2014 Sundance Film Festival: Portraits By Derek Kettela
2014 Sundance Film Festival: Portraits By Derek Kettela
Zoe Saldana and Mark Ruffalo of 'Infinitely Polar Bear'
What It's About
: Maggie (Saldana) goes to New York for business school and leaves her two young daughters with their manic-depressive father, Cam (Ruffalo).
The Scoop: ?I lost my father when I was 9, so anytime I get to work on a project exploring a father-daughter relationship, it hits me in the gut,? says Saldana.
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Ashley Greene, Zach Braff, Kate Hudson and Josh Gad of 'Wish I Was Here'
What It's About
: In his first directorial endeavor since Garden State, Braff brought together an all-star cast (Greene, Hudson, Gad, Jim Parsons, Mandy Patinkin, and more) for a comic tearjerker touching on faith and family.
The Scoop: ?Watching Zach work was a dream,? says Hudson. ?I knew he was a wonderful actor, but as a director he was brilliant.?
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Diane Kruger and Wes Bentley of 'The Better Angels'
What It's About
: Chronicling the hardships that shaped President Abraham Lincoln, this black-and-white feature focuses on those who were influences in his life, including his stepmother (Kruger) and his first teacher (Bentley).
The Scoop: ?I find the message so inspirational: If you encourage children in their natural talents, no matter how rich or how poor, they can become great,? says Kruger.
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Patricia Arquette, Ellar Coltrane and Ethan Hawke of 'Boyhood'
What It's About
: Arquette and Hawke play the divorced parents of Mason (Coltrane) in this emotional drama that traces the boy’s life from childhood to college.
The Scoop: “The process of making this film over a dozen years was joyous. Whenever you’re around kids, you’re inspired to be on your best behavior,” says Hawke.
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Billy Crudup, Selena Gomez and William H. Macy of 'Rudderless'
What It's About
: In Macy’s directorial debut, Sam (Crudup) finds hope after the death of his son by starting a band to perform the child’s music.
The Scoop: “Before filming, I spent a few weeks practicing with the other musicians just to create the nuances of what a real group is like,” says Crudup.
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Anna Kendrick, Melanie Lynskey, Jude Swanberg, Joe Swanberg and Mark Webber of 'Happy Christmas'
What It's About
: After breaking up with her boyfriend, Jenny (Kendrick) moves into her brother and sister-in-law’s (Swanberg and Lynskey) Chicago basement to get her self-destructive life back on track.
The Scoop: “This styling was very DIY. In one scene I had to look hungover and disheveled, so I slept in my makeup and woke up looking rough. It worked beautifully,” says Kendrick.
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Philip Seymour Hoffman, Director Anton Corbijn, Rachel McAdams and Willem Dafoe of 'A Most Wanted Man'
What It's About
: A German spy (Hoffman) works to track down a suspected terrorist, using a lawyer (McAdams) and banker (Dafoe) in a scheme to take him down.
The Scoop: "I loved the tangled web of the story, and the cast was incredible," says McAdams.
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Kristen Stewart, Peyman Moaadi, Director Peter Sattler and Lane Garrison of 'Camp X-Ray'
What It's About
: After joining the army to find meaning, Amy Cole (Stewart) is stationed at Guantánamo Bay and develops a unique relationship with a detainee (Mooadi).
The Scoop: ?We shot this in an abandoned prison near L.A. I went outside one night and got so spooked, I ran back to my trailer freaking out,? Stewart says.
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Shailene Woodley of 'White Bird in a Blizzard'
What It's About
: Despite the title, you won’t find poultry with plumes. This is the story of what happens to Kat Connors (Woodley) when her mother (Eva Green) disappears.
The Scoop: “The film takes place in the late ’80s and early ’90s, and I loved the clothes. I wore Doc Martens all the time,” says Woodley.
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Christina Hendricks of 'God's Pocket'
What It's About
: Mickey (Philip Seymour Hoffman) tries to cover-up the accidental death of his stepson, but gets in over his head when an unhappy wife (Hendricks) and a reporter begin to uncover the truth.
