We're excited announce that several films by TEC alums made it into Sundance Film Festival's 2020 lineup!
Nine Days | Edited by TEC Alum Michael Taylor
In a house distant from the reality we know, a reclusive man interviews prospective candidates—personifications of human souls—for the privilege that he once had: to be born. Cast: Winston Duke, Zazie Beetz, Benedict Wong, Bill Skarsgård, Tony Hale, David Rysdahl. World Premiere.
Farewell Amor | Edited by TEC Alum Jeanne Applegate, Assistant Editors include TEC Alums Anthony Pennoyer, Nicholas Valenzuela, & Michael Mazzuca
Reunited after a 17 year separation, Walter, an Angolan immigrant, is joined in the U.S. by his wife and teenage daughter. Now absolute strangers sharing a one-bedroom apartment, they discover a shared love of dance that may help overcome the emotional distance between them.
Tesla | Edited by TEC Alum Kathryn Schubert
Highlighting the Promethean struggles of Nikola Tesla, as he attempts to transcend entrenched technology–including his own previous work–by pioneering a system of wireless energy that will change the world.
Never Rarely Sometimes Always | Assistant Edited by TEC Alum Anthony Pennoyer
An intimate portrayal of two teenage girls in rural Pennsylvania. Faced with an unintended pregnancy and a lack of local support, Autumn and her cousin Skylar embark on a brave, fraught journey across state lines to New York City. Cast: Sidney Flanigan, Talia Ryder, Théodore Pellerin, Ryan Eggold, Sharon Van Etten. World Premiere
Siempre, Luis | Assistant Edited by Janah Cox
Follow one single-minded immigrant’s improbable journey from Puerto Rico to the halls of power. Witness Luis Miranda’s unflappable idealism as he battles his health, mobilizes the mainland Latinx community, matches wits with his youngest child applying to college and brings Hamilton to his island home, all in twelve months. Cast: Luis Miranda, Lin-Manuel Miranda. World Premiere.
Welcome to Chechnya | Edited by Tyler H. Walk
Searing urgency is a guiding force as Welcome to Chechnya shadows a group of activists who risk unimaginable peril to confront the ongoing anti-LGBTQ+ pogrom raging in the repressive and closed Russian republic. Since 2016, Chechnya’s tyrannical leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, has waged a depraved operation to “cleanse the blood” of LGBTQ+ Chechens, overseeing a government-directed campaign to detain, torture, and execute them. With no help from the Kremlin and only faint global condemnation of the violence, a vast and secretive network of activists takes matters into its own hands.
Wendy | Co-Edited by TEC Teacher Affonso Gonçalves
Wendy and her brothers come from a warm working family. Raised amongst dinner plates and diner patrons, the children have an itch for the adventurous and slightly mischievous. After long nights watching trains rattle by their bedroom window, the kids are whisked away by a mysterious boy named Peter. A long journey taken on faith lands them on Peter’s island. There they discover a wild new world, one without grown-ups and suspended in time. Reveling in their youthfulness and sprawling freedom satisfies the kids at first, but nostalgia for their lives left behind seeps in. When threats to their eternal childhood develop, Wendy is tasked with saving herself, her brothers, and the other island children with the most powerful tool she has: love for her family.
Happy Happy Joy Joy - The Ren & Stimpy Story | Edited by TEC Alum Christina Burchard
With clips recognizable to any Ren & Stimpy fan and interviews with Kricfalusi and his fellow creators whose work has been both elevated and denigrated by their connection to him, this film is a complex look at a show that influenced the history of television, animation, and comedy. More than a celebration, Happy Happy Joy Joy - The Ren & Stimpy Story forces us to consider the role of media creators and how we reckon with the reality of who they are versus what we see on the screen.
Untitled Kirby Dick/Amy Ziering Film | Edited by TEC Alum Sara Newens
Untitled Kirby Dick/Amy Ziering Film is a gripping, complex study of race, gender, and the shared feelings of helplessness and terror that come from abuse. Through her bravery, Dixon inspired many previously silenced women to share their stories. These incredibly strong silence-breakers discuss their reluctance to add to the dangerous mythology and vilification of black men, resulting in their refusal to make those allegations public for decades. Untitled Kirby Dick/Amy Ziering Film is a well-needed impetus for broad positive change—not just in the music industry but throughout the world.
Special Mention:
The Shawl | Animated Short about TEC Alum Shane O’Neill
After years of long distance, a pair of big and beautiful boyfriends celebrates their reunion at a Stevie Nicks concert, where they share a brush with magic.