News

Kicking off on May 15-17 with the LA Independents, with a heavyweight Spanish-language presence, the LA Screenings then host Hollywood studio presentations. To help cut through the slates, – especially at the LA Independents but including some big studio plays – here’s Variety’s pick of 20 top titles:

“The Americas,” (NBCU, BBC Studios)

Narrated by Tom Hanks, his first unscripted narrator gig, and billed as an epic natural history series from “Planet Earth” producer BBC Studios Natural History Unit in association with Universal Television Alternative Studio. Scored by two-time Oscar winner Hans Zimmer and using groundbreaking technology to reveal the continent’s natural wonders. Previewed at MipTV, in a presentation which was one of the biggest events of the whole market.

“Amia,” (Dori Media Group)

Unfolding against the background of the terror attacks of 1992 on the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires and in 1994 against Amia, the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association, the...

Paramount+ in France has acquired “French Roulette – A Mother’s Ordeal,” Vincent Garenq’s (“Guilty”) limited series set in the 1970s.

Under the deal, Paramount+ will have exclusive first-window rights in France to the series, which is represented internationally by France TV Distribution, and will premiere it on Dec. 1.

Produced by Paris-based banners La Dame de Coeur and Effervescence Fiction, the miniseries is set in the French Riviera and inspired by the true story of Renée Le Roux, a former top model and fierce businesswoman who ran the city’s historical casino and stood alone against the mafia. After her daughter Agnès went missing, Le Roux embarked on a perilous 40-year battle to uncover the truth. The well-known French actress Michèle Laroque plays Le Roux, and stars opposite Yannick Choirat and Marie Zabukovec. The series was penned by Nicolas Jean, Isabelle Dubernet and Olivier Eloy.

“We are proud to present...

The fashions, fabrics and eye-crossingly patterned wallpapers of the 1970s abound in “Angry Annie,” a French period piece practically painted in avocado green and Le Creuset orange, with hand-crocheted accessories for good measure. Would that the rest of Blandine Lenoir’s rousing abortion drama felt quite so dated. Instead, in a year where the overturning of Roe v. Wade signifies a major step back in the collective fight for women’s reproductive rights, this story of women banding together to assert their bodily autonomy in an age of sexual revolution feels all too timely: not merely a compelling reminder of how things were, but a warning of how they could yet be.

Bright and predominantly hopeful in tone, and powered by a typically lovable performance from recent César winner Laure Calamy (“Call My Agent”) as a meek wife and mother emboldened by an underground women’s movement, this is a less visceral,...

Laetitia, the first French series to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, is heading to HBO.

The premium cabler has acquired the North American linear and streaming rights to the six-part limited series from The Staircase and Murder on a Sunday Morning director Jean-Xavier de Lestrade. Watch the first trailer above.

The series follows the disappearance of eighteen year old Laetitia, played by Sophie Breyer, and the repercussions that follow her twin sister Jessica, played by Marie Colomb.

Based on Ivan Jablonka’s book, the series is written by Antoine Lacomblez and written and directed by de Lestrade. It is produced by Cpb Films, France Télévisions, Be-Films/ Rtbf and Pictanovo and is distributed by France TV Distribution. It is exec produced by Jean Labib and produced by Judith Louis and Christophe Louis.

Launching on Monday August 30 and based on true events, it looks at the the disappearance of a teenage girl in western France.

Élodie Bouchez, Yannick Choirat, Nuno Lopes, Thomas Scimeca, Maya Sansa and Laetitia Dosch will star in the filmmaker’s first feature, produced by Tabo Tabo Films. Just as France’s Health and Safety Guide for Film Production Activities is undergoing validation by the ministries of Health and Work, and the compensation fund for film shoots, steered by the Cnc, is set to launch on 1 June, actor Matthieu Rozé is busy pre-producing Azuro, the first feature film he has directed, which he is due to shoot from 7 July on southern France’s Blue Coast. Shining bright at the head of the cast is Élodie Bouchez. Standing tall alongside her are Yannick...

Sundance has unveiled titles for the Indie Episodic, Shorts, and Special Events sections of the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, which runs from January 23-February 2 in Park City. Highlights include world premieres of documentaries on Hillary Clinton and Lance Armstrong in the Special Events lineup.

