With the 2012 Sundance Film Festival primed and ready to kick off next Thursday and with awards season in full swing, it only makes sense to take a closer look at where the two cross over. If you think Sundance is host to a bunch of no-name independent movies that you'll never see or hear of again, think again.
The festival is a breeding ground for award contenders. Think back to 2010: The Kids Are All Right, Exit Through the Gift Shop, Winter's Bone, Blue Valentine—for smaller movies, Sundance is a launching pad for buzz that will eventually help them garner coveted spots on end-of-the-year top ten lists and prestigious accolades. This year is no exception. Check out the movies that got their start at Sundance, then ran the marathon all the way this year's finish line:
Take Shelter
After premiering at Sundance, Take Shelter hopped across the Atlantic to wow eager Cannes audiences. Director Jeff Nichols picked up awards at both festivals, but it's Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain who are the talk of the town, for his lead performance as a man stricken with apocalyptic visions and and her co-starring role as the wife dealing with her husband's mental illness. The duo have been sweeping up Critics awards across the country, and Chastain in particular has a real shot at top five for the Oscars.
Win Win
Writer/director Tom McCarthy's third feature film made a splash at Sundance with its top-notch, indie-friendly cast: Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan, Bobby Cannavale, Melanie Lynskey—just to name a few. The movie hit theaters soon after, but it's back in the public eye after nabbing screenplay nominations for McCarthy's hilarious and honest at both the Independent Spirit Awards and Writer's Guild. Both nods are stepping stones for a spot on the Best Original Screenplay list at the Academy Awards, a category for which McCarthy has been previously nominated.
The Guard
Sundance delivers its fair share of low-budget movies dying to go mainstream, but at the same time, it's one of the few places where cross-genre, downright weird movies can play for big audiences. The Guard, a dark, British crime comedy starring Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle, was lucky enough to find a distributor stateside—but it's certainly not easy to swallow. Thankfully, award voters have been seeing past that, with Gleeson picking up a Golden Globe nomination for his work in the film.
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Elizabeth Olsen (the younger sister of Mary Kate and Ashley) was the talk of the town after Martha Marcy May Marlene's premiere screening, and for good reason—her hushed, emotionally-devastated survivor of a religious cult is a remarkable breakthrough performance, especially for someone so young. There's been a lot of buzz for Olsen, who some think could crack the top five Best Actress race at the Academy Awards. Even if the movie doesn't go that far, Olsen and the crew can be happy with their final product—the movie has been nominated for acting and filmmaking awards at the Gothams and Indie Spirits.
Project Nim
Before Rise of the Planet of the Apes, director James Marsh delivered his documentary take on animal testing, a tale that followed chimpanzee Nim from his human-esque life on the Upper West Side to free-range experimenting in Upstate New York to the dingy conditions of a chimp zoo. After picking up a World Cinema award at Sundance, Project Nim segued to a theatrical run where it gained momentum as a Best Documentary contender. It's a bit of deja vu—Marsh found the same success in 2008 with his doc Man on Wire.
Margin Call
The first screening of Margin Call at the 2011 fest was a mob scene, press, distribution and everyone in-between cutting throats to grab a seat in the theater. Not a surprise—the movie sports an A-List cast including Kevin Spacey, Zachary Quinto, Jeremy Irons, Demi Moore, Stanley Tucci, Paul Bettany and Penn Badgley. But even with the incredible acting talent behind the movie, the award season star has been first time director J.C. Chandor, who has been picking up "Best Debut Director" accolades left and right. As for Oscar chances, the movie is snowballing enough that Margin Call may find a spot in the Best Original Screenplay category.
While the Oscars are the light at the end of the tunnel, for many indie filmmakers, the Independent Spirit Awards are the Oscars. This year, Sundance favorites Another Earth, Terri, Bellflower, Like Crazy and Pariah have all racked up nominations. And it almost doesn't matter who takes home the actual awards—at the end of the day, a spot on the list signs the beginning of a long career, one that will probably garner the movies' respective filmmakers future Oscars!
You can contact Matt Patches directly on Twitter @misterpatches and remember to follow @Hollywood_com!
Check out all our coverage of Sundance 2012 by clicking the button below!
