Eye For Film >> Festivals >> Sundance >> 2008 >> Independent Feature Competition: Documentary

Speaking about the documentary competition, Sundance say: These films represent a broad section of new documentaries by American independent filmmakers. From examinations of the American political system and the country's use of natural resources to explorations of cultural development and intimate portraits of legendary artists, these films represent a thematic and artistic variety. This year's 16 films were selected from a record 953 submissions. Each film is a world premiere."

View other Sundance Film Festival Films by strand: Independent Feature Competition: Dramatic, International Short Films: Animation, International Short Films: Documentary, International Short Films: Dramatic, International Short Films: Experimental and Mixed Media, New Frontier, Park City At Midnight, Premieres, Spectrum: Documentary, Spectrum: Dramatic Spotlight, US Short Films: Animation, US Short Films: Documentary, US Short Films: Dramatic, US Short Films: Experimental, World Cinema Documentary Competition, World Cinema Dramatic Competition

Patti Smith: Dream Of Life and Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson

American Teen (Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Nanette Burstein; Writer: Nanette Burstein), Official Site, Trailer

The kids are not all right.

Full Review

World Premiere

An American Soldier (Director: Edet Belzberg; Writer: Edet Belzberg)

Uncle Sam really wants you! A compelling exploration of army recruitment in the United States told through the story of Louisiana Sergeant, First Class Clay Usie, one of the most successful recruiters in the history of the US Army.

World Premiere

The Betrayal (Nerakhoon) (Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Ellen Kuras, Thavisouk Phrasavath; Writer: Ellen Kuras, Thavisouk Phrasava)

The epic story of a family forced to emigrate from Laos after the chaos of the secret air war waged by the US during the Vietnam War.

Full Review

World Premiere

Bigger, Stronger, Faster (Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Christopher Bell; Writer: Christopher Bell, Alexander Buono, Tamsin Rawa)

As entertaining as it is informative, this documentary goes beyond simply examining the truth about anabolic steroids and the athletes - professional and amateur - who use them. Focusing on his own family's personal history, Bell looks at why Americans feel the need to be the biggest, strongest, and fastest.

World Premiere

Fields Of Fuel (Year: 2007; Director: Josh Tickell; Writer: Josh Tickell)

America is addicted to oil and it is time for an intervention. Enter Josh Tickell, a man with a plan and a Veggie Van, who is taking on big oil, big government and big soy to find solutions in places few people have looked.

World Premiere

American Teen and The Betrayal

Flow: For Love Of Water (Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Irena Salina), Official Site

Examination of the global water crisis.

Full Review

World Premiere

Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Alex Gibney; Writer: Alex Gibney, featuring the writings of Hunter S Thompson)

A documentary tribute to the legendary creator of gonzo journalism.

Full Review

World Premiere

The Greatest Silence: Rape In The Congo (Year: 2007)

Jackson travels to remote villages in the war zones of the Congo to meet rape survivors, providing a piercing, intimate look into the struggle of their lives.

World Premiere

IOUSA (Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Patrick Creadon), Official Site

An examination of economic collapse in the US, and of the forces behind it.

Full Review

Patti Smith: Dream Of Life (Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Steven Sebring; Writer: Steven Sebring; Stars: Patti Smith), Official Site

Intimate portrait of the icon.

Full Review

World Premiere

Flow: For Love Of Water and Trouble The Water

Roman Polanski: Wanted And Desired (Year: 2007; Director: Marina Zenovich; Writer: Marina Zenovich, Joe Bini, P.G. Morg)

Marina Zenovich's new documentary examines the public scandal and private tragedy which led to legendary director Roman Polanski's sudden flight from the United States.

World Premiere

Secrecy (Year: 2007; Director: Peter Galison, Robb Moss), Official Site

In the years following September 11, the black redaction stripe has become a familiar sight to most Americans. Secrecy probes the roots of the United States' culture of classification—and its consequences. Amid the American hunger for instantaneous news and up-to-date "facts", this unflinching film uncovers the vast, invisible world of government secrecy.

World Premiere

Slingshot Hip Hop (Director: Jackie Reem Salloum)

The voice of a new generation rocks and rhymes as Palestinian rappers form alternative voices of resistance within the Israeli-Palestinian struggle.

See: Sundance Film Festival 2008: Day One Diary

World Premiere

Traces Of The Trade: A Story From The Deep North (Director: Katrina Browne, Alla Kovgan, Jude Ray; Writer: Katrina Browne, Alla Kovgan)

History finally gets rewritten as descendants of the largest slave-trading family in early America face their past, and present, as they explore their violent heritage across oceans and continents.

World Premiere

Trouble The Water (Year: 2008; Director: Tia Lessin, Carl Deal), Official Site

Personal story of a rap artist and her husband who lived through Hurricane Katrina.

Full Review

World Premiere