Among the projects chosen out of the 10,397 submissions, 48% were directed or created by one or more women, 33% were directed or created by one or more filmmaker of color, and 19% by one or more people who identify as Lgbtqia.

The 74 short films, which hail from 27 countries and were chosen from 10,397 submissions, will screen during the fest, while select festival shorts will be presented as a traveling program internationally and year-round.

Here are the lineups:

Indie Episodic

A dedicated showcase for emerging creators of independently produced episodic content for broadcast, web, and streaming platforms.

Awkward Family Photos / USA — A hilarious, odd, and heartfelt exploration of the imperfect family experience. The families behind some of the most viral photos from the archives of AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com tell their unique stories and reunite to recreate their original photos, forcing them to reconcile their past and celebrate their awkwardness. World Premiere

Chemo Brain / Denmark — When Oliver is diagnosed with testicular cancer, his life is turned upside down. This lighthearted drama-series depicts the derailment of a young man that is doing everything he can to not lose his friends, his girlfriend, himself, and ultimately his life. Cast: Adam Ild Rohweder, Karoline Brygmann, Jens Jørn Spottag, Mads Reuther, Stephanie Nguyen, Mathilde Passer. International Premiere

City So Real / USA (Director: Steve James) — An impressionistic mosaic portrait of current-day Chicago which delivers a deep, multifaceted look into the soul of America’s third-largest city, set against the backdrop of its history-making 2019 mayoral campaign. World Premiere

Embrace / USA — Against the backdrop of Oakland California, Iranian-American medical student Kat tries to save her Iranian family by taking on a surprising side hustle. The show is a culturally diverse, quasi-surrealist dramedy that captures the ever-increasing need for human connection and the subsequent commodification of it. Cast: Kathreen Khavari, Eddie Huang, Mitra Jouhari. World Premiere

Hey Lady! / Canada — A fearlessly off-the-charts rampage of urban vengeance as senior-citizen Lady, along with her friend Rosie, upturns everything in her path–social norms, rules of etiquette, and even the series itself. Cast: Jayne Eastwood, Jackie Richardson. World Premiere

Laetitia / France — Eighteen-year-old Laetitia has disappeared. Police quickly arrest Tony Meilhon but investigators still can’t find the body. This story follows the repercussions for Laetitia’s family and twin sister Jessica; the police force inner workings and social services; the judicial system and government itself. Based on real events. Cast: Marie Colomb, Sophie Breyer, Yannick Choirat, Sam Karmann, Kevin Azïas, Noam Morgensztern. International Premiere

The Ride / USA — Wayne, a 40-year-old ride share driver and spiritual coach, recently moved back in with his mom and discovers the only thing that gives his life meaning is to help his passengers let go of their negative thoughts, whether they want his help or not. Cast: Linas Phillips, Maria Thayer, Alex Karpovsky, Punkie Johnson, Joslyn Jensen, Timm Sharp. World Premiere

Untitled Pizza Movie / USA (Director and screenwriter: David Shapiro) — How do you remember somebody in a disposable world? Weaving an abandoned film about pizza (NYC in the early 90s), a stunning, physical archive (thousands of objects) with a remarkable triple portrait, this series traces three lives over thirty years, three continents, and the faultlines of class, dreams, and memory. World Premiere

Special Events

One-of-a-kind moments highlighting new independent works that add to the unique Festival experience.

Hillary / USA (Director and screenwriter: Nanette Burstein) — A portrait of a public woman, interweaving moments from never-before-seen 2016 campaign footage with biographical chapters of Hillary Rodham Clinton’s life. Featuring exclusive interviews with Hillary herself, Bill Clinton, friends, and journalists, an examination of how she became simultaneously one of the most admired and vilified women in the world. World Premiere

Lance / USA — This deeply personal examination of one of the world’s most controversial figures examines a man who’s both winner and loser, saint and sinner. With unprecedented access to Lance’s world, this psychological portrait is a powerful study of that 21st century phenomenon: the celebrity who falls spectacularly and publicly from grace. World Premiere

Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on the Exorcist / USA, Spain — A lyrical and spiritual cinematic essay on The Exorcist, and an exploration of the uncharted depths of William Friedkin’s mind’s eye, the nuances of his filmmaking process, and the mysteries of faith and fate that have shaped his life and filmography. Cast: William Friedkin. North American Premiere

