With 2013 all wrapped up, the beginning of 2014 will be the same as every other year. Like late August/early September, January is a dumping ground for studios. Usually the only things worth seeing this month (and for most of February) are the Globe/Oscar/etc. nominees that you haven’t caught up with. So why not spend this time looking back on 2013 and catching up with some of the more overlooked films of last year?

These films may not have made it on our Best Films of 2013 list, but that doesn’t mean they’re not worth seeing. As enjoyable as it is to pick favourites of the year, there’s a downside that comes with it. 2013 was a great year for films, one filled with an embarrassment of riches, and reducing it down to a small number means that plenty of other wonderful films get excluded.

Below are just a small amount of films from last year that we think deserve to get some time in the spotlight. Before 2014 ramps up again, it’ll be worth your while to see these.

Blue Caprice

First-time director Alexandre Moors’ take on the Beltway Snipers in Blue Caprice is a more daring one compared to most true crime films. Rather than focus on a factual retelling of what happened leading up to, during and after the random shootings that plagued several states in 2002, Moors goes for the bigger questions: What exactly drives people to commit senseless acts of violence, and why do they do it? Isaiah Washington, playing the mastermind of the attacks, is terrifying while newcomer Tequan Richmond portrays a transformation into evil that’s just as scary. Moors’ takes a refined approach to the material, and when the film finally gets to the attacks every moment is overpowered with dread. What might be the most horrifying part of Blue Caprice is the fact that, by the end, we aren’t any closer to understanding why such violent acts happened. Trying to understand something so irrational is a fool’s errand. The only thing you can do is hope that you won’t be one of the unlucky ones caught in the crossfire.

Availability: Now available on DVD and streaming.

Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay

Ricky Jay is arguably the greatest sleight-of-hand artist alive, and his timeless showmanship and impeccable card-handling skills have made many wonder: “Who the hell taught him this stuff?” In Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay, we delve into Jay’s superhero origin story, as he recalls his encounters and relationships with the master magicians who shaped him into the performer he is today. Jay’s unforgettable voice (which Rian Johnson utilized to great effect in The Brothers Bloom) almost justifies a watch in and of itself.

Availability: Currently on DVD. Also available to watch on iTunes, Redbox, Hulu Plus and Amazon.

Eden

Based on a true story, Eden’s title character is a teenage girl who is abducted and forced to become a sex worker. It sounds like the plot out of a European film, except this actually happened in Nevada during the mid-90s. Director Megan Griffiths creates a world where human life is given little to no value (Case in point: a subplot involving a sex worker jealous of Eden ends abruptly when the film cuts to her corpse getting tossed into a quarry). Eden knows that it’s a matter of time before she’s no longer useful as a sex worker, and with that fate hanging in the balance she strategizes to earn a role on the business end of things to ensure her survival. It’s truly harrowing material, made all the more disturbing by its basis in reality.

Availability: Currently on DVD, Netflix, Amazon and iTunes

Escape From Tomorrow

I will admit that the story behind Escape From Tomorrow is equally, if not more, fascinating than the film itself. One of the most talked about stories from Sundance last year was how first time filmmaker Randy Moore was able make a film inside Disney World without permission or raising suspicions from the park. The film was shot using guerrilla filmmaking techniques like using a consumer-looking camera (Canon EOS 5D) and communicating inside the park via phones. This production process alone warrants a documentary. The film is a surrealist expression of how the “happiest place on earth” is a living nightmare for a certain individual who witnesses cute cartoon characters transform into terrifying  ones. Escape From Tomorrow employs a neo-noir look by having the film in black and white, which also aids the horrifyingly dark look of the self-proclaimed paradise. Thankfully, Disney ultimately decided to ignore the film rather than seek damages, which at the very least would have delayed the film’s release. Be sure to watch this mind-bending fantasy horror film. It will be unlike anything you have seen before.

Availability: Currently available on VOD and all major streaming platforms. Will be out on home video this spring.

