2010 Sundance Film Festival

Twitter accounts! iPhone apps! Facebook pages! It's all a bit overwhelming, isn't it? Digital Dive is a one-day immersion program to help filmmakers wrap their heads around the world of digital-media content creation. New-media experts present case studies, product demos, and practical information about the way to get your feet wet with website, mobile-phone, social-media, and cross-platform production. A collaboration between Sundance Film Festival and Jigsaw Global, this workshop is ideal for filmmakers and industry professionals with minimal hands-on digital-media production experience. All instructional sessions and demos are open to the public, depending on seat availability. Credential holders and Sundance-affiliated filmmakers will be given priority access. For the full lineup, including the nerve-wracking pitch session, please see www.jigsawglobal.com/sundance .

Researchers and storytellers share a passion for mysteries. They’re compelled by the puzzles of the universe, the natural world, and technological advancement. And yet, answers often come in unexpected ways from surprising places. Join us for a lively exchange between scientists and storytellers as they contemplate what it means to be compelled by seemingly impossible problems . . . for years or even decades. How do inquiring minds begin? And how do breakthroughs happen? Supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Join filmmakers Diana Bell (Obseledia) and Braden King (Here) and biologist Darcy Kelly, paleontologist Paul Sereno and physicist and science historian Peter Galison with moderator Joe Palca (NPR).

In celebration of the greatest athletic achievement by a man on a psychedelic journey, here's the animated tale of Dock Ellis' s legendary LSD no-hitter. Film Contact Christopher Isenberg, No Mas Phone: (212) 388-0032 Email: ci@nomas-nyc.com

IndieWIRE’s Eugene Hernandez echoed the sentiments of a battered independent community when he asked, “Is There a Doctor in the House?” Despite weekly illustrations of constantly falling sky, we stand at the doorstep of a new era. Here are the voices of hope: the practitioners of radical approaches to distribution, those who enable creative, personal filmmaking to flourish. In radical panel format, rotating groups of industry experts, filmmakers, and strategists explore concrete visions and case studies in this omnibus guide to rising from the ashes, indie style. Join moderators Eugene Hernandez (IndieWIRE) and Peter Broderick (Paradigm Consulting) with a host of industry professionals, including Liesl Copland, Sandi DuBowski, Ted Hope, Chris Hyams, Marian Koltai-Levine, Tim League, Tom Quinn, and Lance Weiler.

Let's get drunk and watch some short documentaries! Or at least watch a drunk person recount history, take a trip to the 1970s and talk with some baby boomers about wife swapping, experience Israel/Palestine boarding crossing firsthand, meet and greet Ernest Hemingway look-alikes (not drunk . . . at least we don't think), see two American boys coming of age and tragically drifting apart, follow one Cambodian boy fighting against the odds with a karaoke dream in tow, and engage in dance battles at the Pakistani/India border. Oh, you're in for a wild, gripping, educational ride, my friends. Prepare to be docu-fied.

The best art imitates life, but at a slant. Johan Grimonprez adroitly proves this in his highly original film, which locates and develops thematic conjunctions between escapist entertainment and real-life horror; more specifically, between the work and images of legendary film director Alfred Hitchcock and the escalation of the cold war in the 1960s. Appropriating and reprocessing film and television images of Hitchcock, John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Nikita Khruschev, and others, Grimonprez expands droll generalizations about doppelgangers, guilt, and paranoia into a full-blown analysis of global politics, fear of the bomb, and the mad rush to mutually assured destruction. As public anxieties are sublimated in popular entertainment, so do they sometimes erupt in artistic expressions (such as Hitchcock’s The Birds). In addition to pinpointing the postmodern, movielike unreality of public life, Grimonprez convincingly indicates the precision with which an artist may sketch the public psyche in entertainment, and why Hitchcock still haunts our dreams. Film Contact Donald Krim, Kino International Corporation Phone: (212) 629-6880 Email: dkrim@kino.com

The week Sam Nussbaum is to be married, his fiancée questions why his only brother, Tom, isn’t coming to the wedding. Unsatisfied with his lame reply, she surprises Sam by bringing the brothers together. Sam is not happy, but he rarely is—unless he’s telling someone what to do. When it’s revealed that Tom has only been in love once—with his fifth-grade girlfriend—Sam insists they go find her. It soon becomes evident that their journey is simply an excuse for Sam to avoid his impending commitment. If you haven't deciphered the derivation of the title by now, stick with it. The fresh writing and original characters will reveal it all. Douchebag will make you squirm, laugh, and get pissed off—all at the same time. Outstanding breakout performances bring an authenticity that would be impressive even from seasoned actors. Drake Doremus's clever, straightforward filmmaking keeps the story buzzing in this offbeat comedy that gives a modern twist to sibling rivalry. Film Contact Jonathan Schwartz, Super Crispy Entertainment Phone: (310) 922-3933 Email: jonathan@crispyfilms.com

On March 22, Jen Kirkman drank two bottles of wine and then discussed a historical event. Film Contact Josh Etting, Garlin Pictures Phone: (310) 991-7754 Email: josh@garlinpictures.com

On January 7, Duncan Trussell drank a six-pack of beer . . . then a half a bottle of absinthe . . . and then he discussed a historical event. Film Contact Josh Etting, Garlin Pictures Phone: (310) 991-7754 Email: josh@garlinpictures.com