Love Fraud / USA — Bigamy. Identity theft. Fraud. For the last 20 years Richard Scott Smith has used the internet and his dubious charms to prey upon unsuspecting women in search of love–conning them out of their money and dignity. But now his victims ban together and seek sweet revenge. World Premiere

Max Richter’s Sleep / UK (Director and screenwriter: Natalie Johns) — Following the composer as he navigates an ambitious performance of his acclaimed 8-hour opus. Centring around an open-air concert in Los Angeles, alongside footage from Berlin, Sydney and Paris, we are plunged deep into the life and process of both the artist and his creative partner Yulia Mahr. North American Premiere

McMillions / USA — McMillions is the definitive, real-life account of the McDonald’s Monopoly game scam, which defrauded the American public throughout the 1990s, as told by the “prize winners,” criminals, government officials, and FBI agents, whom eventually took the crime ring down. World Premiere

Siempre, Luis / USA — Follow one single-minded immigrant’s improbable journey from Puerto Rico to the halls of power. Witness Luis Miranda’s unflappable idealism as he battles his health, mobilizes the mainland Latinx community, matches wits with his youngest child applying to college and brings Hamilton to his island home, all in twelve months. Cast: Luis Miranda, Lin-Manuel Miranda. World Premiere

The Trade / USA — A deeply personal and intimate portrait of human smuggling, sex trafficking, and the struggle to survive the migrant cycle between Central America and the United States. World Premiere

We Are Freestyle Love Supreme / USA — Follow the 15-year journey of the founding members of the improv hip-hop group Freestyle Love Supreme, as they reflect upon why this show remains such an important piece of their personal, creative, and professional history–from the basement of the Drama Bookshop in NYC to the Broadway stage. Cast: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Thomas Kail, Anthony Veneziale, Christopher Jackson, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Chris Sullivan. World Premiere

U.S. Narrative Short Films

Arabian Alien / Saudi Arabia, U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Meshal Aljaser) — Saad, a Muslim married man, gets over his depression after a space Alien is introduced into his life. World Premiere

Baldwin Beauty / USA (Director and screenwriter: Thembi Banks) — Farrah, new to La, goes on the mobile styling app Get Glam, to find new clients. When she arrives at an appointment, she finds a house of girls pre-gaming for a party and maybe a new crew of friends.

Blocks / USA (Director and screenwriter: Bridget Moloney) — An existential comedy about the mother of two young children who begins to spontaneously vomit plastic toy blocks. World Premiere. Day One

Buck / USA — Caught in the throes of a depressive fugue, young Lynn resorts to debauchery to find joy — only to discover that happiness is a much more complicated proposition. World Premiere

Danny’s Girl / USA (Director and screenwriter: Emily Wilson) — Danny meets his online girlfriend for the first time, but accidentally discovers her unspeakable possession, which throws their first night together into a dizzying tailspin. World Premiere

Dirty / USA (Director and screenwriter: Matthew Puccini) — Marco cuts class to spend the afternoon with his boyfriend, Graham. Things do not go as planned. World Premiere

He’s the One / USA (Director and screenwriter: Jessie Kahnweiler) — A girl meets guy and falls head over heels, but a shocking discovery forces her to question everything. A dark comedy about falling in love with the one person you’re supposed to hate. World Premiere

How Did We Get Here? / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Michelle Miles) — A visual exploration of progressive atrophy. A study in how microscopic changes can go unnoticed, but amass over time. Even as these changes become drastic, we sometimes fail to realize anything has happened at all. World Premiere

Lance (in a Neck Brace) / USA (Director and screenwriter: Chloé Aktas) — After a devastating breakup, Lance listens to instructional cassette tapes on how to heal his broken heart. World Premiere. Day One

Little Chief / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Erica Tremblay) — The lives of a Native woman and a troubled young boy intersect over the course of a school day on a reservation in Oklahoma. World Premiere

Meats / USA (Director and screenwriter: Ashley Williams) — A pregnant vegan struggles with her newfound craving for meat. World Premiere

Meridian / USA, Italy (Director and screenwriter: Calum Walter) — Footage transmitted by the last unit in a fleet of autonomous machines is sent to deliver an emergency vaccine. The film follows the machine before its disappearance, tracing a path that seems to stray further and further from its objective.

