TwoOhSix Recap - 2019 Slamdance Film Festival

This was my second year covering the Slamdance Film Festival and I would say the selection of films I was able to watch was even better than the year before. Three narrative features and three documentaries came across my screens and each was seemed to raise the bar a little bit higher than the last. Of course, the decision always comes to name one of these films as the festival favorite and that is the point of this post.

Kifaru - 2019 Slamdance Film Festival Documentary Review

The Documentary: Kifaru

The Director: David Hambridge

The Story: Kifaru allows viewers to experience the joys and pitfalls of conservation firsthand through the lens of the men that look into the eyes of extinction on a daily basis.

This Teacher - 2019 Slamdance Film Festival Movie Review

The Movie: This Teacher

The Director: Mark Jackson

The Cast: Hafsia Herzi, Sarah Kazemy, Lucy Walters, Kevin Kane, Lev Gore, Gabe Fazio, Rebekah del Rio

The Story: A young Muslim woman's vacation to New York City devolves into a nightmare.

Demolition Girl [JKエレジー] - 2019 Slamdance Movie Review

The Movie: Demolition Girl [JKエレジー] 

The Director: Genta Matsugami

The Cast: Aya Kitai, Hiroki Ino, Haruka Imo, Yura Komuro, Yota Kawase, Ko Maehara, Ryohei Abe, Nobu Morimoto

The Story: A high-school girl who lives in a rural town in Japan struggles to define her own way in life. To help her impoverished family she works as a video fetish performer which leads to problems for her and her family with a criminal underworld.

Ski Bum: The Warren Miller Story - 2019 Slamdance Documentary Review

The Documentary: Ski Bum: The Warren Miller Story

The Director: Patrick Creadon

The Story: The life and times of the legendary filmmaker who, through his annual ski films and national tours which began in the early 1950’s, was a driving force in the development and promotion of the ski industry in America and throughout the world.

Lost Holiday - 2019 Slamdance Move Review

The Movie: Lost Holiday

The Directors: Michael Kerry Matthews & Thomas Matthews

The Cast: Kate Lyn Sheil, Thomas Matthews, Keith Poulson, William Jackson Harper, Ismenia Mendes, Tone Tank, Joshua Leonard, Isiah Whitlock Jr.

The Story: A New York social worker finds herself embroiled in the kidnapping of a Washington DC socialite.

Desolation Center - Slamdance 2019 Documentary Review

The Documentary: Desolation Center

The Director: Stuart Swezey

The Story: Desolation Center is the untold story of Reagan-era guerrilla punk rock desert happenings that are now recognized as inspirations for Burning Man, Lollapalooza and Coachella.

TwoOhSix Picks - Slamdance 2019

2019 marks the 25th Anniversary of Slamdance as well as my second year of covering the festival. Slamdance always features a fresh and original slate of programming making it the perfect way to kick off the new year. After digging into the roster of available films, I was very excited to once again see a true independent spirit embedded throughout making it no easy task to compile my list of the 10 films (narrative, documentary, and short) that stood out from the pack as this year's "TwoOhSix Picks.".