Hors Satan

Bruno Dumont’s Camille Claudel 1915 may have gotten a bigger reception this year, but earlier in 2013 his excellent Hors Satan finally saw a release in the States. In a small French town, a drifter appears and strikes up a friendship with a teenage girl in the village. Since this is a Dumont film, the friendship isn’t exactly an ordinary one; shortly after they meet, the drifter murders the girl’s abusive father, and it’s soon revealed that the stranger has supernatural powers. Other than the mention of Satan in the title, there are no overt references to religion in the film. We never know who this man is, what his purpose is or why he has special abilities. Dumont’s mysterious approach brings out a meditative quality to the film that highlights just how blurred the line can be between good and evil. Dumont’s oblique style will frustrate many (which it certainly did when it premiered at Cannes), but if you embrace the mystery it makes for one of 2013’s most fascinating films.

Availability: Currently unavailable, but readers across the pond can buy it on DVD. New Yorker Films distributed it in early 2013, but they haven’t revealed any information about a home video release.

The Last Time I Saw Macao

In Edgar Wright’s The World’s End (one of our favourite films of the year), the film’s characters head back to their childhood town only to discover that it’s been warped into something sinister. The Last Time I Saw Macao establishes a situation that’s similar but far more unsettling. What if you went back to where you grew up, and found out it completely vanished? The film’s main character was raised in Macao when it was owned by the Portuguese, and at the start of the movie he returns to his home town after receiving a call for help from an old friend. The story turns into an old-fashioned film noir (with plenty of references to classics of the genre, including Kiss Me Deadly), but The Last Time I Saw Macao is much more fascinating when its main character ruminates on how much things have changed since the colony changed ownership to China. The film’s style, where no faces are ever shown and the action plays out on the soundtrack, only accentuate the loss of identity that echoes throughout the entire film. The Last Time I Saw Macao is a rare kind of genre hybrid, where the deeper and more resonant subject matter are actually preferable to the genre elements.

Availability: Cinema Guild is distributing the film, and it might still be playing in some theatres across America. No news has been given about DVD or streaming availability.

The Legend of Kaspar Hauser

Director Davide Manuli’s The Legend of Kaspar Hauser is the strangest movie I saw in 2013, and it’s one I look back on fondly. Based LOOSELY (I mean, really, really loosely) on true events, the film follows a young boy (played by a not-so-young woman, Silvia Calderoni) as he washes up on the shores of an unnamed island in the Mediterranean. He’s picked up by the infamous Vincent Gallo, who proceeds to give the absolute nuttiest, off-the-wall performance of the year as the island sheriff. There are UFO’s involved, a lot of awesome, thumping electronic music, and it’s all shot in Bergman-esque black & white. It’s unapologetically nonsensical and bizarre, and I grew to adore it.

Availability: No word yet on when it will be available in the US.

Like Someone in Love

Iranian auteur Abbas Kiarostami’s enigmatic Like Someone in Love is set half the world away from his home country, in present-day Japan. Alluring and elusive in its storytelling, the film explores familiar Kiarostami themes like mistaken identity, authenticity, and companionship, through a more meditative lens than his last film, Certified Copy. His images are gorgeous as per usual, but here they’re richer and more colorful and evocative than ever before. It’s a humble, moving film that will seep into your skin and stay with you for days. The extended, stationary opening shot is an immediate jaw-dropper.

Availability: IFC released it last year, so a home video release is imminent. Don’t be surprised if you see it pop up in the Criterion Collection later on this year. UK readers can go pick up a Blu-Ray right now.

