Four Seattle-made films screening at Sundance Film Festival January 20–30
By Seattle Mag January 21, 2011
Amid the many allegedly independent films (which nonetheless have mega-budgets and studio support) are some realio-trulio independent films that were made right here in Washington state.
Congrats to all the local filmmakers who won hard-earned spots in the Sundance line-up! Unfortunately, I haven’t seen any of these yet (fingers crossed that they’ll screen at SIFF this summer…), but here’s the list, along with quick plot summaries snatched from the Sundance website:
Spend some time with a woman from Oregon who is lost on the road and running away from her past. Now she has a chance to experience everything the grotesque Northwest has to offer, whether she likes it or not. Ed’s note: this looks tres scary! Watch the trailer here, if you dare.
Jacob Aaron Estes. After 10 years of marriage, Jeff and Nealy have a young son, an idyllic suburban life, and a marriage that’s stuck. Accordingly, Jeff decides to plant a perfect backyard lawn. Enter the raccoons, who repeatedly tear up his grass. When Jeff tries to eradicate these meddlesome vandals, his efforts initiate a bewildering chain reaction involving a crazy cat lady, multiple infidelities, extortion, organ donation, and somebody on the wrong end of a bow and arrow. Ed’s note: This is the “biggest” film of the bunch, shot in Montlake and starring Tobey Maguire, Elizabeth Banks, Laura Linney, Ray Liotta, Dennis Haysbert and Kerry Washington.