Pillars / USA (Director and screenwriter: Haley Elizabeth Anderson) — After seeing a boy she likes before church, Amber sneaks out to the Sunday school bathroom during the service and is given her first kiss. World Premiere

Place / USA (Director and screenwriter: Jason Gudasz) — Wanting a fresh start, Lauren moves into a house with her daughter and new boyfriend–but the spirits of the house have plans to turn them all against each other in very bizarre ways.

Ship: A Visual Poem / USA (Director and screenwriter: Terrance Daye) — A black boy learns contradicting lessons of manhood and masculinity on the day of his cousin’s funeral.

T / USA (Director and screenwriter: Keisha Rae Witherspoon) — A film crew follows three grieving participants of Miami’s annual T Ball, where folks assemble to model R.I.P. t-shirts and innovative costumes designed in honor of their dead.

Three Deaths / USA (Director and screenwriter: Jay Dockendorf) — Three strangers confront death in a modern interpretation of a Tolstoy short story. World Premiere

Valerio’s Day Out / Colombia, USA (Director and screenwriter: Michael Arcos) — A young jaguar goes on a killing spree when he escapes from his enclosure at a zoo. After he’s captured, sedated and relocated, he makes a video diary for his significant other, Lula.

International Narrative Short Films

Are You Hungry? / Finland — A single mother struggles to connect with her adopted teenage son, whom she believes is gay. U.S. Premiere. Day One

Backpedal / Australia (Director and screenwriter: Dani Pearce) — A collage of an American poem, exploring the universality of womanhood.

Bad Hair / Estonia (Director and screenwriter: Oskar Lehemaa) — Insecure and balding Leo has decided to try a mysterious hair growth liquid to fix up his looks. The liquid causes a series of grotesque metamorphoses, as Leo tries to get his bodily changes under control, the evening quickly turn into chaos.

Benevolent Ba / Malaysia, USA (Director and screenwriter: Diffan Sina Norman) — A devout woman’s lust for virtue thrusts her family into a sacrificial slaughter of biblical proportions. World Premiere

The Devil’s Harmony / UK — A bullied teenage girl leads an a cappella club on a trail of destruction against her high school enemies.

Exam / Iran — A teenage girl gets involved in the process of delivering a pack of cocaine to its client, and gets stuck in a weird cycle of occurrences. Day One

Former Cult Member Hears Music For The First Time / Norway, U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Kristoffer Borgli) — After a woman escapes the captivity of her abusive family, a magazine invites her to a journalistic experiment: to hear music for the first time. World Premiere

I’ll End Up in Jail / Canada (Director and screenwriter: Alexandre Dostie) — A stay-at-home mom gets into a murderous car crash where nobody wants to take the blame. U.S. Premiere

Leave of Absence / Russia (Director and Screenwriter: Anton Sazonov) — In Russia, supressed masculinity has led to a feeling of unfulfillment as men feel that the country rejects them, leading to a drastic decline in male life expectancy. North American Premiere. Day One

No One is Crazy in This Town / Indonesia ) — The owner of a big hotel orders Marwan and his team to remove mentally ill people from the city streets and cast them away in the forests. North American Premiere

Olla / France, United Kingdom (Director and screenwriter: Ariane Labed) — Olla has answered an ad on a dating website for Eastern European women. She moves in with Pierre, who lives with his old mother, but nothing goes as expected.

Paola Makes A Wish / Switzerland (Director and screenwriter: Zhannat Alshanova) — On an ordinary day at work, Paola starts to feel that she is missing out something exciting in her life. U.S. Premiere

Pattaki / Cuba — In the dense night, when the moon rises, those who live in a monotonous daily life without water are hypnotized by the powers of Yemaya, the goddess of the sea. U.S. Premiere

Regret / Canada (Director and screenwriter: Santiago Menghini) — Following the death of his father, a man must survive the manifestations of his inner demons over the course of a dreary night. World Premiere

Sadla / South Africa (Director and screenwriter: Zamo Mkhwanazi) — While going on a simple errand, Nathi’s journey is marked by disturbing interactions with authority. But is he an innocent victim? U.S. Premiere. Day One

So What If The Goats Die / France, Morocco (Director and screenwriter: Sofia Alaoui) — Abdellah, a young shepherd living in the mountains, is forced to brave the snow blocking him in order to get food and save his cattle. Once he gets to the village, he faces a supernatural phenomenon. World Premiere

