Фильм вошел в топ 30 самых ожидаемых фильмов фестиваля
The 30 Most Anticipated Films Of The 2016 Sundance Film FestivalThe 30 Most Anticipated Films Of The 2016 Sundance Film Festival
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Documentaries: We didn’t include that many docs, but trust us when we say that there’s plenty to keep an eye on at the festival. The potential highlights look to be “We Are X,” about the seminal Japanese glam-rock band and hailing from the director of the excellent “Scott Walker: 30 Century Man”, “Lovers And The Despot,” about the kidnapping of two movie stars by North Korea, “Author,” about pseudonymous writer J.T. LeRoy from the director of “The Devil & Daniel Johnston,’” “Life, Animated” from the helmer of “God Loves Uganda,” the powerful-sounding “Newtown,” the bizarre “NUTS!,” Kevin MacDonald’s latest “Sky Ladder,” Doug McGrath’s “Becoming Mike Nichols,” “Mapplethorpe: Look At The Pictures,” Spike Lee’s latest Michael Jackson doc, the return of D.A. Pennebaker with “Unlocking The Cage,” teen sex assault doc “Audrie & Daisy,” “Maya Angelou: Still I Rise,” “Richard LInklater: Dream Is Destiny,” “Jim: The James Foley Story” and “Kiki,” about New York’s voguing scene.
На представлении фильма Йошики выступит с классической программой.
Yoshiki Official TwitterYoshiki Official Twitter
#WeAreX "World Documentary Competition @sundancefest 2016.. https://t.co/WIxR1QLDwm @Variety pic.twitter.com/p8R8Z0ezC8
— Yoshiki (@YoshikiOfficial) 19 декабря 2015#XJAPAN FILM IS NOMINATED..! #Sundance Film Festival 2016 https://t.co/2o18ZTO835 @SundanceFest pic.twitter.com/Ycl1gHNr9z
— Yoshiki (@YoshikiOfficial) 21 декабря 2015Stephen Kijak Official Twitter
WeAreXFilm Twitter Official
WeAreXFilm Facebook
Официальный сайт фестиваля
19 января на сайте The Park Record опубликовано интервью с режиссером фильмаWe Are X Stephen Kijak
Metal documentary was a mind-bending journey for Stephen Kijak
'We Are X' will premiere at Sundance
Scott Iwasaki, The Park Record
Although filmmaker Stephen Kijak is known for his music documentaries including "Stones in Exile," "Backstreet Boys: Show 'Em What You're Made of" and "Jaco," a film about the late legendary jazz bassist Jaco Pastorius, he didn't know what he was getting into when he was introduced to the Japanese metal band X.
"I had never heard of them before I got called by my producer to do the film, to be perfectly honest," Kijak said during a telephone call from Los Angeles. "It was a whole world of discovery for me, and as someone who has done a lot of films about music and musicians, I was deeply embarrassed to discover a massive gap in my knowledge."
Still, Kijak agreed to make the film, "We Are X," which is part of the Sundance Film Festival's World Documentaries, and embarked on a one-and-a-half-year "mind-bending" journey.
What sold the filmmaker was the band's slogan, "Psychedelic violence crime of visual shock."
"That was an immediate yes for me," he said with a laugh. "I thought whatever that was, I wanted a piece of it. I wanted to know what that was all about."
At first, Kijak was struck by the band's look.
"Obviously the first impression of the band is visual when you see the hair, the makeup and the outrageous styles," he said. "Then I listened to the music, but I had no context, even when I looked up things on YouTube."
What caught Kijak's ear was this classically-based, speedy, heavy, dramatic, over-the-top music that was mostly in Japanese with some English.
"I couldn't believe that I hadn't heard it before, but I wasn't immediately drawn to it, to be perfectly honest," he said.
"I had abandoned metal when I was 13 or 14 when I went new wave."
But the new wave connections helped him relate to the band, especially lead singer Toshi (Deyama) guitarist Sugizo (Sugihara Yuu), and the film's main subject, drummer Yoshiki (Hayashi).