Midnight’s Children

A charming, resonant adaptation of Salman Rushdie’s novel, Midnight’s Children is a film that centers around the children born on the 15th of August 1947, otherwise known as Independence Day in India. A stunning piece of magical realism, the story tells of how each of these children have a special “power”, the strongest powers going to those born closest to midnight: Saleem and Shiva. As we follow their lives and hardships in the midst of newly independent India, we’re taken on a journey that has much more to do with politics than we might initially realise. With a cast whose talent extends to even the smallest roles, and beautifully surreal cinematography, director Deepa Mehta provides a unique insight into the lives of Indian children in a way that is heartfelt, but does not exoticize. Particularly thanks to Rushdie’s involvement as a co-screenwriter, it is easy to feel not only the characters of his novel coming to life, but indeed, the mystical quality of its history.

Availability: On DVD and a lot of popular digital rental outlets.

Paradise: Love

Austrian filmmaker Ulrich Seidl created the undisputed best trilogy of 2013 with his Paradise films, a series that portrays the dark side of human desire to achieve paradise. The strongest film out of the three is the first installment, Paradise: Love, which stands perfectly well on its own. Capturing complex themes such as desire to find love, body image, human objectification, and racial exploitation, Paradise: Love is a powerful watch. If you have seen any of Seidl’s other films you know that he does not shy away from showing the ugly side of human nature and perhaps it is this uncensored exploration that makes his work so controversial, and subsequently limited in mass appeal. Of course, this makes distribution for the film a challenge. Therefore, a lot of people would not likely stumble upon this film without seeking it out. But do yourself a favor and watch one of the most powerful and underseen films of 2013.

Availability: On DVD and Netflix Instant. Also streaming on Amazon.

Passion

Brian De Palma’s return to filmmaking, and the genre that established him as a legendary director, expectedly has some issues. A remake of the French film Crime D’Amour, Passion is so unhinged that it’s hard to tell if De Palma is slyly winking at the audience or completely losing it. I personally take the former stance, as Passion is a hilariously insane film. Filled with dumb plot twists, schemes and hammy performances from Rachel McAdams and Noomi Rapace, Passion is De Palma gleefully making a mess and daring the audience to keep watching. Whether you like it or hate it, it’s nice to see De Palma being playful again.

Availability: Currently out on DVD & Blu-Ray. Available to rent from Redbox and Netflix. Available to stream/rent/buy online from iTunes, Amazon, Google and YouTube.

Shadow Dancer

Director James Marsh, well-known for his documentaries Man on Wire and Project Nim, also likes to make fictional films from time to time. Shadow Dancer takes place in Ireland during The Troubles. After a botched attempt at bombing a subway, Collette (Andrea Riseborough) is coerced by an MI6 agent (Clive Owen) to become an informant. Marsh seems to have lucked out with his cast here, as they all do terrific jobs elevating what could have easily been another standard espionage/crime thriller. A plot turn in the final act threatens to bring everything down, but a nice stinger of an ending helps keep things afloat. It’s a well-crafted thriller, and Marsh does an effective job showing how, on both sides of the law, trust is the hardest thing to find.

Availability: Available on DVD, Blu-Ray, iTunes, Amazon, Redbox, Netflix Instant, and pretty much everywhere else.

Simon Killer

When I saw Simon Killer at last year’s SF Indiefest, I was immediately taken by its sludgy imagery, great performances, and uninviting atmosphere. Made by the folks behind Martha Marcy May Marlene (Antonio Campos directs) and starring Brady Corbet, the film follows the gradual unraveling of a young American man lost on the streets of Paris. Simon’s descent into madness unfolds at a patient, deliberate pace, and the horrors of his true nature creep up on you slowly before ripping your heart out.

Availability: Available on DVD, and currently streaming on Netflix. UK readers can grab the fantastic Blu-Ray set put together by Eureka and enjoy the creepiness in HD.

