Slamdance Film Festival to Present Documentaries About Neil Young, Stan Lee

Documentaries about Neil Young and Stan Lee and a “lost” television pilot directed by Ed Wood are among the Special Screenings and Shorts Programs that will be featured as part of the 18th annual Slamdance Film Festival, which runs Jan. 20-26 in Park City, Utah.

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Slamdance Film Festival Unveils 2012 Competition Lineup

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As the festival released the latest additions to its lineup Wednesday, it announced such titles as Jonathan Demme’s Neil Young Journeys; Will Hess, Nikki Frakes and Terry Dougas’ With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story; and Wood’s Final Curtain.

STORY: Slamdance Film Festival Unveils 2012 Competition Lineup

The Special Screenings program will showcase three narrative films and five documentary features. The Shorts Program will consist of 75 shorts, divided among Special Screenings, Live Action Competition, Documentary Competition, Animation, $99 Special and Anarchy Shorts. This year’s program will also include a sidebar of seven shorts from Iran that have not previously been seen outside of that country.

“This year's Special Screenings in every way represent the maverick spirit of Slamdance, from Jonathan Demme’s documentary Neil Young Journeys, to the premiere of a never before seen Ed Wood television pilot, and the poetic realism of Tibetan filmmaker Pema Tseden’s Old Dog,” Slamdance president and co-founder Peter Baxter said.

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A jury will present awards to short films in competition in the following categories: Narrative, Animation and Documentary.  Competition shorts are also eligible for the Spirit of Slamdance Award.

Out of competition shorts and programs include the $99 Special Short Harold's Bad Day, a winner of the 2011 Slamdance Short Screenplay Competition, directed by Slamdance alum Jordan Brady. The $99 Special Program presentation is part of an annual tradition in which filmmakers are challenged to make a short film in 99 days with a budget of $99. 

The new lineup additions can be found on the next page.