"It was interesting to learn that for most of them David Bowie, rest in peace, was their hero and that they also were inspired by punk and new wave," Kijak said. "When I met Sugizo, we had a long conversation about the band Japan and its guitarist David Sylvian."
More connections emerged during their discussions.
"I mean, they are a little older than me, but not by much," Kijak said. "In fact, the first record Toshi, Yoshiki and myself ever bought was Kiss 'Love Gun.' So, we had more in common than I could imagine."
Still the learning curve was steep, especially because the film was being made during a time when X, also known as X Japan, was preparing for a reunion concert of sort at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 11, 2014.
"Meeting Yoshiki was really an inscrutable and enigmatic experience," Kijak said. "He has this soft-spoken quality and is strangely androgynous. And you get this sense that you're in the presence of a Japanese rock god, which doesn't happen every day."
The filmmaker also found Yoshiki to be completely mercurial, yet completely in charge of his whole world.
"There are these circles of chaos that swirl all around him that he seems to orchestrate perfectly to make things happen," Kijak said. "It was a real rush."
A week after the meeting, the filmmaker found himself in Yokohama, Japan, watching the band's warm-up shows for NHK TV.
"It was the moment when I saw the crowd do the 'X Jump,'" he said. "We're talking a sold-out, 18,000 or 19,000 people at the Yokohama arena with their Glo-sticks making all of these X symbols jumping in unison to this song, and I could not believe what I was witnessing. It was electric and it was an exciting experience, and I felt like I was transported to a parallel universe."
The film includes cameos by music critics, biographers and Marilyn Manson.
"It's interesting because I think Manson and Yoshiki crossed paths after Yoshiki was doing his band Violet UK and did a fashion event in Tokyo that Manson was a part of," Kijak said. "I think Manson got to know Yoshiki apart from the band, but as a creative person and they formed a friendship."
Kijak said Yoshiki is someone Manson could relate to.
"Manson fully admits his persona is a character that he's created, much in the same way Yoshiki puts on different aliases and visual personas he takes on," he said.
Director David Lynch is also in the film by pure accident.
"Yoshiko and Lynch collaborated a long time ago," Kijak said. "Lynch was getting ready to do 'Lost Highway' and Yoshiki commissioned him to do a music video for the song, 'Longing.'"
Kijak found the footage while rummaging through Yoshiki's boxes of video archives.
"Most of it was labeled, but some of the videos were pure mystery," he said with a laugh. "I pulled them out and looked at them and found all of this behind-the-scene footage of that shoot and there was David Lynch with a megaphone directing Yoshiki, standing in the middle of the desert with flames shooting up around him.
"I went, 'Oh, this has got to go in the movie,'" Kijak said. "It wasn't like we interviewed Lynch. He just appeared in an archive. You don't ignore those kind of coincidences."
Finding the connection with Lynch drew Kijak further into Yoshiki's world.
"Lynch is one of my biggest influences cinematically, and to have those connections come together by chance is incredible," he said.
"We Are X" is different than Kijak's other films because of its style.
"There is a surreal and dreamlike quality of the documentary," he said. "It starts off like a traditional rock doc, but we immediately take a turn and try to dive deeper under the surface psychologically and emotionally.
"It's about X Japan, but a portrait of Yoshiki, which is something he doesn't allow the world to see very often," Kijak said. "I will say the biggest challenge was editorial. You have an enormous story with many characters, albums, drama, and you also have a portrait of one man and his life's work. The challenge was to balance those two things and create something that has integrity and authenticity."