Sun Don’t Shine

Amy Seimetz made a big name for herself as an actress last year, but not as much notice was given to her directorial debut. Sun Don’t Shine focused on a couple (Kate Lyn Sheil and Kentucker Audley) driving down to Florida for a few days, but not for a vacation. Sheil’s dead abusive husband is in the trunk, and the two of them are on their way to ditch the body and create an alibi for themselves. Seimetz’s decision to shoot in 16mm turns out to be essential to the film’s success. Every frame of the film oozes sweat, humidity and murkiness, which only heighten Sheil’s complete breakdown in the film. Sheil is a revelation here in a role that should hopefully help launch her career, and Seimetz (along with cinematographer Jay Keitel) shows an incredible handle of tone/mood for a first time filmmaker. Seimetz’s career may be taking off in front of the camera, but hopefully she’ll be able to make some time to return to the director’s chair again.

Availability: You can digitally rent or buy the film on Amazon or iTunes.

This is Martin Bonner

There’s a quiet, beautiful grace to This is Martin Bonner that immediately makes it stand apart from every other indie film released last year. The title character (Paul Eenhoorn) has just moved to Nevada after his divorce, working with recently released prisoners trying to integrate back in society. At the same time, Travis (Richmond Arquette) has just gotten out of prison and wants to re-connect with his daughter. Travis meets Martin briefly, but the two become more drawn to each other as they’re both men trying to respectively start over. Shot in a restrained, realistic style, This is Martin Bonner never resorts to cynicism or despair with its subject matter. Its two central characters, while trying to find their identity, are constantly looking forward rather than dwelling on their past. Director Chad Hartigan’s hopeful approach to the material, combined with the terrific cast and cinematography, come together to make this one of 2013’s quiet triumphs.

Availability: Currently on DVD and streaming on Netflix. Also available on iTunes and Amazon.

Toad Road

The urban legend goes like this: In York, Pennsylvania there’s a red gate leading into a forest. As you go through the gate and go deeper into the forest, you will come upon 6 other gates. As you pass through each gate your hold on reality begins to slip, and once you pass through the last one you go directly to hell. Director Jason Banker uses this urban legend from his hometown as inspiration for Toad Road, but don’t think that the film will be another run of the mill low-budget horror piece.

Banker casted a group of real-life friends, and most of Toad Road’s first half is comprised of real-life footage Banker took of his actors taking as many drugs as possible while engaging in plenty of debauchery. The blending of reality and fiction casts a compelling atmosphere around the film, and when parallels start being made between the urban legend and drug addiction it becomes clear that Banker is operating on a level above most modern-day horror filmmakers. What starts out as an utterly strange horror film turns into a brutally raw and unflinching look at aimless youth.

Availability: Currently on DVD, as well as available to digitally rent/buy on iTunes and Amazon.

The We and the I

After a mixed reception on the festival circuit, Michel Gondry’s The We and the I was given a very small release in the first half of 2013. It’s an unfortunate fate for what turned out to be the director’s best film since Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Working with a group of inner city kids, Gondry has the entire film take place on a city bus taking a group of teens home on their last day of school. The film starts out obnoxious, with groups of kids preying on anyone they find worthy of ridicule. Move past the abrasive first act though, and Gondry’s message (along with the title’s meaning) begin to make sense. As more kids leave the bus, the remaining characters on the bus begin to open up and reveal their insecurities with each other. It’s an engrossing examination of the roles we play as a group versus how we behave as individuals. Gondry’s visual inventiveness is still here, but it’s probably not a coincidence that his most stripped-down film is also his strongest in years.

Availability: Currently on DVD, as well as available to digitally rent/buy on Amazon and iTunes

Welcome to Pine Hill

If you are looking for the most underrated indie film of 2013 than look no further than Welcome to Pine Hill. There is a good chance you have not heard of Keith Miller’s microbudget film, despite winning the jury prize for Best Feature at the Slamdance Film Festival (the smaller and more indie film festival in Park City). The story found within Welcome to Pine Hill is nothing new; a former drug dealer trying to turn a new leaf, reconciling his past after being diagnosed with cancer, and trying to escape racial stereotypes. But what makes the film stand out from the rest is how it handles these issues. Instead of trying to force-feed these topics the film approaches them with a sense of ease. The result is a film that is emotionally intimate and free of manipulation. Welcome to Pine Hill is the best indie film of 2013 that you haven’t seen yet.

