BEAUTIFUL STORIES BEYOND THE MAIN: 2017 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL

Big issues have many different stories that both fuel & result from them. This selection of 2017 Sundance Film Festival films, curated by the BN Team, follows important stories that warrant your attention.

1. LOOK AND SEE: A PORTRAIT OF WENDELL BERRY

Wendell E. Berry (born August 5, 1934) is a prolific and outspoken American writer, poet, activist, cultural critic, and farmer, based in Henry County, Kentucky. Over the past 7 decades, Berry has promoted his strong views about pacifism and environmental stewardship with exceptional eloquence and passion.

Look and See: A Portrait of Wendell Berry, a new film directed by Laura Dunn and Jef Sewell, documents Berry’s life and works while it examines the damage and threats caused by industrial farming and coal mining.

The filmmakers include a series of rare photographs, original wood engravings, and interviews with farmers and family members to tell the story.

Beautifully shot and thoughtfully observed, the film premiered at SXSW, where it received a Special Jury Award for visual design.

2. THE HERO

An aging Western film star seeks redemption in The Hero, directed by Brett Haley.

Lee Hayden (Sam Elliott) is a golden voiced has-been who spends most his time stoned, reliving his glorious past. He gets shocked into a new reality by a cancer diagnosis and shifts his focus as he attempts to reconnect with his estranged daughter and to land one final gig. 

3. SUEÑO EN OTRO IDIOMA (I DREAM IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE)

There are only two men alive who speak an ancient indigenous Mexican language. Evaristo and Isauro live as close neighbors in a remote village, however they have refused to speak to each other for for 50 years as because they both fell in love with the same woman.

When a man named Martin comes to record the language before it vanishes, he enlists the help of Evaristo’s granddaughter to facilitate a reconciliation.

Sueño en Otro Idioma (I Dream in Another Language), directed by Ernesto Contreras, is a beautifully crafted film that uses language and metaphor to spin a transcendental love story.

4. THE GOOD POSTMAN

Just as the world struggles and debates about how to handle the refugee crises, with many western countries worried about their influx and potential economic strains, the postman who lives a sleepy sparsely hamlet on the eastern edge of Bulgaria, bordering Turkey, wants to welcome them. The village needs young able-bodied people, after all.

The Good Postman, a documentary directed by Tonislav Hristov, tells the story with humor and drama.

5. AN INCONVENIENT SEQUEL: TRUTH TO POWER