Sundance Selects (Firm)
1) The summit
Summary
In August of 2008, eighteen mountain climbers reached the top of K2, the second-highest mountain in the world. 48 hours later, eleven people were dead, making it the deadliest day in modern mountain climbing history. While memorials paid tribute to those killed, there were also condemnations about why. Why do these athletes risk everything to reach a place humans are simply not meant to go? Why do they put their lives and the lives of others on the...
2) Buck
Summary
A richly textured and visually stunning film, follows Buck Brannaman from his abusive childhood to his phenomenally successful approach to horses. A real-life 'horse whisperer, ' he eschews the violence of his upbringing and teaches people to communicate with their horses through leadership and sensitivity, not punishment. Buck possesses near magical abilities as he dramatically transforms horses, and people, with his understanding, compassion, and...
Summary
A breathtaking new documentary from the incomparable Werner Herzog, follows an exclusive expedition into the nearly inaccessible Chauvet Cave in France, home to the most ancient visual art known to have been created by man. An unforgettable cinematic experience that provides an unique glimpse of pristine artwork dating back to human hands over 30,000 years ago, almost twice as old as any previous discovery.
4) Run & jump
Summary
After her husband suffers a debilitating stroke, a spirited Irish housewife struggles to keep her family together in the wake of tragedy. Help comes in the form of American doctor, whose research grant for documenting the family's recovery process takes care of finances but also requires that the straight-laced doctor live with the chaotic Casey family for two months.
5) Buck
Summary
"... a richly textured and visually stunning film, follows Buck Brannaman from his abusive childhood to his phenomenally successful approach to horses. A real-life 'horse-whisperer', he eschews the violence of his upbringing and teaches people to communicate with their horses through leadership and sensitivity, not punishment. Buck possesses near magical abilities as he dramatically transforms horses - and people - with his understanding, compassion...
6) Weiner
Summary
An examination of disgraced New York Congressman Anthony Weiner's disastrous 2013 mayoral campaign.
7) Blue caprice
Summary
Inspired by true events, investigates the notorious and horrific Beltway sniper attacks from the point of view of the two perpetrators, whose distorted father-son relationship facilitated their long and bloody journey across America. Recently abandoned by his mother, teenager Lee Malvo finds an unlikely father figure in John Allen Muhammad, who takes the boy in and shows him the moral decay of the society that declared him unfit to be a husband and...
8) Dealt
Summary
One of the most renowned card magicians of all time, Richard Turner astounds audiences around the world with his legendary sleight of hand. What they may not even realize, and what makes his achievements even more amazing, is that he is completely blind. Charting Turner's colorful life from his tumultuous childhood to the present, it reveals how through determination and force of will, he overcame seemingly insurmountable obstacles to rise to the...
Summary
New York City newlyweds Jude and Mina have a seemingly perfect relationship. But things take an unsettling turn with the birth of their son. Convinced that the baby must be kept free of all contaminants, Mina develops fanatical obsessions with veganism, cleanliness, and purity that may kill the child unless Jude can stop her.
Summary
Now considered one of the 20th century's greatest street photographers, Vivian Maier was a mysterious nanny who secretly took over 100,000 photographs that went unseen during her lifetime. Vivian's strange and riveting life and art are revealed through never-before-seen photos, films, and interviews with dozens who thought they knew her.
Formats
Summary
Alex and Nica are young, in love and engaged to be married. The Summer before their wedding, while backpacking in the Caucasus Mountains in Georgia, They hire a local guide to lead them on a camping trek. Venturing into the stunning wilderness, the trio's peaceful adventure takes a dark turn as a subtle rift opens between Alex and Nica, quickly widening until it threatens to undo everything the couple believed about each other and themselves.
13) Dirty wars
Summary
It's the dirty little secret of the War on Terror: all bets are off, and almost anything goes. The rules of the game and of engagement have fundamentally changed. Today drone strikes, night raids, and U.S. government targeted killings occur in corners across the globe, killing untold numbers of civilians. Investigative reporter Jeremy Scahill traces the rise of the Joint Special Operations Command, the most secret fighting force in U.S. history, exposing...
14) Mediterranea
Summary
Best friends Ayiva and Abas live hard lives in Burkina Faso and dream of a better future that seems to await them in Europe, as evidenced by the glittering snapshots they've seen on social media of an immigrant's life abroad. Making the dangerous journey through Africa and across the Mediterranean Sea, they end up in the Italian city of Rosarno, only to lead equally hard lives of long working hours, harsh living conditions, and animosity toward them....
Summary
A sex-addicted French financier, a fateful hotel room encounter, and a scandal that would rock the world; the mighty Gerard Depardieu gives a fearless performance in this ripped-from-the- headlines saga of sin and sleaze from boundary. Inspired by one of the most high-profile public implosions in recent memory, follows a prominent international banker as he spirals out of control during a drug and sex-fueled trip to America, culminating in a shocking...
16) A Ciambra
Summary
Fourteen-year-old Pio wants nothing more than the respect of his older brother, whom he emulates in every way, including his career as a petty criminal. When both his father and brother are arrested, Pio is determined to prove that he can step up and be the head of his Romani family. But a fateful night and a wrenching decision soon test just how ready he is.
17) Two lives
Summary
"Europe 1990. The Berlin Wall has just crumbled: Katrine, raised in East Germany but having lived in Norway for the last 20 years, is a 'war child' - the result of a romance between a Norwegian woman and a German occupation soldier during World War II. She enjoys a happy family life with her mother, her husband, daughter and granddaughter. But when a lawyer asks her and her mother to testify in a trial against the Norwegian state on behalf of the...