Availability: Currently available to digitally buy on iTunes

What else?: We could honestly keep going if we could, but we had to stop somewhere. There’s the disorienting fishing boat docu Leviathan; Jem Cohen’s gorgeous Museum Hours; Asghar Farhadi’s riveting The Past; Rodney Ascher’s documentary on Shining obsessives  Room 237; Blackfish which has made some serious real-world impacts; Lake Bell’s original and hilarious comedy In A World; Intense political thriller The East; Grand Prix winner at Cannes Reality; Intense found-footage documentary Let The Fire Burn; Johnnie To’s terrific action film Drug War; Cristian Mungiu’s terrific Cannes winner Beyond the Hills; Nicole Holofcener’s Enough Said; Andrew Bujalski’s crazy retro Computer Chess; Hannah Fidell’s A Teacher; Terence Nance’s imaginative and personal An Oversimplification of Her Beauty; And Rick Rowley’s Dirty Wars, a documentary that gives a terrifying glimpse into post-9/11 warfare.

Like we said at the top, 2013 was filled to the brim with great movies worth watching. If you ever find yourself feeling like there’s nothing to watch in the coming weeks or months, you won’t regret putting any of these films on and giving them a shot.

High schoolers are at the most vulnerable and volatile stage in life, teetering on the precipice of adulthood. Full of insecurity, they cling to each other to form cliques in fear that they might be judged by others. They make fun so as not to get made fun of. But these groups are quick to sever allegiances once they begin to judge each other. It’s a chaotic game of ranks and hierarchy that results in broken friendships, devastating break-ups, playful flirtation, and constant self-discovery. Cram all of that crazy drama and hormones into a crowded city bus in the Bronx, and you’ve got The We and the I. Is it the glorious high-concept experimental film it should be? At times, yes, it is. But on the whole, the film is as wandering and confused as its teenage subjects. However, also like its subjects, it knows how to have a great time and talks that shit with the best of ‘em.

For The We and the I, director Michel Gondry (Be Kind Rewind, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) cast a group of teenagers from the Bronx, all first time actors. He collaborated with them over two years and created a story in which they all essentially play themselves and bring their real-life experiences into the film. As the fictional BX66 bus rolls through the city on the last day of high school, the hierarchy of the wise-cracking little devils shifts and evolves as passengers come and go, fight and make up, tease and taunt. As the daylight burns away, so do the students’ facades; the dynamics of the bus become quieter, more somber, and more intimate, revealing their true character.

The story is told as a series of moments, some hilarious, some melodramatic, and some poignant. The problem is, though the scenes work wonderfully on their own, they don’t quite gel as a whole. While the chaotic atmosphere Gondry creates is appreciated, incessant tonal shifts in the story become a little jarring. There are several subplots going on simultaneously with different kids on the bus, and he bounces around between them wildly. He challenged himself with a difficult juggling act, and while it’s far from a disaster, it sure ain’t smooth sailing.

The good news is that the scenes work well in the moment. There’s a kinetic energy to the filmmaking, and a lot of that is due to the cast. The inexperience of the actors helps add to the rawness and realism of the scenes. It’s fun to watch these kids shoot the shit with each other, and that’s a hard thing to pull off in movies, even with experienced actors. When the three boys who play tyrants at the back of the bus terrorize the smaller, geekier kids, it feels organic and unscripted. In the film’s most dramatic and intense scene, a gay couple discusses the damaging turn their relationship has taken as of late. The emotion feels real here, and it should; the boys were romantically linked behind the scenes, so the pain they feel on camera is very real.

