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SUNDANCE INSTITUTE ANNOUNCES 16 ADDITIONS TO THE
2004 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL

INCLUDING SPECIAL SCREENINGS AND FILMS FROM THE PREMIERE, AMERICAN SPECTRUM, AND SUNDANCE COLLECTION CATEGORIES

Salt Lake City, UT – Today, Sundance Institute announced 16 additional films for the 2004 Sundance Film Festival to be held January 15-25 in Park City, Utah. These films include one addition to each of the Premiere and American Spectrum categories, 12 Special Screenings, and two films from the Sundance Collection.

The Festival is pleased to announce 12 Special Screenings, which include both narrative and documentary films from around the world. From a stunning portrait of one of America’s greatest civil rights leaders to an inspiring display of artistic filmmaking, these Special Screenings include films that will challenge and excite Festivalgoers.

“These films are important additions to our previously announced program,” explained Geoffrey Gilmore, Director of the Sundance Film Festival. “The 12 special screenings, nine of which are documentaries, significantly expand the range of subjects we are presenting at the Festival and we also are very happy to include an additional Premiere and the final film in American Spectrum.”

The 2004 Festival presents an added Premiere with the feature film THE CLEARING, the remarkable debut from Pieter Jan Brugge, starring Robert Redford, Helen Mirren and Willem Dafoe. Also added to the program, in the American Spectrum category is THE CONTROL ROOM, Jehane Noujaim’s stunning documentary about media coverage of the Iraq war.

The Sundance Film Festival annually screens films drawn from the Sundance Collection at UCLA. This year’s the Festival is featuring Alex Cox’s brilliant cult classic REPO MAN and Melvin Van Peebles’ racially charged SWEET SWEETBACK'S BAADASSSSS SONG, is a perfect companion piece to his son Mario Van Peebles 2003 film BAADASSSSS (screening in the Premiere category), which is a dramatization about the making of his father’s film. The Sundance Collection at UCLA is dedicated to collecting and preserving independent films for contemporary and future audiences.

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SUNDANCE INSTITUTE ANNOUNCES SPECIAL SCREENINGS FOR THE 2004 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL

12/11/03, Page 2 of 4

NEW ADDITIONS FOR THE 2004 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL:

SPECIAL SCREENINGS:

CITIZEN KING by Orlando Bagwell and Noland Walker, U.S.A World Premiere

Framed by the “I Have a Dream” speech and his assassination in Memphis, this film weaves together archival footage, personal recollections, and eyewitness accounts to evoke a powerful sense of the time and key moments in Dr. Martin Luther King’s personal and political transformation as he struggled to dedicate himself beyond the civil rights movement and embrace a larger quest for equity and social justice in American society. This film will screen on the Martin Luther King Holiday, which this year celebrates his 75th birthday.

DOGVILLE by Lars von Trier, Denmark

This intriguing story of a young woman in search of refuge was filmed using a rare technique that can only be expected from award-winning director Lars von Trier. He unabashedly transports the film-going audience to a theatrical venue, brilliantly manipulating the viewer’s imagination and stretching the capacity of typical filmmaking.

THE FIVE OBSTRUCTIONS by Jørgen Leth and Lars von Trier, Denmark US Premiere

Using Leth’s 1967-era The Perfect Human—a 12-minute avant-garde exercise in irony and absurdity—the filmmaker remakes the short five times, with five obstacles imposed by von Trier. Undaunted by the task at hand, Leth produces a work that is nothing short of brilliant artistry.

HOME by Omelga Mthiyane, South Africa World Premiere

Over 11,000 people lost their lives to political violence in the province of KwaZulu in the decade preceding the demise of apartheid in South Africa. Countless more were displaced from their homes and communities. Home is the personal journey of first-time director Omelga Mthiyane as she documents her aunt’s return to the home she was forced to abandon.

THE HUNTING OF THE PRESIDENT by Harry Thomason and Nick Perry, U.S.A.

This incendiary documentary, based on the best-selling book by Gene Lyons and Joe Conason, offers a glimpse at the genesis of certain partisan vendettas and explores the myths and truths behind the nearly ten-year campaign to systematically destroy the political legacy of the Clintons.

IN THE COMPANY OF WOMEN by Lesli Klainberg and Gini Reticker, U.S.A. World Premiere

From classic coming- of- age stories (DOG FIGHT, THIRTEEN) to explosive sexuality (SECRETARY, GO FISH), this film explores women's views, values, sensibilities, and concerns behind the scenes and on screen.

LOS ANGELES PLAYS ITSELF by Thom Andersen, U.S.A. U.S. Premiere

This wickedly observant documentary about how the city of Los Angeles is represented in the movies seems to purposefully hypnotize viewers in order to sharpen our awareness of film elements normally taken for granted.

