Sundance slate revealed

Premieres, Spectrum, Park City At Midnight and Frontiers films announced.

by Amber Wilkinson

Sundance Institute has announced the out-of-competition lineup of for the 2009 Sundance Film Festival - it's Premieres, Spectrum, Park City At Midnight and Frontiers strands.

They also announced this year's closing night film - the world premiere of Earth Days, a history of our environmental undoing seen through the eyes of nine Americans whose work and actions launched the modern environmental movement.

The Salt Lake City Gala on Friday, January 16 will feature the world premiere of The September Issue, screening in Documentary Competition. With unprecedented access, director RJ Cutler and his crew shot for nine months to capture Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour and her team preparing the 2007 Vogue September issue, widely accepted as the "fashion bible" for the year's trends.

Among the British films featuring in the out-of-competition strands is political thriller Engame, set in the era of African apartheid, which features Mark Strong (surely the best thing in Ridley Scott's recent Body Of Lies).

Also screening in the Premieres section is Duncan Jones' Moon - which sees trouble brew for astronaut Sam Rockwell - while comedy veteran Armando Ianucci (The Thick Of It, The Day Today) makes the leap to the big screen with In The Loop - a comedy examining Britain and America's 'special relationship', which stars his longtime collaborator Steve Coogan.

Other British films screening elsewhere at the festival include Dominic Murphy's Jesco White biopic White Lightnin' and Nicolas Winding Refn's exploration of the life of prisoner Charles Bronson, which screened at London Film Festival earlier this year.

Sundance Director Geoffrey Gilmore said: “Whether personal reflective pieces or larger films with established talent, the films screening out of competition have enormous possibility for success down the line.

"Across all the categories there are some truly excellent films in this year's Festival."

Director of Programming John Cooper added: "Discovery is key to understanding this year's slate of films. There are some terrific acting ensemble works in Premieres section and I am counting on some surprise commercial interest in Midnight and Spectrum this year."

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