So Yong Kim’s Lovesong, a love story starring Riley Keough and Jena Malone, will kick off Sundance Next Fest, which is set to run Aug. 12-14 at the Theatre at Ace Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.
The fest will present the the Los Angeles premiere of six films from this year’s Sundance Film Festival, and each pic will be paired with a music act, live performance or conversation. Lovesong will screen alongside a performance by Shamir.
In advance of the mini-fest’s kickoff, on the Night Before Next, on Aug. 11, The Birth of a Nation director Nate Parker will receive the Sundance Institute’s Vanguard Award. An outdoor party following the dinner will feature a live musical performance by White Sea, fronted by Morgan Kibby, formerly of M83.
The Next Fest lineup also includes the coming-of-age comedy Morris From America, starring Craig Robinson and directed by Chad Hartigan, and a local teen talent show, hosted by Robinson; the New York-set White Girl, about a college student trying to get her drug-dealer boyfriend out of jail, followed by a conversation with its writer/director Elizabeth Wood; Andrew Neel’s fraternity drama Goat, starring Nick Jonas, which will be paired with a performance by the band Sunflower Bean; a showcase of comedy short films from the Sundance Festival, hosted by comedian Nick Kroll, followed by a Short Film Master Class for filmmakers; Babek Anvari’s Iranian horror movie Under the Shadow; and, as the closing film, Jim Hosking’s The Greasy Strangler, accompanied by a live performance from a surprise music artist to be announced as well as the world premiere of Flying Lotus’ directorial debut, the short film Royal.
“This year’s Sundance Next Fest showcases stories from all over that still hit close to home,” John Cooper, director of the Sundance Film Festival, said Wednesday in a statement. “Tied to music performances by breakout artists and extended conversations with prolific filmmakers, this weekend celebration is an indie oasis in a summer of big-budget blockbusters.”
The fest also will include Next Door, a free outdoor entertainment venue next to the theater for attendees to mingle and enjoy drinks, snacks and sponsor activities before or after a screening.
Tickets for the Next Fest events, which range from $15-25, go on sale to Sundance Institute members today and the general public on Thursday at sundance.org/next. Tickets for the Night Before Next outdoor party start at $150 and include an Institute membership at some levels.
