currently wrapping post production on Spoon, a film he co-directed with District 9 star - also an effects whiz - Sharlto Copley.

Hansen is currently in Sundance with yet another project, the science fiction short Pumzi. Directed and written by Kenya's Wanuri Kahui with Hansen on board as both effects man and co-producer, the word is coming back very strong.  And judging by the just-released trailer it's easy to see why.  Get ready for a wave of African film, people ... if...

This was one of my Sundance 2010 previews last month; it’s a 30-minute Kenyan short film titled Pumzi. As I said in my initial post…

Work-shopped under the Africa First program created by Focus Features, Pumzi envisions a world without water and air, and the chaos that ensues.

Written and directed by 29-year-old, award-winning Kenyan filmmaker, Wanuri Kahiu, and produced on a Sh1.9 million ($25,000) budget, the 30-minute short film follows the story of Asha who seeks to reclaim the world from all the destruction.

The story goes… Asha is a curator at a virtual natural history museum in the Maitu Community located in East Africa. The land is toxic and barely habitable. One day she receives a sample of soil that is not toxic and she decides to use it to plant a seed in her possession. Asha and her fellow humans live in an enclosed place and anyone who...

Who is Simon Hansen and why should you care that he's produced a short film?  Well, in 2005 the South African producer and special effects artist had a hand in a little film called Alive In Joburg, which may jog a memory or two.  No?  Well, Joburg's director was Neil Blomkamp and this is the short that would go on to later be expanded into District 9.  And right now Hansen is wrapping up post production on a little feature titled Spoon, a film that stars Rutger Hauer and that Hansen co-directed (and did the effects) with Sharlto Copley - anopther South African effects whiz who took his first headlining acting gig as the lead in the aforementioned District 9.  So, these are the circles Hansen runs in.

And on we go now to Hansen's Sundance entry, a science fiction short titled Pumzi which Hansen co-produced and did the effects work...

In short… 5 African filmmakers were awarded $10,000 each by the Focus Features’ Africa First Program to produce short films.

Now in its year 2, last year’s winning filmmakers have completed their films, and are now touring with them; I know of at least one that got into the Sundance Film Festival, which I profiled about a week ago – a sci-fi short called Pumzi, written and directed by 29-year-old Kenyan filmmaker, Wanuri Kahiu. The other winning filmmakers from last year were Edouard Bamporiki (Rwanda) with Long Coat, a drama about a young Hutu coming to terms with Rwanda’s and his own family’s past; Jenna Bass (South Africa) with The Tunnel, a 1980s-set story centering around a 10-year-old girl’s quest; Jan-Hendrik Beetge (South Africa) with The Abyss Boys, a thriller about an illegal trade in a small fishing town; and Dyana Gaye (Senegal) with N’Dar (Saint Louis Blues), a public transportation musical.

The Spotlight section (replacing the awkward Spectrum sidebar) is a place where the festival will showcase some great finds on the festival circuit. And let me tell you, there is some great stuff here especially with Tiff/Venice titles such as I am Love, Lourdes, Mother & Child, A Prophet and Women Without Men. - The Spotlight section (replacing the awkward Spectrum sidebar) is a place where the festival will showcase some great finds on the festival circuit. And let me tell you, there is some great stuff here especially with Tiff/Venice titles such as I am Love, Lourdes, Mother & Child, A Prophet and Women Without Men. The list includes some Cannes fair in Safdie Bros.' Daddy Longlegs (formerly known as Go Get Some Rosemary) and Noe's Enter the Void. Having already seen a good number of these pics, also means, less films for me to worry about.

On Wednesday the Sundance Film Festival unveiled the films competing in late January 2010. Yesterday they announced the rest of the line-up of independent films vying for attention for industry types and the curious public.

The entire list of 53 films is below, but here are a few that stood out to me from the premieres alone:

Mumblecore directors the Duplass Brothers, have a new, untitled movie starring an unusually high-profile cast compared to their usual improvisational crew. John C. Reilly, Marisa Tomei, Jonah Hill, and Catherine Keener. Reilly and Keener are actually in two films at the 2010 festival.

The Company Men, starring Ben Affleck, Kevin Costner, Maria Bello, Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper, Rosemarie DeWitt about corporate downsizing.

Rodrigo Cortes’ Buried, starring Ryan Reynolds as a man buried alive in a coffin. I’ve read the script and its great. More on that as soon as I can.

The Runaways, the...

We are 49 days out and counting down to Sundance 2010. Yesterday, we unveiled the list of competition films for the upcoming festival. Today, we have your list of out-of-competition films which include Premieres, Spotlight, New Frontier, and, my personal favorite, Park City at Midnight, which has featured past entries like Black Dynamite, The Descent, and Saw.

Check out next year’s lineup for the out-of-competition films:

Premieres

To showcase the diversity to contemporary independent cinema, the Sundance Film Festival Premieres section offers the latest work from American and international directors as well as world premieres of highly anticipated films. Presented by Entertainment Weekly.

Abel / Mexico, USA (Director: Diego Luna; Screenwriters: Diego Luna and Agusto Mendoza)–A peculiar young boy, blurring reality and fantasy, assumes the responsibilities of a family man in his father’s absence. Cast: Jose Maria Yazpik, Karina Gidi, Carlos Aragon, Christopher Ruiz-Esparza, Gerardo Ruiz-Esparza. World Premiere

Cane Toads:...

In addition to the competition titles which were announced yesterday, Sundance has announced the remainder of their line-up and it includes some titles we’re already familiar with along with a huge number of premieres.

Also on the docket are two new series: Next which showcases low/no budget films and Spotlight which highlights films which festival programmers deem worthy of extra love including Enter the Void (review) and Lourdes (the trailer for which I really liked).

I’m particularly excited to see some of the titles in the New Frontier program but overall, the line-up is an impressive one but the Kristen Stewart fan in me is excited to see her turn as Joan Jett in The Runaways and I think it’s fair to say we’re all dying to see Vincenzo Natali’s hotly anticipated Splice (trailer).

In the Midnight section, Adam Green's Frozen is sounding mighty find,...

Sundance released their slate for 2010. It includes:43 documentaries on the Middle East12 films about friends who 'discover' something33 movies about people you've never heard about1 comedyHopefully the lineup this year is strong but it doesn't look that way compared to last year. Last year we had Push (Precious), that Lil Wayne documentary that never went anywhere, Mystery Team which might make my top ten, Moon, Mike Tyson documentary, Cold Souls. Just so much last January that was excellent. I hope I don't go out therer and freeze my tail off just to see...I don't know, a documentary about a former Pakistani prime minister or something silly like that.Here's the lineup so far: Premieres To showcase the diversity to contemporary independent cinema, the Sundance Film Festival Premieres section offers the latest work from American and international directors as well as world premieres of highly anticipated films. Presented by Entertainment Weekly.