01/12/2016 - World Cinema Dramatic and Documentary Competitions include a raft of European titles such as Axolotl Overkill, God’s Own Country and The Good Postman

The main selections for the 2017 Sundance Film Festival (19-29 January) have been announced and Europe features prominently as always. Selections in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition include Helene Hegemann’s Axolotl Overkill [+see also:
trailer
interview: Helene Hegemann
film profile] (Germany), Francis Lee’s God’s Own Country [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Francis Lee
film profile] (UK), Nana Ekvtimishvili and Simon Groß’s My Happy Family [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Nana Ekvtimishvili, Simon G…
film profile] (Georgia/Germany/France) and Tarik Saleh’s The Nile Hilton Incident [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Tarik Saleh
film profile] (Sweden), while Felipe Bragança’s Don’t Swallow My Heart, Alligator Girl! [+see also:
trailer
film profile] is a co-production between Brazil, Netherlands, France and Paraguay. 

The World Cinema Documentary Competition is dominated by European titles including Tonislav Hristov’s The Good Postman [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Finland/Bulgaria), Neasa Ní Chianáin and David Rane’s In Loco Parentis [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Ireland/Spain), Frankie Fenton’s It’s Not Yet Dark [+see also:
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film profile] (Ireland), Feras Fayyad and Steen Johannessen’s Last Men in Aleppo [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Denmark), Pascale Lamche’s Winnie [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (France) and Adam Sobel’s The Workers Cup [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (UK), while Rahul Jain’s Machines [+see also:
trailer
film profile] is an India, Germany and Finland co-production and Kyoko Miyake’s Tokyo Idols [+see also:
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film profile] is a UK, Canada co-production. 

In the US documentary competition Yance Ford’s Strong Island [+see also:
trailer
film profile] is an US/Denmark co-production.

Films playing on the opening day of the festival include Macon Blair’s I Don’t Feel at Home in this World Anymore that is playing in the US Dramatic Competition, Sabaah Folayan’s Whose Streets? that is playing in the US Documentary Competition, Kirsten Tan’s Pop Aye (Singapore/Thailand) that bows in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition, The Workers Cup and Amman Abbasi’s Dayveon (US) that features in the festival’s Next segment. 

For the first time, the festival is focusing its programming efforts to drive attention and action around a specific theme: climate change and environmental preservation. 

Robert Redford, President and Founder of Sundance Institute, said, “From the passion and chaos of creativity, independent filmmakers make decisions to harness that energy, break new ground and tell their stories. This year’s Festival reflects every step of that journey, and shows how art can engage, provoke and connect people all over the world.” 

For the 2017 Festival, 113 feature-length films were selected, representing 32 countries and 37 first-time filmmakers. The foreign films selection:

World Cinema Dramatic Competition

Axolotl Overkill [+see also:
trailer
interview: Helene Hegemann
film profile] - Helene Hegemann (Germany)
Berlin Syndrome - Cate Shortland (Austria)
Woodpeckers (Carpinteros) - José María Cabral (Dominican Republic)
Don’t Swallow My Heart, Alligator Girl! [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Felipe Bragança (Brazil/Netherlands/France/Paraguay)
Family Life - Alicia Scherson, Cristián Jiménez (Chile)
Free and Easy - Jun Geng (Hong Kong)
God’s Own Country [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Francis Lee
film profile] - Francis Lee (UK)
My Happy Family [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Nana Ekvtimishvili, Simon G…
film profile] - Nana Ekvtimishvili, Simon Groß (Georgia/Germany/France)
The Nile Hilton Incident [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Tarik Saleh
film profile] - Tarik Saleh (Sweden)
Pop Aye - Kirsten Tan (Singapore/Thailand)
I Dream in Another Language - Ernesto Contreras (Mexico)
The Wound [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - John Trengove (South Africa/Germany/Netherlands/France)

World Cinema Documentary Competition

The Good Postman [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Tonislav Hristov (Finland/Bulgaria)
In Loco Parentis [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Neasa Ní Chianáin, David Rane (Ireland/Spain)
It’s Not Yet Dark [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Frankie Fenton (Ireland)
Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower - Joe Piscatella (US)
Last Men in Aleppo [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Feras Fayyad, Steen Johannessen (Denmark)
Machines [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Rahul Jain (India/Germany/Finland)
Motherland - Ramona Diaz (US/Philippines)
Plastic China - Jiu-liang Wang (China)
Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World - Catherine Bainbridge (Canada)
Tokyo Idols [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Kyoko Miyake (UK/Canada)
Winnie [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Pascale Lamche (France)
The Workers Cup [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Adam Sobel (UK)