Sex, politics and Steve Jobs highlight Sundance Film Festival

PanARMENIAN.Net - Sex, the Internet and good old-fashioned rock-and-roll will dominate the 29th Sundance Film Festival, the top showcase of independent U.S. cinema that opens Thursday, Jan 17 in the snowy mountains of Utah, AFP reported.

Founded by Robert Redford, the annual festival in Park City aims to nurture independent filmmakers who might otherwise be eclipsed by output from the major studios while Hollywood uses it to scout new up-and-coming talent.

The January 17-27 event will present 119 feature films from 32 countries, including 51 first-timers and more than 100 world premieres.

Sex and desire, for teenagers and adults, are key themes that will be explored at Sundance in both fictional movies and documentaries, festival director John Cooper said.

Among the films sure to create buzz are "Lovelace," starring "Les Miserables" alum Amanda Seyfried in the title role as 1970s porn star Linda Lovelace of "Deep Throat" fame.

Also on the program are "The Lifeguard," about the dangerous relationship between a pool lifeguard and a teenager, and "Interior. Leather Bar." -an X-rated art film directed by and starring James Franco.

Sundance will also feature several films looking at the world of high-tech and the Internet including "Google and the World Brain," a documentary about the web giant's plans to scan every book in the world.

Ashton Kutcher stars in "jOBS," a biopic about late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, and director Alex Gibney will unveil "We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks," about Julian Assange's whistleblowing website.