the sundance film festival Tagged Articles at Cinematical

If you'll allow me to get personal for a moment (not like I've already shared my entire boring life here on more than several occasions), but this is a subject I feel very strongly about. See, my wife's little brother -- which would make him my brother-in-law -- is autistic. He's 15-years-old, and unable to effectively communicate -- to talk, to play, to sing, to dance -- with those around him, without outside assistance. Currently, he lives in a special needs home, and he's allowed to travel back to my in-law's house for overnight trips on occasion. To raise an autistic child is a challenge most parents would rather not take on, and I've seen it take its toll on my wife's family over the years, especially when he was still living at home. Therapists and nurses were constantly passing through a revolving front door, while everyone did their best to remain optimistic and enjoy the boy's spirit, rather than trap themselves within a series of questions that don't necessarily have any answers.

Most people don't know how to act around an autistic child -- do we hide, do we try not to stare, do we politely smile, do we acknowledge his or her presence, do we change the conversation -- when the answer is so painfully obvious: just be yourself. This past Christmas Day, as my wife and I were leaving, my brother-in-law approached me and shook my hand for the first time. On the surface, it seems like the simplest of gestures -- however, it was a monumental moment in our lives and, perhaps, the greatest present I received this holiday season.

With that said, the Sundance Film Festival will host the world premiere of Autism Every Day, a new documentary directed by Lauren Thierry that delves deep inside the lives of several families struggling to raise autistic children. Pic was funded by Autism Speaks and each screening will be followed by a special autism awareness panel featuring the filmmakers and the parents who appear in the film. According to a press release, there are three screenings currently set up (with the world preem taking place on January 21) and Autism Every Day will screen out of competition. For more information on the film, as well as on Autism Speaks, check out their official website. Oh, and if you're planning on attending Sundance this year, be a sport, stop by for a screening and support a good cause.

In an attempt to make it seem as if they're once again revolutionizing indie filmmaking, The Sundance Institute and Robert Redford announced today at a press conference in New York a new program called The Global Short Film Project. What's happening is The Sundance Film Festival has teamed up with GSMA (described as "an association of mobile phone service providers") and commissioned six independent filmmakers (all of whom have presented work at the Sundance fest in the past) to create short films specifically designed to play on cell phones. Heck yeah, Sundance has officially gone mobile, folks!

The filmmakers involved are Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (Little Miss Sunshine), Justin Lin (Better Luck Tomorrow), Maria Maggenti (Puccini for Beginners), Cory McAbee (The American Astronaut) and Jody Hill (The Foot Fist Way). The films will premiere at the 3GSM World Congress (which appears to be some sort of gigantic mobile orgy) in Barcelona this February. Following the event, they will most likely be made available to download on your phone. However, more details will be announced as the Sundance fest draws closer. We're not sure what Redford intends to do with this new project (aside from obtaining a ton of free minutes from his cell phone provider), but here's hoping The Reeler's frightening prediction of a "Mobile Phone Auteur Lab" does not come true. Even if its description as a "rigorous series of workshops dedicated to expertly lighting and framing your drunk, passed out friends for future laughs and/or blackmail" would be a hilarious scenario to poke fun at. Ahh, Redford -- what will he come up with next?