Sundance Film Festival will premiere the world documentary "We Are X" at the Prospector Square Theatre, 2200 Sidewinder Dr., on Saturday, Jan. 23, at 2:30 p.m. Additional screenings will be held at the Tower Theatre in Salt Lake City on Sunday, Jan. 24, at 6 p.m.; the Redstone Cinema 2, 6030 Market Street, on Tuesday, Jan. 26, at 10 p.m.; the Yarrow Hotel Theatre, 1800 Park Ave., on Thursday, Jan. 28, at 9 a.m. and the Holiday Village Cinema, 1776 Park Ave., on Friday, Jan. 29, at 9:15 p.m. For more information, visit www.sundance.org.
parkrecord
Программа фестиваляПрограмма фестиваля
FRI 1/22/16
2:40 Air Traffic Controller
3:20 Lissie
4:00 Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear
SAT 1/23/16
2:00 Green River Ordinance
2:40 Tift Merritt
3:20 Walter Schreifels
4:00 Keith Stanfield (of Moors)
4:45 Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear
SUN 1/24/16
2:00 R. City
2:40 Green River Ordinance
3:20 Walter Schreifels
4:00 Yoshiki (of X Japan, from the film We Are X) acoustic set
4:40 Tift Merritt
MON 1/25/16
2:00 Thao and the Get Down Stay Down
2:40 Billy Raffoul
3:20 Byron Nicholai (from the film I Am Yup'ik)
4:00 Motopony
4:55 R. City
TUE 1/26/16
2:00 Nina Gordon & Louise Post (of Veruca Salt)
2:40 Billy Raffoul
3:20 Alicia Witt
4:00 Motopony
4:40 Sonita (from the film Sonita)
WED 1/27/16
2:00 Nina Gordon & Louise Post (of Veruca Salt)
2:40 Freedy Johnston
3:20 Bluebird Cafe Series:
-Chris DeStefano
-Ashley Gorley
-Josh Osborne
5:00 Charles Kelley
THU 1/28/16
2:00 Rachael Kilgour
2:40 Sibling
3:20 Other Lives
4:00 Bluebird Cafe Series:
-Chris DeStefano
-Ashley Gorley
-Josh Osborne
FRI 1/29/16
2:40 Freedy Johnston
3:20 Sibling
4:00 Other Lives
Yoshiki / We Are X Sundance Film Festival EventsYoshiki / We Are X Sundance Film Festival Events
1/22 — Yoshiki Performance — Sundance Festival Base Camp (9PM)
1/23 — We Are X World Premiere — Prospector Square Theatre
1/24 — We Are X Press and Industry Screening — Holiday Village Cinema 2
1/24 — Yoshiki Performance — ASCAP Cafe (4PM)
1/24 — We Are X Public Screening — Tower Theatre
1/26 — We Are X Public Screening — Redstone Cinema
1/28 — We Are X Public Screening — Yarrow Hotel Theatre
1/29 — We Are X Public Screening — Holiday Village Cinema 2
Кроме этого, на Yoshiki Channel пройдут 3 мероприятия, связанные с премьерой фильма
На Yoshiki Channel пройдут 3 мероприятия, связанные с премьерой фильма:
1. 2016.01.23 - прямая трансляция с Сандэнс, где состоится мировая премьера фильма WeAreX. Фильм номинирован в категории "Лучшее документальное кино"
Расписание:
- 11.00 - 12.00 - видео X-JAPAN
- 12.00 - 12.30 - выступление Йошики
2. 2016.01.26 - видеоинтервью Йошики из его студии в ЛА, которая сейчас фактически является его домом в преддверии завершения первого за 20 лет альбома
Расписание:
- 18.00 - 19.00 - видео X-JAPAN
- 19.00 - 20.00 - видеоинтервью Йошики
3. 2016.01.31 - СМИ о премьере WeAreX и официальные репортажи с кинофестиваля Сандэнс
Начало в 23.30
Время - японское
Видео на Yoshiki Channel доступно только для платных членов канала
1. 2016.01.23 - прямая трансляция с Сандэнс, где состоится мировая премьера фильма WeAreX. Фильм номинирован в категории "Лучшее документальное кино"
Расписание:
- 11.00 - 12.00 - видео X-JAPAN
- 12.00 - 12.30 - выступление Йошики
2. 2016.01.26 - видеоинтервью Йошики из его студии в ЛА, которая сейчас фактически является его домом в преддверии завершения первого за 20 лет альбома
Расписание:
- 18.00 - 19.00 - видео X-JAPAN
- 19.00 - 20.00 - видеоинтервью Йошики
3. 2016.01.31 - СМИ о премьере WeAreX и официальные репортажи с кинофестиваля Сандэнс
Начало в 23.30
Время - японское
Видео на Yoshiki Channel доступно только для платных членов канала
Твитты ЙошикиТвитты Йошики
COME SEE ME perform at @sundancefest Film Festival opening event Jan 22nd 9pm! #WeAreXFilm https://t.co/W3nsJYel69 pic.twitter.com/1NawzUID8n
— Yoshiki (@YoshikiOfficial) 20 января 2016ICYMI: Flying Lotus, Neon Indian, Dan Deacon, Yoshiki and more to perform at #Sundance → https://t.co/iGkwFMxF1U pic.twitter.com/54NHq1Dmo6
— SundanceFilmFestival (@sundancefest) 19 января 2016Анонсы премьеры фильма в прессеАнонсы премьеры фильма в прессе
musicjapanplus.jp - A documentary movie of X JAPAN, "We Are X" to be released for the first time in the world in Sundance Film Festival, US!