The Scoop: "It was a really intense movie, so there was a lot of crying on my part," Hendricks divulges.
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Olly Alexander, Hannah Murray, Emily Browning and Pierre Boulanger of 'Gold Help the Girl'
What It's About
: Aspiring singer Eve (Browning) forms a band in this coming-of-age musical.
The Scoop: ?I wanted to go to a singing teacher to prepare, but my director said no, he liked my raw voice. He promised me I wouldn?t sound stupid,? says Browning.
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Aaron Paul, Deke Garner and Josh Wiggins of 'Hellion'
What It's About
: Widowed father Hollis (Paul) struggles to keep his two sons together (Garner and Wiggins) after the younger one is removed from his custody.
The Scoop: ?Jumping from Breaking Bad to Hellion was the perfect move,? says Paul. ?I play a dad for the first time. It?s great, but it means I?m getting older!?
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Michael Pitt, Brit Marling, Director Mike Cahill, Astrid Bergès-Frisbey and Steve Yeun of 'I Origins'
What It's About
: While molecular biologist Ian (Pitt) loves his wife and lab partner Karen (Marling), he reminisces about a flame from his past (Bergès-Frisbey).
The Scoop: ?This movie explores whether monogamy is even possible. It?s a big, epic question I think we all wrestle with,? says Marling.
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Jacob Lofland, Boyd Holbrook and Elizabeth Banks of 'Little Accidents'
What It's About
: A fatal accident in a coal-mining town brings together three unlikely people (Lofland, Holbrook, and Banks) and exposes their secrets.
The Scoop: ?A lot of locals from West Virginia are in the movie,? says Banks. ?We wanted to capture a sense of Americana that?s vanishing right now.?
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Glenn Close, Elle Fanning and Flea of 'Low Down'
What It's About
: Based on a true story, it follows Amy (Fanning) as she grows up in L.A. with a father who’s a jazz musician and a junkie.
The Scoop: “Flea brought his instruments to the set and played all the time. It was such a musical environment,” says Fanning.
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Jason Schwartzman and Elisabeth Moss of 'Listen Up Philip'
What It's About
: The grumpy and egomaniacal New York novelist Philip (Schwartzman) gets a negative book review, and his relationship with girlfriend Ashley (Moss) starts to deteriorate.
The Scoop: ?I?d have to say such hurtful things in my scenes that I?d apologize after. I want people to like me!? says Schwartzman.
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Michael C. Hall of 'Cold in July'
What It's About
: Based on the cult novel of the same name by Joe R. Lansdale, Richard (Hall) must join forces with the ex-con father of a man he killed to get to the bottom of a deeper conspiracy in a criminal case.
The Scoop: "I was really taken with the script. I read the novel and was even more appreciative of how well translated the story was," says Hall.
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Alison Pill, Elijah Wood and Jack McBrayer of 'Cooties'
What It's About
: Elementary school students terrorize their teachers (Pill, Wood, and McBrayer included) after virus-ridden chicken nuggets from the cafeteria turn them into ravenous flesh-eating zombies.
The Scoop: ?Working with budding adolescents wasn?t so terrifying, in my opinion,? says Wood. ?High schoolers would definitely have been scarier.?
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Rinko Kikuchi of 'Kumiko The Treasure Hunter'
What It's About
: After obsessively watching Fargo on VHS, Kumiko (Kikuchi) is convinced the story is real and travels to the American tundra on a quest to dig up the money-filled briefcase.
The Scoop: ?We shot this in Minnesota in the dead of winter. It was freezing,? says Kikuchi.
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Emmanuelle Chriqui, Sam Huntington and Meaghan Rath of 'Three Night Stand'
What It's About
: A married couple's (Huntington and Rath) romantic weekend goes awry when the husband's old girlfriend (Chriqui) is running the ski lodge where they're staying.
The Scoop: "The mood on set was hilarious. Our chemistry as a group was fantastic," Chriqui states.
