HE 35TH SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL received a record-breaking
14,000-plus submissions, with 4,000-plus feature-length films among
them. Of the 112 features selected, 45 of their makers were first-timers.
The fest’s slate of fresh, diverse voices (53 percent of directors in the U.S.
Dramatic Competition are women, 41 percent are people of color, and 18 percent identify
as LGBTQ) indicates a rising tide of programming that’s as inclusive as it is eclectic in
its efforts to represent 2019’s standard-bearers of indie film. This sampling of 11 features
will get you acquainted with the independents, both emerging and established, whose
latest work will be bending genres, breaking ground, and blurring boundaries between
fiction and non-fiction storytelling. These are the independent movies that will land on
many moviegoers’ must-see maps in the months to come. —MM Editors
44 WINTER 2019 MOVIEMAKER.COM
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THE 2019 MOVIEMAKER
SUNDANCE SURVEY
A first look at 11 Sundance-selected features, and their mountain-bound makers
THE LAST TREE
(World Cinema Dramatic
Competition)
Who: Shola Amoo, director
Logline: A semi-autobiographical coming
of age drama, exploring family, identity, and
culture.
An audience watching my film probably
won’t know that: we shot the Lincolnshire
field scenes in the sea at low tide.
The greatest flash of inspiration or
brilliance we had making this film was:
doing a couple of scenes in single takes, in-
cluding one particular five-minute sequence.
A darling I had to kill along the way was:
an eight-minute uncut sequence that was
eventually cut down to a five-minute uncut
sequence.
When I heard we got into Sundance I:
danced to my favorite rapper, Casisdead.
I would love to meet Jordan Peele
in Park City.
EXTREMELY WICKED,
SHOCKINGLY EVIL
A N D V I L E
(Premieres)
Who: Joe Berlinger, directorLogline: The story of Ted Bundy told
through the perspective of his longtime
girlfriend, Liz, who refused to believe the
truth about him for years.
The first spark of an idea for this movie
came when: my agent Michael Cooper sentme the script thinking it would grab my
attention. He was right. I’ve spent decades
advocating for the wrongfully convicted—
people who are innocent, but whom nobody
believes. I thought it would be interesting
to make a film about the opposite phenome-
non—a guilty person who everyone believes
is innocent due to his charming personality
and dapper appearance.
My favorite scene (or shot) in the film
is: the final confrontation between Ted
and Liz when Ted is on death row. It’s the
whole reason I made the movie.An audience watching my film probably
won’t know that: I adopted the dog used
in the courthouse jump scene and took him
back to New York with me from Kentucky
where we shot the movie.
The most interesting, weirdest or most
difficult location we shot at was: an
abandoned prison on the top five floors of
a building in Covington, Kentucky. Cold,
drafty, and possibly haunted. It was eerie.A darling I had to kill along the way
was: we had to dump an amazing opening
title sequence featuring a song by Chicago
that captured the mood of the period per-
fectly. We ultimately decided it would be
more effective to save the title of the film
until the very end, plus the song was too
expensive to clear.
When I heard we got into Sundance I:
immediately booked my housing, because
I know how difficult that can be. And then
my wife and I did a dance around the house.ZAC EFRON (L), MACIE CARMOSINO (C), AND LILY COLLINS (R) STAR IN DIRECTOR JOE BERLINGER’S
EXTREMELY WICKED, SHOCKINGLY EVIL AND VILE, A CINEMATIC SLICE OF THE LIFE OF TED BUNDYSHOLA AMOO, DIRECTOR OF THE LAST TREE