Sundance NEXT FEST Announces 2016 Line-Up

James Tisch July 8th, 2016 - 10:05 AM

Some treasures of the 2016 Sundance Film Festival will be making their Los Angeles debuts this August as Sundance NEXT FEST returns to Downtown’s Ace Hotel. Six films, each of which made their world premieres at Park City this past January, will screen at the festival which runs from August 12th-14th, paired alongside musical performances and discussions with some of the most innovative emerging talents in the independent film world.

Sundance NEXT FEST is an offshoot of the NEXT sidebar of the Sundance Film Festival, which in recent years has premiered challenging and stylish independent fare like Obvious Child (2014) and James White (2015). This year’s fest will open Friday, August 12th with the Los Angeles premiere of Lovesong, a quirky love story starring Riley Keough (Mad Max: Fury Road) and Jena Malone (The Neon Demon) accompanied by a musical performance from Shamir. Other highlights include buzzy Sundance premieres Morris From America starring Craig Robinson (Hot Tub Time Machine) and the hazing drama Goat.

Full line-up below:

LOVESONG – August 12th

Neglected by her husband, Sarah embarks on an impromptu road trip with her young daughter and her best friend, Mindy. Along the way, the dynamic between the two friends intensifies before circumstances force them apart. Years later, Sarah attempts to rebuild their intimate connection in the days before Mindy’s wedding.
DIRECTOR So Yong Kim
SCREENWRITERS Bradley Rust Gray, So Yong Kim
CAST Jena Malone, Riley Keough, Brooklyn Decker, Amy Seimetz, Rosanna Arquette

MORRIS FROM AMERICA – August 13th

Thirteen-year-old Morris, a hiphop loving American, moves to Heidelberg, Germany, with his father. In this completely foreign land, he falls in love with a local girl, befriends his German tutor-turned-confidant, and attempts to navigate the unique trials and tribulations of adolescence.
DIRECTOR Chad Hartigan
SCREENWRITER Chad Hartigan
CAST Markees Christmas, Craig Robinson, Carla Juri, Lina Keller, Jakub Gierszał, Levin Henning

WHITE GIRL – August 13th

Summer, New York City. A college girl falls hard for a guy she just met. After a night of partying goes wrong, she goes to wild extremes to get him back.
DIRECTOR Elizabeth Wood
SCREENWRITER Elizabeth Wood
CAST Morgan Saylor, Brian ‘Sene’ Marc, Justin Bartha, Chris Noth

GOAT – August 13th

Reeling from a terrifying assault, a 19-year-old boy pledges his brother’s fraternity in an attempt to prove his manhood. What happens there, in the name of “brotherhood,” tests both the boys and their relationship in brutal ways.
DIRECTOR Andrew Neel
SCREENWRITERS Mike Roberts, David Gordon Green, Brad Land, Andrew Neel
CAST Nick Jonas, Ben Schnetzer

DOWNTOWN AND DIRTY SHORTS – August 14th

UNDER THE SHADOW – August 14th

Tehran, 1988: As the IranIraq War rumbles into its eighth year, a mother and daughter are slowly torn apart by the bombing campaigns on the city coupled with the country’s bloody revolution. As they struggle to stay together amidst these terrors, a mysterious evil stalks through their apartment.
DIRECTOR Babak Anvari
SCREENWRITER Babak Anvari
CAST Narges Rashidi, Avin Manshadi, Bobby Naderi, Ray Haratian, Arash Marandi

THE GREASY STRANGLER – August 14th

When Big Ronnie and his son Brayden meet lone female tourist Janet on Big Ronnie’s Disco Walking Tour—the best and only disco walking tour in the city—a fight for Janet’s heart erupts between father and son, and the infamous Greasy Strangler is unleashed.
DIRECTOR Jim Hosking
SCREENWRITERS Jim Hosking, Toby Harvard
CAST Michael St. Michaels, Sky Elobar, Elizabeth De Razzo