FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Park City 2001 - Sundance, Slamdance, Digidance Festivals Jan 18-28

Feature Films originated and projected in High Def digital video

Jan 11, 2001-- This year at Park City a greater number of digital projects were shot and edited using high def gear than in previous years. Two of the films, "My Sister's Wedding" and "Solid Ones" were conformed in High Def at the HDCinema facility in Santa Monica. Digidance will be screening these and two other HD films beginning Sunday Jan 21 at Cicero's Restaurant at 306 Main Street. At 10AM is "My Sister's Wedding" , directed by David Leitner , "Swimming Upstream" directed by Robert J. Emery is screening at 12N. At 2:30PM is "Nicolas", directed by Peter Shaner and shot and edited in 24p HDCAM. At 4PM Sunday is a panel discussion "The Current and Future State of HD". Monday Jan 22 at 1:00PM will be the screening of " Solid Ones", directed by Brent Florence, shot and edited in HD using HD Cinema facilities. See www.digidanceonline.com for the complete schedule.

"MY SISTER'S WEDDING"
Set entirely on Long Island and in New York City, MY SISTER'S WEDDING tells the insightful and often hilarious story of the loving yet competitive relationship between Diana (Blanchard Ryan) and Cameron, (Jessie Hutcheson) her younger sister. When Cam's long-standing boyfriend proposes and the happy couple ask Diana to plan the wedding, everything begins to go wrong, including Diana's own discordant love life. Diana suddenly decides to marry her indigent French beau (John G. Connolly), despite the fact that she and Quinn (Patrick Wilson), the principal cellist from her Chamber Orchestra, are close - and he has repeatedly demonstrated his devotion and charm. Matters are further complicated by the girls‚ younger brother (Gabriel Carpenter), his wannabe girlfriend (Melissa Lee), and one of the Chamber Orchestra patrons (Deirdre Lovejoy). As the wedding dates approach, each player attempts to adjust to the new configuration of relationships in amusing, quirky ways. A wild and sexy ride.

PETER WENTWORTH, Producer, received his graduate degree in film from Columbia University in 1984 and has been active in the independent film world ever since. In 1989 his film, Metropolitan, was nominated for an Academy Award. He produced Swoon in 1994 which won best Cinematography at the Sundance Film Festival.

A graduate of Smith College (BA) and Yale University (MBA), SHARON JUNGREIS BOWERS has written and published numerous stories and poems. She has had two scripts selected for the final round of judging at Sundance Institute Writers Workshop (1995-1997). Ms. Bowers wrote and co-produced My Sister's Wedding and served as director during post-production.

DAVID W. LEITNER has key credits in over 44 feature length documentaries. He co-produced For All Mankind which was nominated for an Academy Award in 1990 and won the Sundance Jury and Audience Awards in 1989. As a Director of Photography he has filmed documentaries for Fred Wiseman, Allan Miller, Alan Berliner, Joe Berlinger, DeWitt Sage, Oren Rudavsky, Doug Block, Judith Helfand, and Alvarez/Kolker/Stekler. In 1999 his cinematography was nominated for an Emmy for Portrait in Progress: Chuck Close. Mr. Leitner is the author of over 100 articles on film history, theory, and technology. He remains a Contributing Editor of Millimeter and RES magazines. He directed My Sister's Wedding.

FERNANDO RIVAS, a Cuban-born composer and arranger, received his Bachelor's degree from the Juilliard School of Music in 1977. Mr. Rivas won the Princess Grace Foundation Grant in 1987 for outstanding original work in musical theater. In 1990 he began writing for the Children‚s Television Workshop and composed a number of songs for Sesame Street featuring singers Celia Cruz, Gloria Estefan, and Cindy Lauper. Mr. Rivas has written musical scores for five feature-length films, most notably: Ranger. In 1997 Mr. Rivas and his lyricist-partner received the Richard Rogers Award for their musical-theater piece, Barrio Babies. Currently, Mr. Rivas is working on two Broadway openings, Barrio Babies, and a musical based on the life of the great Hispanic singer, Selena!

"Solid Ones"

Frank has just broken up but just can't seem to let go. Neil's hiding something. Joey is a slacker. They have a plan to escape the town they've outgrown--rip-off the local gambling ring and make haste to the big city. So, donning some old sweat suits left over from their parents' youth as masks and their less-than-aggressive attitudes, they execute the "heist of the century." Unfortunately, it ends up being the local seniors' bingo tournament, and they score only $512.

To make matters worse, their car breaks down during their getaway, the cops are on their tail, they take two hostages (who are just as engaging as our trio) and the couple's '76 El Dorado, and instead of finding themselves on the way to someplace new, they are caught in that nether region between somewhere and nowhere. It is here that each must find his own path.

Solid Ones marks the directorial debut for Brent Florence, an exciting new talent to emerge from The Artists' Colony, a joint venture from Lloyd Silverman (producer, Snow Falling on Cedars) and former Miramax president, Ian Jessel. The Artists' Colony's adventurous projects include Raul Ruiz's Shattered Image, Scott Hicks' Snow Falling on Cedars, and Marek Kanievska's Till the End of Time.

Foregoing the path of Quentin Tarantino wannabes, Solid Ones adds an original voice to the short list of directors to watch. It is a rare find with a smart sense of humor, and Brent Florence impressively crafts an emotional journey about hope, love, and a little bit of car trouble.

Reviewed by Mike Rabehl

Director: Brent Florence

Producer: Lloyd A Silverman

Cinematographer: Matthew Davis

Screenwriter: Brent Florence

Principal Cast: Josh Holland, Tracy Zahoryin, Christian Leffler, Michael Trucco, Tava Smiley, Ken Luper

"Our Lady of the Assassins"

Directed by Barbet Schroeder. OUR LADY OF THE ASSASSINS is a semi-autobigraphical story by Fernando Vallejo. Set in Medellin, Columbia a city exploding with violent crimes tied to the drug trade. The film was shot in 1080/60i and transferred to 35mm film. It will be screening at Sundance on Jan 19 at 2:30P at the Prospector Theater, Jan 22 at 10PM at the Holiday Village Cinema III and Sat Jan 27 at 9AM at the Eccles Theater.

Last modified: April 30, 2009