The Sundance Institute announced the list of films selected to screen in the World and U.S. Documentary and Dramatic Competitions for its 2011 Sundance Film Festival this afternoon, just as Hanukkah was about to begin.
One Israeli film and director got an early gift and was selected to screen in the World Dramatic competition. The 2011 Sundance Film Festival runs January 20-30 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah.
The film is titled “Restoration,” and was directed by Yossi Madmoni and written by Erez Kav-El. The film is also known as Boker Tov Adon Fidelman or Good Morning Mr. Fidelman. In the film, an antique furniture restorer is aided by a young, mysterious apprentice, as he struggles to keep his workshop alive, while his relationship with his own estranged son, who is trying to close down the shop, begins to disintegrate. Its cast includes Sasson Gabay, Henry David, Nevo Kimchi, and Sarah Adler. Madmoni’s film was selected from over 3,700 feature length submissions.
The festival plans to select 115 feature-length films representing 28 countries by 40 first-time filmmakers. These films were selected from 3,812 submissions composed of 1,943 U.S. and 1,869 international films.
John Cooper, Director of the Sundance Film Festival said, “The Festival is a challenge to narrowly define. It is all at once exciting, fun, crazy, engaging, visceral, and sometimes even painful. We can explain storylines, we can share what we know of each artist’s unique journey, but ultimately what we will experience for 10 days in January is different for each of us. It’s the spark from the filmmakers – their passion – that brings 200 unique worlds to life and, in turn, ignites the audience. The films, conversations, encounters are there to experience. And that’s what makes Sundance so magical.â€
Was he describing Sundance? I thought for a moment he was talking about Hanukkah.