Song of Clouds / Nepal (Director and screenwriter: Ankit Poudel) — A haunting visual fever dream, and a meditation on the afterlife; the journey to the next world, and what gets left behind among the living. World Premiere

Sticker / Macedonia (Director and screenwriter: Georgi M. Unkovski) — After an unsuccessful attempt to renew his car registration, Dejan falls in a bureaucratic trap that tests his determination to be a responsible father. North American Premiere

A Thousand Sails / Hong Kong (Director and screenwriter: Hing Weng Eric Tsang) — Ren promises to keep a secret for her neighbor’s son–a secret she can share with no one on the island. Her only refuge from sleepless nights is her deceased husband. International Premiere

Documentary Short Films

Abortion Helpline, This Is Lisa / U.S.A. — At a Philadelphia abortion helpline, counselors answer nonstop calls from women who seek to end a pregnancy but can’t afford to. In this documentary we learn how economic stigma and cruel legislation determine who has access to abortion.

All That Perishes at the Edge of Land / Pakistan — A ship berthed at Gadani and the shipbreakers coming from all over Pakistan to break it discover that they might have more in common than otherwise imagined when they enter into a conversation.

Bereka / U.S.A., Ethiopia (Director and screenwriter: Nesanet Teshager Abegaze) — A family history archive as told by matriarch Azalu Mekonnen and her granddaughter Samira Hooks. Shot on Super 8 film in Los Angeles and Gondar, Ethiopia, capturing the Ethiopian coffee ceremony and explores migration, memory and rebirth.

Betye Saar: Taking Care of Business / USA (Director: Christine Turner) — At age 93, there’s no stopping the legendary artist Betye Saar. World Premiere

Broken Orchestra / Canada, USA (Director: Charlie Tyrell) — The Symphony for a Broken Orchestra project collected hundreds of broken instruments from the Philadelphia public school system, fixed them and then returned them into the hands of students.

Character / USA (Director: Vera Brunner-Sung) — Actor Mark Metcalf made his reputation in Hollywood playing aggrieved authority figures. Now in his 70s, he takes a look back on his career in this meditation on power, privilege, and the perils of being a “type.” World Premiere

Church and the Fourth Estate / USA (Director: Brian Knappenberger) — A reporter uncovers a file that reveals a shocking series of child abuse allegations in Idaho’s Boy Scouts, which rattle the community and implicate the Mormon church. The story reveals long-running crimes that threaten to bankrupt the Boy Scouts. World Premiere

The Deepest Hole / USA (Director: Matt McCormick) — While the space and arms races are Cold War common knowledge, few know about the United States and Soviet Union’s race to dig the deepest hole. This is particularly surprising since Hell may have been inadvertently discovered in the process. World Premiere

Día de la Madre / USA — A band of juveniles embark on a 24-hour spree of breaking into houses and causing a ruckus. World Premiere

Do Not Split / USA, Norway (Director: Anders Hammer) — The story of the 2019 Hong Kong protests, told

through a series of demonstrations by local protestors that escalate into conflict when highly armed police appear

on the scene. World Premiere

E-Ticket / Hong Kong, U.S.A. (Director: Simon Liu) — A frantic (re)cataloguing of a personal archive and 16,000

splices in the making. 35mm frames are obsessively rearranged in evolving-disorienting patterns, as a Dante’s

Inferno for the streaming age emerges, illustrating freedom of movement for the modern cloud.

Guisado on Sunset / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Terence Nance) — Missed connection regret at that one

late-night spot–the kind you keep playing back in your head but not quite ever remembering right, until it starts to

look like something else. International Premiere

John Was Trying to Contact Aliens / U.S.A. (Director: Matthew Killip) — John

Shepherd spent 30 years trying to contact extraterrestrials by broadcasting music

millions of miles into space. After giving up the search he makes a different

connection here on earth. World Premiere. Day One

Junior Bangers / United Kingdom (Director: Danny Lee) — In England, banger

racing isn’t just a sport, but a way of life. Join 11-year-olds Finn and Harley on a cold

winter race day in Birmingham. North American Premiere

Lichen / Canada (Director and screenwriter: Lisa Jackson) — An otherworldly deep dive into the hidden beauty of

lichens, asking what we might learn from them. Ancient and diverse, thriving in adversity, confounding scientists

to this day, lichen is a model of emergence. International Premiere

A Love Song for Latasha / U.S.A. (Director: Sophia Nahli Allison) — A dreamlike archive in conversation with

the past and the present to reimagine a more nuanced narrative of Latasha Harlins by excavating intimate and

poetic memories shared by her cousin and best friend.