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SUNDANCE INSTITUTE ANNOUNCES SPECIAL SCREENINGS FOR THE 2004 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL

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THE MEANING OF THE BUFFALO by Karin Slater, South Africa World Premiere

The arid village of Lekgopung, South Africa, is home to the Balete—the People of the Buffalo. Karin Slater is a wildlife filmmaker who is an outsider to the village. This poetic documentary is her attempt to understand how the Balete people came to take the buffalo as a totem.

PROTEUS by David Lebrun, U.S.A.

The animated documentary Proteus explores the nineteenth century's engagement with the undersea world through science, technology, painting, poetry and myth. The central figure of the film is biologist and artist Ernst Haeckel, who found in the depths of the sea an ecstatic and almost mystical fusion of science and art.

TRIGGERSTREET.COM produced by Kevin Spacey, Dana Brunetti, and Ross Partridge, U.S.A.

The TriggerStreet.com Project highlights shorts from directors whose work has been selected by a web based community of over one hundred thousand filmmakers, screenwriters, and film enthusiasts. Founded by Dana Brunetti and actor Kevin Spacey, the project gives undiscovered auteurs an interactive platform where they can showcase talent and receive feedback from their peers.

UNTIL THE VIOLENCE STOPS by Abby Epstein, U.S.A. World Premiere

In 2002, eight hundred cities participated in a movement to end violence against women and girls called V-Day. This documentary follows the extraordinary grassroots impact of V-Day in six international communities while exposing the pervasive and cultural forms of violence that women experience all over the world.

THE YES MEN by Chris Smith, Dan Ollman and Sarah Price, U.S.A.

In this fearless documentary, a group of American activists/pranksters pose as representatives of the World Trade Organization and accept speaking engagements on its behalf.

PREMIERES:

THE CLEARING by Pieter Jan Brugge, U.S.A.

(A WORK IN PROGRESS) After fulfilling the American dream and building a comfortable life for his family, a matter-of-fact man’s security is shattered when an aggressive stranger from the past takes him hostage. Forced to find a new way to deal with the anxiety and fear, the family man and his wife struggle with this new reality.

AMERICAN SPECTRUM:

THE CONTROL ROOM by Jehane Noujaim World Premiere

This political documentary provides a rare window into the international perception of the Iraq War, courtesy of Al Jezeera, the Arab world’s most popular news outlet. It’s an astonishing film that challenges our complacency and, perhaps, our assumptions.

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SUNDANCE INSTITUTE ANNOUNCES SPECIAL SCREENINGS FOR THE 2004 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL

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SUNDANCE COLLECTION:

REPO MAN by Alex Cox, U.S.A.

This 1984 cult classic features Otto, a punk rocker-turned repossession expert who centers on his search for a mysterious Malibu carrying an odd cargo.

SWEET SWEETBACK'S BAADASSSSS SONG by Melvin Van Peebles

Van Peebles 1971 film is a racially charged statement that focuses on the problem of police brutality and the undermining of the African American people, but does not overlook the high value of entertainment.

Presenting Sponsors for the 2004 Sundance Film Festival include Entertainment Weekly; LG Electronics; Volkswagen of America, Inc.; Hewlett-Packard Company. Leadership Sponsors are American Express; Andersen® Windows and Doors; The Coca-Cola Company; Delta Airlines; DirecTV; Intel Corporation; Microsoft; and Sundance Channel. Sustaining Ssponsors are CESAR® Food For Small Dogs; DEJ Productions Inc.; The New York Times; Park City Visitors Bureau and Film Commission; Sony Electronics, Inc.; Starbucks Coffee Company; Stella Artois®; Turning Leaf Vineyards; Utah Film Commission.

Founded by Robert Redford in 1981, Sundance Institute is dedicated to the development of artists of independent vision and the exhibition of their new work. Since its inception, the Institute has grown into an internationally recognized resource for filmmakers and other artists. Sundance Institute conducts national and international labs for filmmakers, screenwriters, composers, writers, and theatre artists. The annual Sundance Film Festival, a major program of Sundance Institute, is held each January and is considered the premier showcase for American and international independent film. The Institute supports non-fiction filmmakers through the Documentary Film Program by providing year-round support through the Sundance Documentary Fund and a series of programs that nurture their growth, encourage the exploration of innovative nonfiction storytelling, and promote the exhibition of documentary films to a broader audience. Through the Sundance Institute Theatre Program, the Institute is committed to invigorating the national theatre movement with original and creative work and to nurturing the diversity of artistic expression among theatre artists. The Institute also maintains The Sundance Collection at UCLA, a unique archive of independent film.

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