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Mary Steenburgen of 'Song One'
What It's About
: Franny (Anne Hathaway), a young archaeologist, returns home to visit her injured brother and mom (Steenburgen), who are angry at her for not keeping in touch. She soon falls for her brother's favorite musician, and family chaos ensues.
The Scoop: "It was a very musical set, which was great," states Steenburgen.
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Christopher Abbott of 'The Sleepwalker'
What It's About
: A young couple, Kaia (Gitte Witt) and Andrew (Abbott), are renovating her family's secluded home when their lives are disrupted by her unstable sister, and dark family secrets come to light.
The Scoop: "There was one day when no one could figure out who turned a light on above the house's garage," Abbott says. "We think we had a ghost."
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Director Chapman Way, Kurt Russell and Director Maclain Way of 'The Battered Bastards of Baseball'
What It's About
: A documentary directed by Chapman and Maclain Way (Bing Russell's grandsons) about the rise of the Portland Mavericks in 1973, a baseball team owned by Bing Russell (Kurt Russell's father) that operated outside the confines of major-league baseball.
The Scoop: "Our family was good at baseball. I was brought up from an early age playing the game, so we felt this story was necessary to tell," Russell says.
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Lea Thompson, Director Michael Tully, Emmi Shockley and Marcello Conte of 'Ping Pong Summer'
What It's About
: A family vacation during the summer of 1985 to Ocean City, Maryland changes the life of a teenage boy (Conte) who is attempting to win the affections of his crush (Shockley) through a ping pong battle.
The Scoop: "It?s shocking because the 1980s feel like yesterday, but at the same time they don't," Thompson, who plays Conte's mother, says.
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Irrfan Khan of 'The Lunchbox'
What It's About
: A mixup in Mumbai's famous lunchbox delivery system connects a man (Khan) to a young housewife as they exchange notes through a lunchbox.
The Scoop: "The love story of this film immediately struck me. It has old passion, old charm, and romance," says Khan.
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Director Rory Kennedy of 'Last Days in Vietnam'
What It's About
: Kennedy, the youngest daughter of Bobby and Ethel Kennedy, directs this compelling documentary that focuses on the final days of the chaotic Vietnam War.
The Scoop: "I think it?s a fascinating time in our nation?s history," Kennedy says.
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Oka Antara of 'Killers'
What It's About
: A journalist-turned-murderer (Antara) in Jakarta uploads videos of his bloody acts online, where he connects with another killer, and the two soon face off in a violent competition of bloodiest acts.
The Scoop: "It?s exciting to play a role that continually escalates throughout the film," Antara says.
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John Boyega, Anika Noni Rose and Rotimi of 'Imperial Dreams'
What It's About
: A 21-year-old reformed gangster's (Boyega) devotion to turning his life around is put to the test after he's released from prison and returns to his old stomping grounds in Watts, Los Angeles.
The Scoop: "I think it?s so important that we remember to laud people who have made their lives better," Rose states.
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Tyler James Williams, Kyle Gallner and Tessa Thompson of 'Dear White People'
What It's About
: After a riot breaks out at an Ivy League college over a popular African American themed party thrown by white students, the campus and its students (including Williams and Thompson) must tackle racism head-on.
The Scoop: "This screenplay was a new, fresh perspective that I hadn?t heard before," says Williams.
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Mark Duplass, Director Charlie McDowell and Elisabeth Moss of 'The One I Love'
What It's About
: Struggling with a failing marriage, a couple (Duplass and Moss) goes on a weekend getaway with the hopes of fixing their broken relationship.
The Scoop: "We were in Ohio on location, all living together, so that was a nice experience," Moss states.
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Abdikani Muktar of 'Fishing Without Nets'
What It's About
: In Somalia, Abdi (Muktar) turns to piracy to support his family. He strikes up a friendship with one of his hostages a French oil tanker, and when some of the other pirates resort to violence, he must decide what to do.
The Scoop: "I'm really happy about the fact that I'm a part of this film," says Muktar.
(Seen with Producer Victor Shapiro, Abu Bakr Mirre, Producer John Hibey, Director Cutter Hodierne, Executive Producer Eddy Moretti, and Producer Raphael Swann.)