Narcissister Breast Work / U.S.A. (Director: Narcissister) — Focusing on the exercise by women of their right to

bare their breasts in public, this film is an investigation into how prohibitions on female toplessness are grounded

in fear of, and desire to control, the female body. World Premiere

Now Is the Time / Canada (Director and screenwriter: Christopher Auchter) — On the 50th anniversary of the

first new totem pole raising on British Columbia’s Haida Gwaii in almost a century, we revisit the day that would

signal the rebirth of the Haida spirit.

See You Next Time / U.S.A. (Director: Crystal Kayiza) — A window into the intimate moments shared across a

nail salon table between a Chinese nail artist and her black client in Brooklyn, NY.

The Starr Sisters / U.S.A. — Patte and Randa Starr are fun specialists.

After overcoming a dark past, these sisters are inseparable. Now in their 70s, they do exactly as they please and

their candy drawer is always fully stocked.

While I’m Still Breathing (Tandis Que Je Respire Encore) / France — The blurred portrayal of a young woman as she moves

through three steps of her sexuality. North American Premiere

Animated Short Films

Daughter / Czech Republic (Director and screenwriter: Daria Kashcheeva) — Should you hide your pain, close

yourself inside your inner world, and long for your father’s love? Or should you understand and forgive before it’s

too late?

Daytime Noir / U.S.A. — A

mother and son’s journey through the exploitative world of tabloid TV. World Premiere

eadem cutis: the same skin / Germany (Director: Nina Hopf) — “I just want to be seen as who I am today!” John

shares his thoughts on identity, body and gender and gives a very personal insight into his life–and an intimate

proximity to his body. North American Premiere

Eli / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Nate Milton) — A true story from the realms of high strangeness, magical

thinking, and manic delusion.

Farce / Norway (Director and screenwriter: Robin Jensen) — A man, a woman and a meat grinder. Love is messy.

Hot Flash / Canada (Director and screenwriter: Thea Hollatz) — Ace is having a hot flash, and she’s about to go live on local television. How one woman tries to keep her cool when one type of flash leads to another. International Premiere

Hudson Geese / USA (Director and screenwriter: Bernardo Britto) — A goose remembers his last migration. World Premiere. Day One

Inès / France and Switzerland (Director and screenwriter: Élodie Dermange) — Inès is facing a difficult choice. Tonight, she thinks about the decision she will make. North American Premiere

My Juke-Box / France (Director and screenwriter: Florentine Grelier) — Yesterday, I overheard an old rock ‘n’ roll song that sounded familiar. This is probably the music that we used to listen to on my dad’s mechanical devices–the thousand lives man, the king of the jukebox. International Premiere

No, I Don’t Want to Dance! / UK (Director and screenwriter: Andrea Vinciguerra) — In these dark times, you may think that every hazard has been identified, but nobody has taken into consideration how dangerous dance can be…

Sh_t Happens / Czech Republic, Slovakia, France — The caretaker exhausted by everything, his frustrated wife, and one totally depressed deer. Their mutual despair leads them to absurd events, because… shit happens all the time. U.S. Premiere

The Shawl / USA (Director: Sara Kiener) After years of long distance, a pair of big and beautiful boyfriends celebrate their reunion at a Stevie Nicks concert, where they share a brush with magic. World Premiere

Slug Life / United Kingdom (Director and Screenwriter: Sophie Koko Gate) — A day in the life of Tanya, a curious woman who has developed a taste for non human lovers. Her next creation: a giant slug. Can such a perfect creature survive in this gnarly world full of freaks and beefs?.

Takoyaki Story / Japan (Director and screenwriter: Sawako Kabuki) — Always attracted to takoyaki–octopus balls, a famous Japanese street food–a girl tries them for the first time and becomes addicted.

Wong Ping’s Fables 2 / Hong Kong (Director and Screenwriter: Ping Wong) — Wong Ping urinates twice before gently pressing your head down with his right foot, giving you a closer look at your own reflection in his urine.

