THE "IT" GIRLS OF SUNDANCE 2017!

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While President Trump is settling into the White House and overturning Obamacare, the 2017 Sundance Film Festival is in full swing in Park City, Utah!

This season, many feared the reports earlier in the year on the shortage of snow might affect the festival turnout.  Yet, despite the snow reports, the turnout was OTT and showed no shortage of Hollywood "it" girls frolicking around town!  In fact, several quintessential "it" girls were spotted on the red carpet promoting their upcoming films.  Ya know that quintessential Sundance "it" girl...She's that indie actress that everyone is talking about.

In the middle of a blizzard, she manages to arrive at her scheduled screening fashionably late, just in time for a few pictures posing with her hair perfectly messy, snow-kissed skin all a glow and an entourage of directors and writers in tow! 

This year at Sundance the "it" girls were in full force!  Ms. Rooney Mara (Ghost Story), Aubrey Plaza (Ingrid Goes West), Elizabeth Olsen (Ingrid Goes West, Wind River), Riley Keough (The Discovery), Zoey Deutch (Rebel in the Rye, Before I Fall), and Jenny Slate (Landline) all made the list!  

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Rick Egan/The Salt Lake Tribune

In 2014, Rooney attended the festival to support her boyfriend, Charlie McDowell’s directorial debut film, "The One I Love."  THE WANNA was there to capture all the action.  You can watch our interview with Charlie and the cast HERE.

In 2014, Elizabeth Olsen attended the festival alongside her now ex-boyfriend Boyd Holbrook.  This season, Olsen hit the slopes solo and promoted two films that premiered at Sundance this season including:  "Ingrid Goes West," directed by Matt Spicer and "Wind River," directed by Taylor Sheridan.  

You can catch Olsen and the cast of Wind River’s red carpet interview here.

Olsen's co-star in "Ingrid Goes West" is the Indie darling, Aubrey Plaza!  Plaza is Hollywood's next leading lady!  The edgy and talented actress attended the festival in 2014 to promote and star in her boyfriend’s latest film, "Life After Beth."  The couple shared some tips on how to date and successfully work together...watch our coverage HERE!

Speaking of Sundance "it" girls, in 2012, "Fifty Shades of Grey" star, Dakota Johnson was a complete unknown and the new girl on the scene.  Watch this interview with THE WANNA host, Gina Glickman Giordan and a very shy Johnson who was promoting the indie film, "Goats," directed by Christopher Neil and co-starring David Duchovny and Vera Farmiga.  

Be sure to WATCH our Sundance series:  “Shit Celebs Say" starring more Sundance "it" girls including:  Kristen Wiig, Kate Bosworth, Lake Bell, Anna Lynne McCord, Amy Poehler and more!  

Teaser for In the Mixx's Sundance 2013 coverage featuring Steve Carell, Amanda Seyfried, Amy Poehler, Jessica Alba and many more!

Ya Know You Wanna!

BEST SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL PARTIES AND EVENTS TO ATTEND THIS WEEK!

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While you are in Park City, Utah for the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, there are tons of exciting and must-attend nightlife events to enjoy after the movie screenings.  The WANNA has the hottest spots for you to hit up and maybe rub elbows with Hollywood’s finest at Sundance.

If you want to dance and take tequila shots alongside Sundance celebrities, VIPs and the best DJ sets, you may consider hitting up the annual Tao Park City pop-up nightclub presented by Tequila Don Julio.  The Tao Group is a leading restaurant and nightlife company, and its pop-up nightclub is famous for hosting one of the best Sundance party events each year.  Tao is the “exclusive haven for celebs and entertainment industry goers alike to let loose and have a great time,” said Tao Group Partner and Co-Founder Jason Strauss.  In the past, celebs such as Alexander Skarsgard, Margot Robbie and James Marsden have been spotted at the club.  The Tao pop-up will be open from January 20th to January 22nd, and will be held at The Lift.  

