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Sundance Announces Doc Shorts

By Tom White


Rounding out the Sundance 2010 lineup are the shorts, and among the doc shorts include Born Sweet, from Academy Award-winning filmmaker Cynthia Wade (Freeheld); and The Fence, from Sundance frequenter Rory Kennedy, which will open the festival in a unique opening night smorgasbord of one narrative film, one documentary and one shorts program consisting of a US dramatic short, US documentary short, international dramatic short, and an animated short film.

Here's the lineup of US and international doc shorts:

US DOCUMENTARY SHORTS


Born Sweet
(Director: Cynthia Wade) -- Arsenic-laced water has poisoned a 15-year-old-boy from a small, rural village in Cambodia, who fashions dreams for karaoke stardom.

Dock Ellis & The LSD No-No (Director: James Blagden)--In celebration of the greatest athletic achievement by a man on a psychedelic journey, here's the animated tale of Dock Ellis' legendary LSD no-hitter.

Drunk History: Douglass & Lincoln (Director: Jeremy Konner; Screenwriter: Derek Waters) -- On March 22, Jen Kirkman drank two bottles of wine and then discussed a historical event. Cast: Don Cheadle and Will Ferrell

Drunk History: Tesla & Edison (Director: Jeremy Konner; Screenwriter: Derek Waters) -- On January 7, Duncan Trussell drank a six-pack of beer...then a half a bottle of absinthe...and then he discussed a historical event. Cast: John C. Reilly and Crispin Glover.

The Fence (Director: Rory Kennedy; Screenwriter: Mark Bailey) -- In October 2006, the United States government decided to build a 700-mile fence along its Mexican border. Three years and $3.1 billion later, the film investigates the impact of the project, revealing how its stated goals--containing illegal immigration, cracking down on drug trafficking, and protecting America from terrorists--have given way to unforeseen consequences.

Last Address (Director: Ira Sachs) -- A composition of exterior images from the last residential addresses of a group of New York City artists who died of AIDS.

Let's Harvest the Organs of Death Row Inmates (Directors: Chris Weller and Max Joseph; Screenwriter: Graeme Wood) -- In 2008, 37 death row inmates were executed. None of their organs were donated. Considering that there are currently 2,775 people on the waiting list for a heart transplant, the film makes the case for harvesting healthy organs from death row inmates.

Mr. Okra (Director and screenwriter: T.G. Herrington) -- An intimate look at one of New Orleans' most colorful characters, the charismatic vegetable salesman Mr. Okra, who provides a glimpse into the soul of an American city.

Para Fuera (Director: Nicholas Jasenovec) -- A intimate portrait of Dr. Richard J. Bing on his 100th birthday.

The Poodle Trainer (Director: Vance Malone) -- Irina Markova, a solitary Russian poodle trainer, reveals her transcendent relationship with her dogs, the childhood tragedy that sparked a lifetime of working with animals, and the welcome isolation behind the red velvet curtains of the circus.

The S From Hell (Director: Rodney Ascher) -- A documentary-cum-horror film about the scariest corporate symbol in history, the 1964 Screen Gems logo, aka The S From Hell. Built around interviews with survivors still traumatized from viewing the logo after shows like Bewitched or The Monkees, the film brings their stories to life with animation, found footage, and re-enactments.

Thompson (Director: Jason Tippet) -- Since second grade, Matt and Ryan have shared the bond of speech impediments, weapons and things that go fast. But as their last days of high school speed by, the two friends find that their go-carts, dirt bikes, and RC cars can't outrun adulthood.

Quadrangle (Director: Amy Grappell) -- An unconventional look at two "conventional" couples that swapped partners and lived in a group marriage in the early 1970s, hoping to pioneer an alternative to divorce and the way people would live in the future.

 

INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY SHORTS


Bus /
Israel (Director and screenwriter: Yasmine Novak) -- An examination of those that live their lives amidst the complex rules, walls, soldiers and permits that make up the Israel/Palestine bus system.

Glottal Opera / Australia (Director: John Fink; Screenwriters: John Fink and Sally Stevens) -- Mesmerizing, disturbing, hilarious, disgusting, compelling, repelling.

Notes on the Other / Spain (Director: Sergio Oksman; Screenwriters: Carlos Mugiro and Sergio Oksman) -- Each summer, a crowd of Ernest Hemingway doubles meet in Key West, Florida, to choose the authentic Hemingway after Hemingway's death. One day in 1924, the real Ernest Hemingway also wanted to be someone else. This film is the story of this hypothesis.

Photograph of Jesus / United Kingdom (Director: Laurie Hill) -- Real-life archives become the stage where fact and fiction collide, belief runs amok and unruly images have a life of their own.

Wagah / Germany (Directors: Supriyo Sen and Najaf Bilgrami) -- A visual illustration that documents a single evening where 20,000 people dance and sing daily at the only checkpoint between India and Pakistan.