Features

Sci-fi, technology, and the apocalypse rule supreme in the array of short format programs at Sundance 2013. Neil Kendricks teases out the program's terrain—from emotionally detached to resonant. Jesse Atlas' Record/ Play and Jon Hurst's When Zombies Come were among his favorites.

Focusing on this year’s music documentary programming, LJ Kessels observes the accidental nature of finding one’s subject and the attention a filmmaker needs to have to bring about the story. This year she found a common theme among music docs: redeeming forgotten artists.

Hailed as one of the most important Israeli documentaries of recent years, Arnon Goldfinger's The Flat exposes family secrets and raises moral questions which Goldfinger recently discussed with a non-fiction theory class taught by USC's Michael Renov. Reported by Wendy Dent, who premieres her family-inspired film December 25 at IDFA.

Festival Music House invites Canadian musicians to apply for a spot on their three-day invite-only concert line-up that coincides with the Toronto International Film Festival. Mixing, matching, and marriage between motion picture and sound is encouraged and one of this year's featured performers, Adam Cohen, has no problem with that whatsoever.

Who would have thought to suggest having a video and visual arts festival focusing on independent and experimental work, in 1987? In Dallas? Home of Big Oil, bigger hair, and "Who Shot J.R.?" None other than Bart Weiss, artistic director and co-founder of Dallas VideoFest, now in its 25th year.

The Independent shines a spotlight on 10 innovative filmmakers to keep your eye on this year, and coming years. We've got web series creators, animators, and filmmakers of all genres... and in the last month we've been releasing exclusive new extras on Facebook.

Her deception wreaked havoc with film festivals, exhibitors, and fancy LA restaurants. Marie Castaldo is the convicted criminal at the center of a documentary-in-progress by Dan Nuxoll and Martha Shane, whose sleuthing led them into their first feature project.

Jason Rosette reports from Cambodia in another installment of his Filmmaker's Journal, four years after his last update. Here he chronicles the ups and downs of getting what he calls his most ambitious project yet, the feature narrative Freedom Deal, off the ground in Cambodia, including the unique ways he's approached casting and fundraising.

Motherhood can't seem to escape controversy, even on the weekend meant to honor them. Yet three filmmaking moms are quietly figuring out what it means to parent, work a day job, and manage a passion project, and have generously shared their perspectives with The Independent.

Though he makes major motion pictures with traditional distribution, John Madden pushes against age bias with today's US release of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, starring only actors over 60.