Winner of Slamdance’s Grand Jury Prize, Dim the Fluorescents is the kind of dynamic, entertaining debut feature that hopefully puts its cast and crew on the map. Taking place in the city of Toronto – which is currently going through its own indie cinema renaissance – director Daniel Warth and co-writer Miles Barstead have put together a film that crackles with energy along its lengthy, surprisingly breezy two-hour-plus runtime. It’s a film about the struggle of making a living in the creative arts that’s bursting with creativity, zig-zagging from one tone, style, or form to the next at a moment’s notice. It’s far from perfect, but the commitment from its filmmakers and two leads provide the film with a vitality that’s well worth celebrating.
It starts with Lillian (Naomi Skwarna) and Audrey (Claire Armstrong), longtime friends and roommates trying to make it in theatre. Lillian aspires...
It starts with Lillian (Naomi Skwarna) and Audrey (Claire Armstrong), longtime friends and roommates trying to make it in theatre. Lillian aspires...
- 1/30/2017
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
Stefan Avalos’s feature dazzled jury and audiences in Park City.
Stefan Avalos’s feature earned the Sparky Prize for Best Documentary Feature and the audience award in Park City on Friday night.
The Sparky Prize for Best Narrative Feature went to Daniel Warth’s Dim The Fluorescents and Bill Watterson’s Dave Made A Maze won the Narrative Feature Audience Award.
Jamie Greenberg’s Future ’38 earned the Beyond Feature Audience Award.
Moriom by Francesca Scalisi and Mark Olexa won the Sparky Prize for best documentary short, while Tim Mason’s No Other Way To Say It won best narrative short and Hold Me (Ca Caw Ca Caw) by Renee Zhan took the animated prize.
UpCycles by Ariana Gerstein won best experimental short and Maxwell McCabe-Lokoss’s took best anarchy short for Ape Sodom.
The Spirit Of Slamdance Award went to the film team behind Neighborhood Food Drive by Jerzy Rose.
Stefan Avalos’s feature earned the Sparky Prize for Best Documentary Feature and the audience award in Park City on Friday night.
The Sparky Prize for Best Narrative Feature went to Daniel Warth’s Dim The Fluorescents and Bill Watterson’s Dave Made A Maze won the Narrative Feature Audience Award.
Jamie Greenberg’s Future ’38 earned the Beyond Feature Audience Award.
Moriom by Francesca Scalisi and Mark Olexa won the Sparky Prize for best documentary short, while Tim Mason’s No Other Way To Say It won best narrative short and Hold Me (Ca Caw Ca Caw) by Renee Zhan took the animated prize.
UpCycles by Ariana Gerstein won best experimental short and Maxwell McCabe-Lokoss’s took best anarchy short for Ape Sodom.
The Spirit Of Slamdance Award went to the film team behind Neighborhood Food Drive by Jerzy Rose.
- 1/27/2017
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Last night, the 23rd annual Slamdance Film Festival announced the feature and short film recipients of this year’s Sparky Awards. A jury of filmmakers and industry professionals determined the Slamdance Jury Awards for Narrative Feature, Documentary Feature, and Short Film categories. The Audience Awards and the Spirit of Slamdance, an award given by the filmmakers of Slamdance 2017 to the director who best embodies the spirit of the Festival, were also bestowed. The award winners were announced at the festival’s annual Awards Ceremony at the Treasure Mountain Inn in Park City, Utah.
Read More: Slamdance Film Festival Announces 2017 Lineup: ‘Aerotropolis,’ ‘The Children Send Their Regards’ and More
“Independent film is made beautiful not by those individual artists that form celebrity culture but by creative collaboration” said Peter Baxter, Slamdance Co-Founder and President. “At Slamdance this year we’ve experienced an entire program of beautiful independent film and the promise...
Read More: Slamdance Film Festival Announces 2017 Lineup: ‘Aerotropolis,’ ‘The Children Send Their Regards’ and More
“Independent film is made beautiful not by those individual artists that form celebrity culture but by creative collaboration” said Peter Baxter, Slamdance Co-Founder and President. “At Slamdance this year we’ve experienced an entire program of beautiful independent film and the promise...
- 1/27/2017
- by Vikram Murthi
- Indiewire
Turns out, the entertainment industry is a tough one to break into — sorry for blowing your mind right now — but Canadian filmmaker Daniel Warth takes that tired old chestnut and turns it into something very fresh and funny with his Slamdance premiere “Dim the Fluorescents.”
Read More: Slamdance Film Festival Announces 2017 Lineup: ‘Aerotropolis,’ ‘The Children Send Their Regards’ and More
The film centers on aspiring actress Audrey (Claire Armstrong) and her struggling playwright pal Lillian (Naomi Skwarna) as they attempt to support themselves while also keeping up with their creative impulses. The pair land on weird in-between solution: starring in corporate role-playing demonstrations.
“Dim the Fluorescents” follows the duo after they land their most lucrative gig, thanks to a massive hotel conference that pushes the ladies to launch their most ambitious production yet, and one that could ultimately tear them apart and upend their respectable little careers.
Read More: ‘Suck...
Read More: Slamdance Film Festival Announces 2017 Lineup: ‘Aerotropolis,’ ‘The Children Send Their Regards’ and More
The film centers on aspiring actress Audrey (Claire Armstrong) and her struggling playwright pal Lillian (Naomi Skwarna) as they attempt to support themselves while also keeping up with their creative impulses. The pair land on weird in-between solution: starring in corporate role-playing demonstrations.
“Dim the Fluorescents” follows the duo after they land their most lucrative gig, thanks to a massive hotel conference that pushes the ladies to launch their most ambitious production yet, and one that could ultimately tear them apart and upend their respectable little careers.