A documentary movie of X JAPAN, "We Are X" to be released for the first time in the world in Sundance Film Festival, US!
2015-12-18
movie / release / live / X JAPAN
www.musicjapanplus.jp/news/1/34690/a-documentar...
It was announced that a documentary movie of X JAPAN "We Are X" will be released in 31st Sundance Film Festival (2016), which is one of the most honorable film festival in the world. The film is nominated for the World Cinema Documentary Competition. The documentary movie will be brought out from Japan for the first time thanks to Sundance Film Festival.
"We are X" is about Japanese band X JAPAN that created a furor across the nation. The film reports their unprecedented development made in these 30 years. It is the first time in the history of Sundance Film Festival to have a documentary film of Japanese band nominated. Premier will be held on January 23rd, 2016, at 14:30 (local time).
X JAPAN established a position as a global trend setter. They have sold total of 30 million of CDs (singles and albums). They will start a world tour, which includes Japan tour, for the first time in 20 years, and they will release a studio album in March 2016.
X JAPAN Announces World Premiere Of Documentary Film 'We Are X' - blabbermouth.netX JAPAN Announces World Premiere Of Documentary Film 'We Are X' -
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January 20, 2016 14 Comments
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X JAPAN Announces World Premiere Of Documentary Film 'We Are X'
As X JAPAN lay down tracks in a Los Angeles studio for their as-yet-untitled album, Japan's most iconic rock band have announced that the world premiere of the new documentary film from Passion Pictures — "We Are X" — will take place this week at the Sundance Film Festival. "We Are X" explores the evolution, groundbreaking history and hopeful future of the land of the rising sun's most legendary rock group. X JAPAN have sold 30 million singles and albums combined and continue to tour the world performing sold-out shows to massive arenas in 16 countries throughout the U.S. and Europe.
On Friday, January 22 at 9 p.m., Yoshiki — songwriter, drummer, classically-trained pianist and the creative force of X JAPAN — will perform live with a string quartet for the first-ever Sundance Festival Base Camp party, presented by Canada Goose. Yoshiki will headline the Festival Base Camp, a new outdoor venue located at Swede Alley, behind Main Street. Other artists confirmed to perform include Dan Deacon, FLYING LOTUS and NEON INDIAN.
"It's overwhelming to see the full documentary 'We Are X', says Yoshiki. "Stephen Kijak and John Battsek opened doors, which I shut and never intended to re-open. I didn't realize that on the other side, dark memories could co-exist with a meaningful future. Audiences will be a witness to our history and future."
Saturday, January 23 will mark the world premiere of "We Are X" in the World Cinema Documentary Competition at Prospector Square Theater in Park City at 2:30 p.m. Yoshiki and the film team will be on hand for the red carpet at 2:00 p.m. and a question-and-answer session after the premiere.
"We Are X" was created by the production team behind the Academy Award-winning film "Searching For Sugarman": producer John Battsek (Passion Pictures) alongside renowned director Stephen Kijak ("Stones In Exile" and "Scott Walker: 30 Century Man").
