Sundance Institute today announced the line up for its US and World Cinema Dramatic and Documentary Competition Sections - with the feature film debut of longtime British television comedy writer and actor Chris Morris in the line up.
Morris - whose comedy CV includes Brass Eye and Nathan Barley - will see Four Lions, about a bunch of self styled British jihadis, feature in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition.
UK documentary director Lucy Walker (Blindsight) has had her latest film Waste Land - which charts art star Vik Muniz as he collaborates with garbage pickers in the world's largest landfill in Rio de Janeiro - selected to compete in the World Documentary section.
Ireland is also represented in competition, thanks to long-time Sundance attendee Ken Wardrop, who will, this year, see his feature His & Hers - documenting 70 women talking about their lives - compete.
Other films in competition, indicating a strong line-up are the latest from Taxi To The Dark Side director Alex Gibney, CASINO JACK & The United States of Money and Cambodian and UK co-production Enemies Of The People (directed by Rob Lemkin and Thet Sambath) about a young journalist whose family was killed by the Khmer Rouge, who befriends the perpetrators of the Killing Fields genocide.
Sundance director John Cooper, who is curating his first festival this year, said: "Being a seasoned programming team and having the support of a healthy organization afforded us the ability to take risks and re-think all programs this year so we chose to do some things a little bit differently.
"We believe this makes for an exciting festival that responds to both artist and audience, one that will invigorate the independent film community."
"One of the founding values of Sundance Institute is that artistic excellence should never be gauged in terms of marketability," said Robert Redford, Sundance Institute President and Founder. "Our mandate is to support the independent artist and celebrate originality, creativity and compelling storytelling.
"It is not our place to decide what will be shown a year from now in theatres. Our place is to shine a light on the art of film. This year's programme shows integrity and a willingness to move beyond preconceived ideas about what our Festival should be."
For the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, 112 feature-length films were selected representing 38 countries by 43 first-time filmmakers, including 24 in competition. These films were selected from 3,724 feature-length film submissions composed of 1,920 U.S. and 1,804 international feature-length films. 79 films at the Festival will be world premieres.