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The Louisiana International Film Festival will partner up with Sundance for the 5th year in a row to present “Bayou Burlesque.”  The burlesque event will bring some authentic Louisiana culture to the mountains of Park City, Utah, including traditional Louisiana cuisine, drinks and a musical performance from New Orleans’ Quiana Lynell.  Bayou Burlesque takes place on January 24th from 4pm to 7pm.  It will kick off at 2:30pm with a Peace Parade Mardi Gras Style on Main Street and makes its way to Park City Live for the evening festivities.  Masks are required for entry into the event, and costumes are welcomed.  Find out more about the Southern-themed event here.

The 14th annual ChefDance will take place January 20th to the 24th.  After working up an appetite at the Sundance film screenings, you can feast on five nights’ of multi-course meals presented by celebrity chefs such as Shawn McClain and Edward Lee.  Check out how to purchase a ticket to the invite-only event here.

Find more exciting, celeb-filled Sundance parties and events here!

Ya Know You Wanna!

CELEBS AND MOVIES TO WATCH FOR AT THE 2017 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL

Kevin Sawyer

The 33rd annual Sundance Film Festival kicks off this year on January 19th in Park City, Utah.  The Sundance film festival is the largest independent film festival in the United States, and each year thousands of attendees turn up to see the most anticipated films of the coming year.  If you plan to head to Sundance this year, you may catch a glimpse of a few celebrities as they make their way around the streets of Park City for the festival.  Celebrities with films in the 2017 festival include Kristen Stewart, Jeremy Renner, Cate Blanchett, Kiefer Sutherland, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jon Hamm, Mahershala Ali, Mary J. Blige, Jason Segel, Rooney Mara, Elijah Wood, Elle Fanning, Aubrey Plaza, Jennifer Aniston, and so many more.  This year’s Sundance jury includes Peter Dinklage, Gael Garcia Bernal, and Patton Oswalt.

This year, there are several highly anticipated films that you will WANNA know about.  The WANNA has gathered some of the biggest films of the 2017 Sundance film festival for you to keep an eye out for below.

Where Is Kyra?

“A drama set in Brooklyn, Kyra loses her job and struggles to survive on her ailing mother's income. As the weeks and months go on, her problems worsen. This leads her on a risky and enigmatic path that threatens her life.” 

Directed by Andrew Dosunmu

Starring Kiefer Sutherland, Michelle Pfeiffer

Marjorie Prime

“A service that provides holographic recreations of deceased loved ones and allows a man to come face-to-face with the younger version of his late father-in-law.” 

Directed by Michael Almereyda

Starring John Hamm, Geena Davis, Tim Robbins

A Ghost Story

“This is the story of a ghost and the house he haunts.” 

Directed by David Lowery

Starring Rooney Mara, Casey Affleck

Come Swim (Short)

“A diptych of one man's day; half impressionist and half realist portraits.” 

Directed by Kristen Stewart

Starring Kristen Stewart

Sidney Hall

“Sidney Hall finds accidental success and unexpected love at an early age, then disappears without a trace.” 

Directed by Shawn Christensen

Starring Elle Fanning, Logan Lerman, Michelle Monaghan, Kyle Chandler

Ingrid Goes West

“Ingrid Thorburn, a mentally disturbed young woman, becomes obsessed with Taylor Sloane, a social media star who appears to have the perfect life. But when Ingrid decides to drop everything and move west to befriend Taylor, her behavior turns unsettling and increasingly dangerous.” 

Directed by Matt Spicer

Starring Aubrey Plaza, Elizabeth Olsen

The Yellow Birds

“Two young soldiers, Bartle (21) and Murph (18) navigate the terrors of the Iraq war under the command of the older, troubled Sergeant Sterling. All the while, Bartle is tortured by a promise he made to Murph's mother before their deployment.” 

Directed by Alexandre Moors

Starring Alden Ehrenrich, Jennifer Aniston, Toni Collette, Tye Sheridan

Wind River

“An FBI agent teams with the town's veteran game tracker to investigate a murder that occurred on a Native American reservation.” 

Directed by Taylor Sheridan

Starring Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen, Jon Bernthal

Manifesto

“Cate Blanchett performs manifestos as a series of striking monologues.” 

Directed by Julian Rosefeldt

Starring Cate Blanchett

The Discovery

“A love story set one year after the existence of the afterlife is scientifically verified.” 