From X JAPAN's massive success (over 30 million albums, singles and videos sold) and sold-out tours worldwide, "We Are X" chronicles the triumphs and tragedies of this legendary quintet who will never give up.
On Sunday, January 24, Yoshiki will perform live at the ASCAP Café at Sundance at 4:00 p.m.
X JAPAN initially split up in 1997 after playing their fifth New Year's Eve show at the 55,000-capacity Tokyo Dome;they have now sold out the Tokyo Dome a record 18 times. The group reformed in 2007 and have released three singles: "I.V." in 2008, "Jade" in 2011 and "Born To Be Free" in late 2015. They've been touring worldwide ever since — and in October 2014, the group performed their debut Madison Square Garden show in New York before announcing the new album and "We Are X" film releases slated for 2016.
X JAPAN is: Yoshiki (drums/piano/composer), Toshi (vocals), Pata (guitar), Heath (bass), Sugizo (violin/guitar) alongside their fallen brothers Hide (guitars, 1987-1997) and Taiji (1986-1992).
Read more at www.blabbermouth.net/news/x-japan-announces-wor...
X Japan to Premiere ‘We Are X’ Documentary Film At Sundance Film Festival - loudwire.com
X Japan to Premiere ‘We Are X’ Documentary Film At Sundance Film Festival- loudwire.com
By Chad Childers January 20, 2016 1:59 PM
loudwire.com/x-japan-premiere-we-are-x-document...
It’s a big year for X Japan! One of Japan’s top rock acts is making their creative return with their first studio album since 1996, but first fans will get a chance to reflect on their history with the new We Are X documentary film. The movie will premiere this weekend at the Sundance Film Festival, while the band will be on hand for a special performance as well.
We Are X explores the evolution of the band from hopeful upstarts to worldwide sensations. The group split in 1997 after a successful first era to their career, but reunited in 2007 and have released three singles in the years since. Now, after two decades away from their last full-length disc, the band is back and working on a new album.
“It’s overwhelming to see the full documentary We Are X,” says drummer/songwriter Yoshiki. “Stephen Kijak and John Battsek opened doors, which I shut and never intended to re-open. I didn’t realize that on the other side, dark memories could co-exist with a meaningful future. Audiences will be a witness to our history and future.”
On Friday (Jan. 22) at 9PM in Park City, Utah, Yoshiki will perform live with a string quartet for the first time at the Sundance Festival Base Camp Party. The show will take place at the new outdoor venue located at Swede Alley behind Main street. Dan Deacon, Flying Lotus and Neon Indian will also be part of the bill.
A day later (Jan. 23) will mark the world premiere of We Are X at the Prospector Square Theater at 2:30PM. Yoshiki and the film team will be on hand for the red carpet proceedings before the screening and will field questions in a session after the movie screens. After the initial screening, several more Park City, Utah screenings will take place through the week.
Fans in town can also look for Yoshiki staging another performance on Sunday at Park City’s ASCAP Cafe at 4PM on Sunday (Jan. 24). Check out all of the X Japan activities listed below.
Yoshiki / We Are X Sundance Film Festival Events
1/22 — Yoshiki Performance — Sundance Festival Base Camp (9PM)
1/23 — We Are X World Premiere — Prospector Square Theatre
1/24 — We Are X Press and Industry Screening — Holiday Village Cinema 2
1/24 — Yoshiki Performance — ASCAP Cafe (4PM)
1/24 — We Are X Public Screening — Tower Theatre
1/26 — We Are X Public Screening — Redstone Cinema
1/28 — We Are X Public Screening — Yarrow Hotel Theatre
1/29 — We Are X Public Screening — Holiday Village Cinema 2
X Japan’s Yoshiki Plays ‘Wikipedia: Fact or Fiction?’
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X Japan’s Yoshiki Talks Madison Square Garden Show
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Watch X Japan's 'Born to Be Free' Video
Read More: X Japan Premiere 'We Are X' Film At Sundance Film Festival | loudwire.com/x-japan-premiere-we-are-x-document...
