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Veteran Los Angeles film producer Leslie Urdang stands among the most fortunate independent filmmakers. One of 1,026 submissions, Urdang’s low-budget “Adam,” an uplifting love story featuring a man with Asperger’s syndrome, was announced Wednesday as part of the lineup of titles competing in January’s Sundance Film Festival, which programmers say could be more upbeat and accessible than recent gatherings.
Having survived such overwhelming odds just to make it into the nation’s preeminent showcase and market for movies made outside the studio system, “Adam,” which stars Hugh Dancy (“King Arthur”) and Rose Byrne (“28 Weeks Later”), now faces an equally daunting challenge: landing a distributor. Well before the U.S. economy nose-dived, the market for highbrow movies was cratering.
“The marketplace is extremely challenging,” Urdang says. “Everyone hopes for a big sale, but there’s an awareness that it’s far less common than it used to be. We’re looking at a range of ways of getting our films released.”
“Adam” producer Urdang knows the hurdles her film faces. “The costs of everything, from production to marketing, have expanded beyond what can be supported,” Urdang says. But she believes her film’s central story holds appeal not only to people touched by autism in its different forms but also to anyone struggling to form personal bonds. “It really illuminates the obstacles that all of us face in intimacy.” Source
U.S. DRAMATIC COMPETITION
This year’s 16 films were selected from 1,026 submissions. The films screening in Dramatic Competition are: “Adam” (Director and Screenwriter: Max Mayer)—A strange and lyrical love story between a somewhat socially dysfunctional young man and the woman of his dreams. Cast: Hugh Dancy, Rose Byrne, Peter Gallagher, Amy Irving, Frankie Faison. Source
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