Wood Child and Hidden Forest Mother / UK (Director and screenwriter: Stephen Irwin) — Deep in the forest, a hunter encounters a strange creature he cannot kill. World Premiere...

The Sundance Institute has announced the works selected across the Indie Episodic, Shorts and Special Events sections for the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, which will include documentaries on Hillary Clinton and Lance Armstrong, and two Lin-Manuel Miranda films.

“Authenticity and independent voices resonate across formats – and that’s evident across the full spectrum of this year’s Indie Episodic and Special Events slates,” Kim Yutani, the Festival’s Director or Programming, said. “Defined by distinctive voices and enlightening viewpoints, these are riveting projects that find inspiration in the urgent stories and extraordinary individuals of our times.”

Of the projects announced on Tuesday, 48% were directed or created by one or more women, 33% were directed or created by one or more filmmakers of color and 19% by one or more people who identify as Lgbtqia. Seven films were supported by Sundance Institute in development.

Also Read: Taylor Swift, Viggo Mortensen and Tessa Thompson Lead...

New Frontier selections to be announced on Thursday (12).

Sundance Film Festival top brass announced on Tuesday (10) content in the Indie Episodic, Shorts and Special Events sections featuring new work by Marina Zenovich, Steve James, and Matthew Heineman.

James (City So Real) and Sarah Polley (Hey Lady!) are among the Indie Episodics line-up, while Special Events selections include Zenovich’s (Roman Polanski: Wanted And Desired) Lance Armstrong profile Lance, Matthew Heineman’s sex trafficking exposé Trade, and Love Fraud, the latest film from Jesus Camp and The Boys Of Baraka filmmaking team Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing.

All selections appear below.

Beta Film announces project at annual pre-miptv dinner in Cannes.

German drama powerhouse Beta Film and Austria’s Red Bull Media House are joining forces on a high-end scripted mega series inspired by football and provisionally entitled The Net.

The project spans 40 hours of drama, divided into five stand-alone, eight-episode series revolving around characters linked in some way to the world of football, whether it be as a fan, player, coach or footballer’s wife.

German opera and theatre director Matthias Hartmann – who is known for his out-of-the-box productions of Fidelio and La Bohème – came up with the concept with...

Beta Film announces project at annual pre-miptv dinner in Cannes.

German drama powerhouse Beta Film and Austria’s Red Bull Media House are joining forces on a high-end scripted mega series inspired by football and provisionally entitled The Net.

The project spans 40 hours of drama, divided into five stand-alone, eight-episode series revolving around characters linked in some way to the world of football, whether it be as a fan, player, coach or footballer’s wife.

German opera and theatre director Matthias Hartmann – who is known for his out-of-the-box productions of Fidelio and La Bohème – came up with the concept with...

Beta Film has scored a major deal ahead of MipTV, scooping international rights to high-end period drama “Victor Hugo – Enemy of the State,” which it will bring to the market.

The limited series hails from Quad, the production company behind box office hit “The Intouchables.” The French production will be on France 2 domestically. Production is underway in Paris, northern France, and the Dordogne, and will continue until mid-May. Beta Film will kick off the pre-sales effort in earnest at MipTV.

The four-part drama will tell the story of Hugo, the author of “Les Misérables,” which is itself being remade as a miniseries for the BBC. The series will be a portrait of the novelist, covering his life and family and his beliefs and politics.

Yannick Choirat (“Rust and Bone”) takes the title role. Isabelle Carré (“Romantics Anonymous“) is his lover, Juliette. Jean-Marc Moutout (“The Bureau”) directs.

“When the series begins...

They are two people accustomed to ruling their physical domains with muscle, sex and beauty. They don't ask themselves a lot of questions about what could stand some improvement in their inner lives. They will rely the powers given them. Ali is powerfully-built and roughly handsome. He dreams of becoming a champion of mixed martial arts fighting. At present he is a nightclub bouncer, firmly exercising control over the hopefuls swimming out of the night. Stéphanie is a trainer at a seaquarium, using body language and dead fish to command a tank filled with whales to rise up from the water. They live near Cannes, celebrated for launching more successful people up a red carpet.

Ali is presented with a challenge he can't train for. He takes responsibility for his young son Sam, At the seaquarium, Stéphanie is majestically ordering a killer whale to rise up a few feet in...