Slamdance, the scrappy, frisky counterpoint to Sundance, has announced its Shorts and Special Screenings competitions, along with its Feature competitions.
Notable among the special screenings is And Everything Is Going Fine, Steven Soderbergh's long-awaited doc on Spaulding Gray, the late monologuist/performance artist who committed suicide in 2004. The Documentary Feature competition includes a profile of William S. Burroughs (William Burroughs: A Man Within), a look at Bolivian women wrestlers (Mamachas Del Ring) and a reunion of the greatest artists in the rocksteady genre from 1960s Jamaica (Rocksteady: The Roots of Reggae)
The doc shorts in competition include DocuWeeks 09 participant point of entry (Dir.: Zeus Quijano Jr.), 2008 IDA Short Documentary Award nominee Redemption Stone - The Life and Times of Tom Lewis (Dir.: Tom Dziedzic), and a profile of an Aborigine artist (Not a Willing Participant; Dir.: Alex Barnes)
Here's the documentary lineup:
Special Screenings
I Am Comic (Dir.: Jordan Brady; US)--Stand-up comedians reveal the art and occupational hazards of their craft. With Sarah Silverman, Tommy Davidson, Carrot Top, Kathy Griffin, Carlos Mencia, Jeff Foxworthy and Phyllis Diller
And Everything Is Going Fine (Dir.: Steven Soderbergh; US)--An intimate documentary about the life and work of the late performance artist Spaulding Gray.
Documentary Competition--Feature Length (All films are from the US unless otherwise noted)
American Jihadist (Dir.: Mark Claywell)--What makes a man willing to kill and die for his religion?
Biker Fox (Dir.: Jeremy Lamberton)--By taking the road less traveled, Biker Fox leads you to another dimension by "cogitating positive vibes to the cortex of your cerebellum" in this part documentary, part self-help testimonial.
Candyman (Dir.: Costa Botes)--Candyman is the story of the rise and fall of David Klein, the man who invented Jelly Belly jelly beans. With Weird Al Yankovich
General Orders No. 9 (Dir.: Robert Persons)--Take one last trip down the rabbit hole before it gets paved over. A history of the State of Georgia or Anywhere. Deer trail becomes Indian trail becomes county road becomes...
Mamachas Del Ring (Dir.: Betty M. Park)--Bolivian women wrestlers throw down in the ring in this documentary about what it really means to fight like a girl. Carmen Rosa the Champion is their passionate leader, and is faced with a brutal decision when she is forced to choose between her love of sport and love of her family.
Mind of a Demon: The Larry Linkogle Story (Dir.: Adam Barker)--The birth of freestyle motocross became the demise of the sport's most infamous legend. Narrated by Lemmy.
Rocksteady: The Roots of Reggae (Dir.: Stascha Bader; Canada)--The singers and musicians of Jamaica's Golden Age of music, Rocksteady, come together after 40 years to record an album of their greatest hits, to perform together again at a reunion concert in Kingston, and to tell their story. With Rita Marley
William Burroughs: A Man Within (Dir.: Yony Leyser)--Leyser paints a tender portrait of the Beat author and American icon, whose works at once savaged conservative ideals, spawned vibrant countercultural movements and reconfigured 20th century culture. With David Cronenberg, Gus Van Sant, Peter Weller, Iggy Pop, Laurie Anderson.
Documentary Competition (all films are from the US unless otherwise noted):
point of entry (Dir.: Zeus Quijano Jr.)--An intimate look at modern immigration.
Bout that Bout (Dir.: Nico Sabenorio)--High school seniors in rural Florida come of age competing in an illegal after-school fight club.
Cease & Desist (Dir.: John Carluccio--Branding, addiction, sneaker culture and legal infringement are explored when artist/designer Ari Saal Forman mashes-ups the lively Newport cigarette brand into a cool Nike-like sneaker.
Close to Home (Dir.: Theo Rigby)--The story of a father broken from the murder of his son, and a daughter waiting for the father that she once had.
Finding D.Q.U. (Dir.: Christopher Newman)--In 2005 D-Q University, California's only tribal college, was shut down after a 35-year struggle, but its supporters fight to hold on to a dream that was never fully realized.
Not a Willing Participant (Dir.: Alex Barnes; Australia)--Aboriginal artist Vernon Ah Kee has been selected to represent Australia at the prestigious 53rd Venice Biennale of art. How will his important cultural work be perceived by the rest of the world?
Poinciana Sunrise (Dir.: Chuck Gomez)--The life and spirit of the "Queen of the Road", the only female member of The Highwaymen, a group of African-American Florida artists who created a beautiful and historic record of landscapes now lost to developers and modernization.
Q & A (Dir.: Tim & Mike Rauch)--Joshua Littman, an inquisitive 12-year-old with Asperger's Syndrome, interviews his mother Sarah about everything from cockroaches to her feelings about him as a son.
Redemption Stone - The Life and Times of Tom Lewis (Dir.: Tom Dziedzic)--A spiritual vision inspires Tom Lewis, a storyteller of quiet power, to open a neighborhood safe haven called The Fishing School and to turn hardship into hope for the children in his community.
The Individualist (Dir.: Zoë Banks)--Tinkerer, musician, and inventor of the world's first solid-state heat engine, Ridgway Banks quietly solved the clean energy problem in his workshop 35 years ago, without fame, fortune or attention.
The Sundowner (Dir.: Steve Christolos)--An engineer becomes a man of the sea on his handcrafted fifty-three foot sailboat, with the incredible ambition to sail around the world.
Wahid's Mobile Bookstore (Dir.: Anjoo Khosia; US & India)--Nine-year-old Wahid makes a living selling pirated international bestsellers to customers stopping in their cars at traffic intersections in Mumbai, India.