Sundance Film Festival: Virtual reality, O.J., a faux moon landing and way, way more
Michael Jackson - LAtimes.com
Sundance Film Festival: Virtual reality, O.J., a faux moon landing and way, way more
Michael Jackson - LAtimes.com
www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-s...
"We Are X." The pioneer glam rock band X Japan, a major musical force in its native land, is examined as thoughtful leader Yoshiki and bandmates prepare for their American debut at New York's Madison Square Garden.
Michael Jackson appears in the documentary film, "Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall," directed by Spike Lee. The film is included among the documentaries premiering at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
(Associated Press)
Kenneth Turan
Kenneth Turan Contact Reporter
"There Is Only One. Park City," the glossy magazine ads insist. "One Place You Are Meant to Be."
Yet another promotion for the Sundance Film Festival, opening Thursday night in that bustling Utah town? Guess again. For the first time in memory, the big news in Park City this time of year is not the film festival but the skiing.
For the merger of Park City Mountain Resort with the Canyons has created what one awe-struck travel writer described as "a 7,300-acre mega-mountain" enhanced with $50 million worth of upgrades. Can any film festival compete with that? You better believe Sundance is going to try.
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VR Watch: Sundance creates a residency program in virtual reality
VR Watch: Sundance creates a residency program in virtual reality
Oblivious to anything going on on the slopes, tens of thousands of moviegoers will descend upon Park City to devour the dramatic features and documentaries that light up its numerous venues starting Jan. 21 and running through Jan. 31.
This year, the flood of films vying for one of Sundance's 123 feature slots became, if anything, more intense, with 4,081 submissions (1,972 from the U.S., a whopping 2,109 from overseas) entering the chase. Better odds than the Powerball, but sill a daunting proposition.
Always tweaking its programming to respond to all this interest, Sundance is going all out, for instance, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its New Frontier section. A pioneer in presenting virtual reality to audiences, the festival will showcase no fewer than 30 examples of the revolutionary technology.
Sundance is also not neglecting its reach into adventurous televised content, both long and short. It will show a couple of half-hour episodes of Amazon Prime's "The New Yorker Presents," an intriguing intellectual variety show that features short films, poetry, cartoons and more. And it will show all seven hours and 42 minutes of ESPN's documentary series "O.J.: Made in America," which places the celebrated murder trial in the broader social context of race, sports and celebrity.
But, finally, it is the Sundance dramatic and documentary features that the crowds will be showing up for. Most impressive on the dramatic side of the ledger are:
Sundance: John Krasinki directing effort and epic O.J. Simpson project among festival debuts
Sundance: John Krasinki directing effort and epic O.J. Simpson project among festival debuts
"Agnus Dei." A skilled director (France's Anne Fontaine) takes on a potent story based on events in 1945 Poland: Nuns who've become pregnant after being raped by rampaging Russian soldiers turn in desperation to a young French female doctor for both medical assistance and their fears of being damned.
"Certain Women." Indie veteran Kelly Reichardt finely adapts three elegant, exactly written short stories by Maile Meloy for an evocative, modulated film starring Laura Dern, Kristen Stewart and Michelle Williams that deals with the human need for connection amid the persistence of loneliness.
"Indignation." Screenwriter and film executive James Schamus has chosen for his haunting directorial debut a disturbing late Philip Roth novel set against the Korean War about the relationship between an inexperienced college freshman and a beautiful but tortured blond transfer student.
"Sand Storm." A different side of Israeli society is featured in this moving story of a mother and daughter in the Bedouin community who are caught in different ways between tradition and modernity when the head of the family takes a second wife.
Other noteworthy dramas include:
"Ali & Nino." Top documentarian Asif Kapadia ("Amy," "Senna") returns to his feature roots with this high-gloss adaptation of a celebrated World War I novel about star-crossed lovers in remote Azerbaijan.
See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour >>
"Captain Fantastic." A vigorous performance by Viggo Mortensen dominates this emotional melodrama about a back-to-the-land survivalist family that is forced into unwanted contact with contemporary culture.
"Lovesong." Using her low-key, observational style, director So Yong Kim examines the emotionally fraught relationship between two best friends.
