Madison, get ready for The Runaways. Sundance Institute has announced the lineup for the first-ever Sundance Film Festival USA, which on Jan. 28 will see filmmakers hosting screenings at eight cinemas nationwide, including Sundance Cinemas Madison. Sundance Film Festival USA is an adjunct to the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, which will be held in Utah Jan. 21-31.
The film screening in Madison is The Runaways, writer-director Floria Sigismondi's biopic about the 1970s band the Runaways, whose members included Joan Jett. The film stars Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning and Tatum O'Neal.
Sundance Film Festival USA is "a ground-breaking initiative designed to highlight the ability of art, specifically film, to introduce new concepts, challenge ideals and spur debate," Sundance Institute said in a press release.
Here is the complete lineup for Sundance Film Festival USA, with capsule summaries courtesy of Sundance.
The Company Men -- Brookline, MA (Coolidge Corner Theatre)
Director and screenwriter John Wells will screen his drama -- filmed on location in North Boston -- about three company men attempting to survive a round of corporate downsizing while trying to fend off its effects on their families and their identities. Cast: Ben Affleck, Kevin Costner, Maria Bello, Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper, Rosemarie DeWitt. World Premiere
Cyrus -- Ann Arbor, MI (Michigan Theater)
Directors and screenwriters: Jay Duplass and Mark Duplass. A recently divorced guy meets a new lady. Then he meets her son who is, well...interesting. Cast: John C. Reilly, Marisa Tomei, Jonah Hill, Catherine Keener. World Premiere
Daddy Longlegs -- Brooklyn, NY (BAM)
Directors, screenwriters, brothers and Native New Yorkers Benny Safdie and Josh Safdie will bring to New York their latest filmA swan song to excuses and responsibilities, to fatherhood and self-created experiences, and to what it's like to be truly torn between being a child and being an adult. Cast: Ronald Bronstein, Sage Ranaldo, Frey Ranaldo. North American Premiere
The Extra Man -- Nashville, TN (The Belcourt Theatre)
Directors: Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini; Screenwriters: Robert Pulcini, Jonathan Ames and Shari Springer Berman. A down-and-out playwright who escorts wealthy widows in Manhattan's Upper East Side takes a young aspiring writer under his wing. Cast: Kevin Kline, Paul Dano, John C. Reilly, and Katie Holmes.
Howl -- San Francisco, CA (Sundance Kabuki Cinemas)
Directors and screenwriters Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, both local San Franciscans, will be on hand to screen their nonfiction drama about the young Allen Ginsberg finding his voice, the creation of his groundbreaking poem HOWL, and the landmark obscenity trial that followed. Cast: James Franco, David Strathairn, Jon Hamm, Mary-Louise Parker, Jeff Daniels.
Jack Goes Boating -- Chicago, IL (Music Box Theatre)
Director: Philip Seymour Hoffman; Screenwriter: Bob Glaudini, both well known to Chicago film and theatre lovers. A limo driver's blind date sparks a tale of love, betrayal, friendship, and grace centered around two working-class New York City couples. Cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Ryan, John Ortiz, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Tom McCarthy.
The Runaways -- Madison, WI (Sundance Cinemas Madison)
Director and screenwriter: Floria Sigismondi. In 1970s LA, a tough teenager named Joan Jett connects with an eccentric producer to form an all-girl band that would launch her career and make rock history. Cast: Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning, Scout Taylor-Compton, Michael Shannon, Alia Shawkat, Tatum O'Neal.
Teenage Paparazzo -- Los Angeles, CA (Downtown Independent)
Where better than Los Angeles to explore the effects of celebrity on culture? Director Adrian Grenier's documentary does exactly that. A 13-year-old paparazzi boy snaps a photo of Grenier, leading the actor/director to explore the effects of celebrity on culture.
