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- That's a wrap on Park City!
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Thanks for hosting, Park City.
Last Sunday RecDek House at Sundance Park City came and went by in the flash of an eye, then we trekked to the top of a hill to consider the future of the indie film landscape, and Sundance Boulder!
I’d like to take a moment to thank all of our panelists, below, who gave their time and wisdom to our audience. As well as our short filmmakers for allowing us to screen their work. To our attendees, I hope you made some friends for life. And to our partners and sponsors, without whom we couldn’t put on the event, thank you.
For all our photos, pictures and videos, keep an eye on the RecDek Instagram account.
Here’s who we love…
Disruptor Creations - Di$ruptor Creations elevates & accelerates feature films, TV shows, docs, & music artista, amplifying bold voices with purpose-driven storytelling. We champion projects with soul, identity & impact, blending cutting-edge tech with creative vision to redefine how stories are made, seen & experienced.
Monumental Studios - A full service film company out of New Mexico that manage film and tv production from script through distribution.
Banjo Beaver Productions - Based in Houston, Texas, Banjo Beaver are dedicated to creating narrative-driven stories that captivate audiences while fostering a collaborative, team-oriented spirit inspired by professional sports.
Roll Credits - Make life simpler for accounting, production, and crew. Switch from outdated, disconnected tools to one that works for you.
Bouldercrest Films - founded by Kameron Bain, is an Atlanta-based, creator-driven film studio dedicated to premium Black-led stories across drama, thriller, horror, and elevated genre cinema.
Sprinter - Say hello to Sprinter: a bold RTD vodka soda founded by Kylie Jenner made with real fruit juice, premium vodka and sparkling water. Using only the highest quality ingredients.
House of Rare - a tequila company that specializes in aging and custody. We source premium Blanco from acclaimed distilleries and age it in select casks inside secured cellars.
Route One Productions - committed to producing films that foster compassion, and inspire transformative action to benefit all communities.
El Jefe - the Next Generation of Ultra Premium Tequila of unparalleled smoothness and elegance.
Don Julio - the world's original handcrafted luxury premium tequila.
Johnnie Walker Blue - An extraordinary Scotch Whisky for extraordinary occasions.
And thanks to Party Science for all the help throwing our event.
Now then, how about something to watch this weekend?
When philosophy meets prison, our pick of the week…
Waiting for the Out
Six eps that demand your full attention! Dennis Kelly adapts Andy West's memoir about teaching philosophy behind bars while battling his own demons.
Josh Finan plays Dan, a philosophy professor escaping his background, his father, uncle and brother all did time. He found a different path, except he's plagued by intrusive fantasies that he's destined for prison anyway. Crippling OCD doesn't help (his repeatedly-checked gas cooker deserves its own award for the work it puts in). When he starts teaching philosophy to inmates, he's more tormented than most of the men he's instructing.
Flashbacks show young Dan on a seaside holiday with his violently aggressive father (Gerard Kearns, absolutely terrifying) - bullying waiters, threatening family, stealing jewellery, singing My Way like a psychopath. That's Dan's biological inheritance. His first day teaching, he wears steel toe-capped boots trying to project toughness. His imprisoned father appears to him: "They won't get you, boy. These are fucking men."
But they do get him. Well-read, abrasive Keith (Alex Ferns) becomes Dan's nightmare - intellectually matched but with jailbird intelligence, describing Slavoj Zizek as "the Billy Connolly of philosophy" while sniffing out Dan's weaknesses. Outside work, Dan burns through relationships and spectacularly destroys a middle-class dinner party in multiple ways. The heart of it is his relationship with brother Lee (Stephen Wight), a recovering addict and former prisoner who's completely comfortable in his own skin.
This could've fallen into condescending cliches about rough diamonds teaching life lessons. Dan's a mess, the inmates are messes, philosophy becomes something to cling to not for answers but as confirmation that chaos is real. The only rule inside is don't judge - everyone's already been judged and found lacking.
Moving, gripping, almost painfully exposed. Dennis Kelly (Utopia, Pulling) doing something completely unexpected, again.
Aright I think that’s it for this week!
RecDek is for independent entertainment discovery. Our House is for the indie industry in all its forms.
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Ed
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