"Love and Friendship." Writer-director Whit Stillman returns to acerbic form with this Kate Beckinsale-starring adaptation of "Lady Susan," an early Jane Austen novella unpublished in her lifetime about an unscrupulous woman scheming to get ahead.
"Morris From America." A deft coming-of-age tale with a twist: 13-year-old baby rapper Morris, along with his father, are "the only brothers in Heidelberg," a staid German city.
"Operation Avalanche." A wacky mockumentary set in 1967 about two inept CIA documentary filmmakers who decide to help NASA out by faking footage of a manned moon landing.
As always, the documentary side of Sundance overflows with fine work. This year's docs are especially strong on films exploring different corners of music and art.
"Becoming Mike Nichols." Nichols, articulate and polished in this, his last interview, talks about his early days, with wonderful clips of his work, with Elaine May thrown into the bargain.
Sundance announces its 2016 lineup, offering an array of timely films
Sundance announces its 2016 lineup, offering an array of timely films
"Cameraperson." A documentary cinematographer for 25 years, Kirsten Johnson artfully constructs a visual collage/memoir of sequences and images from her work around the world that have moved her.
"Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures." An unblinking look at the personal life and intentionally disturbing work of a photographer who wanted to become a legend by specializing in the forbidden.
"Michael Jackson's Journey From Motown to Off the Wall." Steering away from Jackson's personal life, Spike Lee offers a knowledgeable, in-depth treatment of the genius in his music.
"Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang." A visually stunning look at the literally explosive art of the Chinese fireworks virtuoso and his passion to create a 1,650-foot "ladder to the clouds."
"We Are X." The pioneer glam rock band X Japan, a major musical force in its native land, is examined as thoughtful leader Yoshiki and bandmates prepare for their American debut at New York's Madison Square Garden.
And over at the rival Slamdance festival, "The Million Dollar Duck" offers an engaging look at the Federal Duck Stamp Contest, the Super Bowl of wildlife art.
Always a subset of Sundance docs are those that offer warm-hearted stories, and the ones this year are especially moving. These include:
"Gleason." How Steve Gleason, former NFL free spirit, copes with both the onset of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and the coming of fatherhood.
"Life, Animated." When autism robbed a young boy of speech, Disney animated films amazingly provided him a way back and a road map for life.
Sundance 2016: A film festival tackles gun violence, from many angles
Sundance 2016: A film festival tackles gun violence, from many angles
"Sonita." A young Afghan woman in Tehran dreams of rap stardom while her family plans to sell her as a bride.
Also wonderfully lively and emotional are two docs that deal with the LGBTQ community. "Kiki" takes us inside the New York ball scene and an alternative family, while "Suited" presents a Brooklyn tailoring firm that changes lives by making custom men's suits for clients for whom that pleasure is especially meaningful.
Sundance wouldn't be Sundance without films about social issues, which this year include not one but two fine docs on gun violence ("Newtown" and "Under the Gun"), one on increasingly marginalized abortion clinics in the South ("Trapped") and another on the experience of spending decades in a cult ("Holy Hell.")
Deftly mixing the personal and the political is a trio of documentaries with mesmerizing story lines:
"The Lovers and the Despot." A way strange international incident has frustrated film fan (and North Korean dictator) Kim Jong-il kidnapping a top star and top director from the South to improve his country's product. Really.
"The Settlers." The most divisive group in today's Israel lives in the occupied West Bank, and this thorough and thoughtful film allows those residents to speak for themselves.
"When Two Worlds Collide." It gets personal when a charismatic leader of Peru's indigenous Amazon dwellers faces off against the country's pro-development president.
Apparently determined to be all things to all living creatures, Sundance even has two films in which animals are, at the very least, costars. In "Mr. Pig," Danny Glover as a grizzled farmer shares screen time with a pig that just happens to be his best friend.
And the hidden surprise just might be "The Eagle Huntress" from the festival's Sundance Kids section, a stirring documentary look at a feisty 13-year-old Mongolian girl determined to be the first woman ever to be allowed to hunt with a majestic golden eagle. Betting against her is not advised.
kenneth.turan@latimes.com
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