Read More: ‘Suck...
- 1/24/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
In the tradition of films that pull back the curtain on the inner workings of showbiz, writer/director Daniel Warth’s Dim The Fluorescents shows us the ins and outs of… corporate training seminars. It’s not the most exciting place to be, surely, but thankfully this movie has a bit more to say. Our two protagonists are a struggling actress named Audrey (Claire Armstrong), and her best friend and associate, aspiring playwright Lillian (Naomi Skwarna). Both are small fish in the big, big pond of the struggle that is show business, a place of constant auditions, rejections, and waiting around for that one phone call which can change your life. The pair have no choice but to devote themselves to the only paying work available: role playing...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 1/22/2017
- Screen Anarchy
Now well into its second decade, the Slamdance Film Festival is gearing up for its 2017 edition. Mostly taking place at the Treasure Mountain Inn at top of Park City, Utah’s busting Main Street, Slamdance is dedicated to presenting a festival and a community designed “for filmmakers by filmmakers.”
In previous years, projects from directors like Christopher Nolan, Marc Forster, Jared Hess, Oren Peli, Benh Zeitlin, Seth Gordon, Lynn Shelton and Lena Dunham have bowed at the festival, and it’s become a fertile — if offbeat — proving ground for fresh talents. This year looks to be yet another banner one for the fest, and as such, we’ve gone on a little trip through the Slamdance slate to dig up some prime possibilities for must-see films (shorts and features!).
Ahead, check out 13 titles we’re...
In previous years, projects from directors like Christopher Nolan, Marc Forster, Jared Hess, Oren Peli, Benh Zeitlin, Seth Gordon, Lynn Shelton and Lena Dunham have bowed at the festival, and it’s become a fertile — if offbeat — proving ground for fresh talents. This year looks to be yet another banner one for the fest, and as such, we’ve gone on a little trip through the Slamdance slate to dig up some prime possibilities for must-see films (shorts and features!).
Ahead, check out 13 titles we’re...
- 1/17/2017
- by Chris O'Falt, David Ehrlich, Graham Winfrey, Jude Dry, Kate Erbland and Steve Greene
- Indiewire
Slamdance has announced the 11 narratives and eight documentaries that will comprise its 2017 lineup. The festival was established in 1995 and takes place in Park City, Utah in January — the same time and place, of course, as Sundance. 12 of the films will be world premieres, and all competition entries are directorial debuts with budgets of less than $1 million that have yet to receive stateside distribution. Next year’s edition of the festival will run from January 20–26. Full lineup below:
Read More: Watch Slamdance Selections ‘Coming To’ and ‘Courtesan,’ Thanks to Digital Bolex and Seed&Spark (Exclusive)
Narrative Features
“Aerotropolis” (Jheng-Neng Li)
“Beat Beat Heart” (Luise Brinkmann)
“Cortez” (Cheryl Nichols)
“Dave Made a Maze” (Bill Watterson)
“Dim the Fluorescents” (Daniel Warth)
“The Family” (Shumin Liu)
“Kate Can’t Swim” (Josh Helman)
“Kuro” (Joji Koyama, Tujiko Noriko)
“Weather House” (Frauke Havermann)
“Wexford Plaza” (Joyce Wong)
“Withdrawn” (Adrian Murray)
Read More: Watch the Trailer for...
Read More: Watch Slamdance Selections ‘Coming To’ and ‘Courtesan,’ Thanks to Digital Bolex and Seed&Spark (Exclusive)
Narrative Features
“Aerotropolis” (Jheng-Neng Li)
“Beat Beat Heart” (Luise Brinkmann)
“Cortez” (Cheryl Nichols)
“Dave Made a Maze” (Bill Watterson)
“Dim the Fluorescents” (Daniel Warth)
“The Family” (Shumin Liu)
“Kate Can’t Swim” (Josh Helman)
“Kuro” (Joji Koyama, Tujiko Noriko)
“Weather House” (Frauke Havermann)
“Wexford Plaza” (Joyce Wong)
“Withdrawn” (Adrian Murray)
Read More: Watch the Trailer for...
- 11/28/2016
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
Programmers at the Park City jamboree’s upcoming 23rd edition announced on Monday the 11 narrative and eight documentary selections that will play in January.
The 2017 showcase will also feature Dig (Digital, Interactive & Gaming), a platform of eight works by emerging artists working in cutting-edge digital media, while Polytechnic is a series of free workshops exploring disruptive perspectives on filmmaking from industry insiders.
“As filmmakers themselves, the Slamdance programmers and staff share the same creative spirit as the festival artists,” said Slamdance co-founder and president, Peter Baxter. “Our stories are different but our divergent attitude is the same.
“Together, we give a voice to Diy filmmaking. Empowering emerging artists is what we do, and you are about to see a great group at Slamdance 2017.”
The feature competition roster includes 16 premieres – 12 world, 3 North American and one Us. All competition films are feature directorial debuts with budgets of under $1m and without Us distribution.
Jury awards...
The 2017 showcase will also feature Dig (Digital, Interactive & Gaming), a platform of eight works by emerging artists working in cutting-edge digital media, while Polytechnic is a series of free workshops exploring disruptive perspectives on filmmaking from industry insiders.
“As filmmakers themselves, the Slamdance programmers and staff share the same creative spirit as the festival artists,” said Slamdance co-founder and president, Peter Baxter. “Our stories are different but our divergent attitude is the same.
“Together, we give a voice to Diy filmmaking. Empowering emerging artists is what we do, and you are about to see a great group at Slamdance 2017.”
The feature competition roster includes 16 premieres – 12 world, 3 North American and one Us. All competition films are feature directorial debuts with budgets of under $1m and without Us distribution.
Jury awards...
- 11/28/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.