Directed by Charlie McDowell

Starring Jason Segel, Rooney Mara, Robert Redford

Mudbound

“Two men return home from World War II to work on a farm in rural Mississippi where they struggle to deal with racism and adjusting to life after war.” 

Directed by Dee Rees

Starring Garrett Hedlund, Carey Mulligan, Jason Clarke, Mary J. Blige

Make sure to check out The WANNA’s exclusive coverage from the 2016 Sundance Film Festival of the films Dope, Cop Car and Diary of a Teenage Girl.  Enjoy!

Ya Know You Wanna!

SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL 2016 WEEKEND PREVIEW STARRING: STING!

This weekend, thousands of party goers will attend the last weekend of the 2016 Sundance film festival in Park City. Utah.  Hundreds of insiders will claw their way into the ASCAP music cafe to catch a glimpse of STING performing live in honor of the World Premiere of the HBO Doc Film, "JIM:  THE JAMES FOLEY STORY."  Premiering on HBO February 6, 2016.  JIM: THE JAMES FOLEY STORY, the personal, intimate story of American journalist James Foley who was murdered by ISIS in 2014, made by his close childhood friend Brian Oakes. On Thanksgiving Day 2012, American photojournalist James "Jim" Foley was kidnapped in Syria and went missing for two years before the infamous video of his public execution sent shockwaves and introduced much of the world to ISIS. JIM: THE JAMES FOLEY STORY tells the story of his life through intimate interviews with his family, friends and fellow journalists - while fellow hostages reveal never-before-heard details of his captivity with a chilling intimacy that reveals their courageous untold story of perseverance. Made with unparalleled access (including footage Foley shot himself), and using carefully rendered, sensitive recreations, Oakes takes viewers deep into the darkness and valor of Jim's captivity. What emerges is a powerful chronicle of bravery, compassion and pain at the dawn of America's war with ISIS.

Yet, it's the real indie film fanatics that will be standing in line, in the freezing cold to screen these upcoming films...

"THE FREE WORLD"   

Directed & Written by Jason Lew

Starring:  Boyd Holbrook, Elisabeth Moss and Octavia Spencer.  

Mo Lundy (Boyd Holbrook) is an innocent man who went to prison for murders he did not commit.  His time in lock-up changed him, forced him to resort to violence in order to survive, and vilified him as a monster even beyond the prison’s walls.  Now freed, Mo is looking to put the past behind him. He works at a shelter caring for abandoned animals, finds peace in the encouragement from his boss, Linda (Octavia Spencer), and faith in the practice of Islam. But Mo's tenuous stability is again upended when a desperate and blood-soaked woman, Doris (Elisabeth Moss) turns up unexpectedly at his work one night. With the intention of helping her, Mo takes Doris to his apartment. As the truth of Doris’ situation is revealed, Mo realizes that by sheltering her, his newfound freedom is in jeopardy.  Both outsiders, both victims of brutality, the two share a supportive and intimate connection. As that bond deepens and events escalate, Mo and Doris must determine a way towards freedom together or face an unforgiving world alone.

"THE EYES OF MY MOTHER"

Written and directed by NICOLAS PESCE

Starring:  Kika Magalhaes, Will Brill, Clara Wong, Flora Diaz and Olivia Bond 

Francisca has been unfazed by death from an early age—her mother, formerly a surgeon in Portugal, imbued her with a thorough understanding of the human anatomy. When tragedy shatters her family’s idyllic life in the countryside, her deep trauma gradually awakens some unique curiosities. As she grows up, her desire to connect with the world around her takes a distinctly dark form.  Shot in crisp black and white, the haunting visual compositions of THE EYES OF MY MOTHER evoke its protagonist’s isolation and illuminate her deeply unbalanced worldview. Genre-inflected but so strikingly unique as to defy categorization, writer/director Nicolas Pesce’s stunning feature debut allows us only an elliptical presence in Francisca’s world, guiding our imaginations to follow her into peculiar, secret places.

"BRAHMAN NAMAN"

Directed by "Q"

Written by Naman Ramachandran

Starring:  Shashank Arora, Tanmay Dhanania, Sid Mallya, Vaiswath Shankar, Chaitanya Varad, Sindhu Sreenivasa Murthy

It’s the 1980s and Naman (Shashank Arora, star of Cannes hit TITLI) is a know-it-all nerd driven by the whims of his raging hormones. Heading up Bangalore University’s team of bespectacled misfits (best friends Ajay and Ramu), the trio of lusty intellectuals spend the majority of their time on the quizzing circuit, using their winnings to buy nudie magazines, whiskey, and beer, fantasizing about the buxom neighborhood beauty all the while. When the boys qualify for the National Quiz Championships, they make a booze-fuelled train trip across the country determined to defeat their rivals in Calcutta and desperate to lose their virginities along the way.  Unfolding to the tune of the iconic anthem, “Whiskey Bar,” as Naman and his friends run amok against the colorful backdrop of the Indian landscape, his quest for sex and glory is complicated when he finds his intellectual superior in a stunning female quizzer. Directed by Indian filmmaker Q. (known for his controversial cult hit GANDU) BRAHMAN NAMAN is a smart, raucous sex comedy that’s raunchy and endearing in equal measure— replete with innovative masturbation methods that put even Philip Roth’s Alexander Portnoy to shame.

"LOVE SONG" 

Co-Writer and Directed by So Yong Kim

Starring:  Jena Malone (The Hunger Games), Riley Keough (The Girlfriend Experience, Mad Max), Brooklyn Decker (Grace and  Frankie), Amy Seimetz (Upstream Color) and Rosanna Arquette.  

Using the poetics of naturalism and minimalism in lieu of explicit dialogue and predictable labels, in LOVESONG, Sundance Film Festival alumna So Yong Kim (IN BETWEEN DAYS, TREELESS MOUNTAIN, FOR ELLEN) strips down the central relationship between two familiar but very distant friends, telling a complete story with sometimes no more than a gaze. Neglected by her husband, Sarah (Riley Keough) embarks on an impromptu road trip with her young daughter and her best friend, Mindy (Jena Malone). Along the way, the dynamic between the two friends intensifies before circumstances force them apart. Years later, Sarah attempts to rebuild their intimate connection in the days before Mindy's wedding to Leif (Ryan Eggold). Quietly cinematic and picturesque, and peppered with unexpected supporting turns from the likes of Rosanna Arquette, Brooklyn Decker and Amy Seimetz, LOVESONG is a bittersweet, beautifully modulated love story about muted desire and the grey areas that define every friendship, romance and marriage. 85m.

"KIKI"

Directed by Sara Jordenö    Written by SaraJordenö and Twiggy Pucci Garçon

**2016 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL - U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION**

**Official Selection - 2016 Berlinale Panorama**

A dynamic coming of age story about agency, resilience and the transformative artform that is voguing, KIKI offers riveting and complex insight into the daily lives of a group of LGBTQ youth-of-color who comprise the "Kiki" scene, a vibrant, safe space for performance created and governed by these activists. Following members of the scene as they prepare for and perform at exuberant Kiki balls in New York City, KIKI highlights the infectious joy of these performances, while also foregrounding the scene's urgent social function as an alternative family structure.   In this film collaboration between Kiki gatekeeper, Twiggy Pucci Garçon, and Swedish filmmaker Sara Jordenö, viewers are granted exclusive access into this high-stakes world, where fierce Ballroom competitions serve as a gateway into conversations surrounding Black- and Trans- Lives Matter movements.  This new generation of Ballroom youth use the motto, "Not About Us Without Us," and KIKI in kind has been made with extensive support and trust from the community, including an exhilarating score by renowned Ballroom and Voguing Producer Collective Qween Beat. Twiggy and Sara's insider-outsider approach to their stories breathes fresh life into the representation of a marginalized community who demand visibility and real political power. 94m.

FOR THE LATEST UPDATES ON SUNDANCE Film Fest 2016, Be sure to tune into MOVIES YOU WANNA WATCH every Saturday on WVVH-TV 11am and 11pm.  Don't get Fios?  Then Watch THE WANNA Streaming live 11 a.m. and 11 p.m. Saturdays on Apple TV HERE!  

YA KNOW YOU WANNA!