While The We and the I is visually more grounded in reality than most of Gondry’s famous works, it’s still incredibly colorful and striking. Virtually the entirety of the film takes place inside the bus, with the illusion of real time. He finds a way to make the cramped environment always look interesting, sometimes even finding inventive ways to inject his signature whimsical flourishes. The soundtrack is a bangin’ throwback to the 80’s, with hip-hop tracks that recall a time when the genre was all about bright colors, ridiculous outfits, and having a good time.

The We and the I is part experiment, part hang-out movie, and part coming of age story. Visually, Gondry is as wildly successful as ever, and the actors put on great performances across the board. There are moments of greatness throughout, but the erratic storytelling makes for a bumpy ride (no pun intended.) What’s missing here is a more clearly defined narrative or thematic through-line. Even with its issues, The We and the I is a funny and entertaining film with a loudmouthed, youthful spirit.

The lineup at this year’s SF IndieFest was unbelievably strong; I anticipated that there would be at least a few certified duds, but that wasn’t the case. Though I didn’t love every film, each had its unique voice, ambition, and spirit. From the lowest-budget short to the most polished full-length feature, they all offered a brand new experience. This made making my list of ten favorite films very difficult. I connected with many, many films at the festival, but these ten are the ones that I felt compelled to champion the most.

Top 10 Films from SF IndieFest

#1 Simon Killer

The thing about Simon Killer is, it’s a difficult movie to digest, but in the best way possible. The teeth-grinding level of discomfort Antonio Campos and Brady Corbet are able to achieve in Simon Killer resonated with me more than anything else at the festival. Corbet finds a way to make Simon both magnetic and repulsive, and Campos captures Paris at its most deeply colorful and richly textured. Pound for pound, my favorite movie of the festival.

Remember to keep it tuned in to Way Too Indie in April for our full review of Simon Killer and our interview with director Antonio Campos.

#2 Be Good

Though not as flashy as Simon Killer, Todd Looby’s Be Good also finds its protagonist going through alarming mental transformations that surprise even him. Be Good will break your heart stealthily, little by little. Joe Swanberg’s All the Light in the Sky does the same and shares the same naturalistic tone, but when it comes to picking my personal favorites of the festival, Be Good just hits closer to home. Every moment in this movie feels earned, and Looby’s characters are handled with care. It’s the type of movie that just might teach you something about yourself by the time the credits roll.

#3 I Declare War

There were more than a few movies at this year’s festival that evoked feelings of nostalgia, but I Declare War recalls an era of movies (The Goonies, Stand by Me) that I just happened to grow up with. The kids playing their supposedly innocent ‘game’ quickly realize that their heated prepubescent emotions are too powerful to contain. The child actors’ performances are beyond impressive, and the film’s intensity and stakes are consistently high throughout the running time.

#4 The Legend of Kaspar Hauser

‘Strange’ does not begin to describe this movie. To attempt to describe what ‘happens’ in The Legend of Kaspar Hauser would be to betray it. It’s a visually and sonically stimulating film that rubs you in a way that no other film can. It will make you laugh, squirm, headbang, ponder, gag, yadda yadda yadda. You just…you just need to watch it. It’s absolutely nuts… in a good way.

#5 Antiviral

Brandon Cronenberg’s Antiviral serves as a showcase for its gifted lead actor, Caleb Landry Jones, much like two other films at the festival, Simon Killer and The Story of Luke. What sets Jones’ performance apart from the other two is his spine-chilling physical transformation. Cronenberg’s imaginative and haunting imagery are as arresting as his fathers’, but Jones makes use of every bit of his body to burn the images of his painful deterioration into our minds.

#6 All the Light in the Sky

Films are best when they act as a mirror, illuminating our darkest fears and forcing us to confront them. As Jane Adams, as Marie, fights internally to find her place in this gigantic world, we realize that she’s fighting something we all must all face sooner or later. Nobody has captured the 21st century adult on film quite like Joe Swanberg, and he delivers another stunning time-capsule work of art with All the Light in the Sky.

#7 The Story of Luke

Of all the characters I’ve encountered in the many films at SF Indiefest, The Story of Luke is the one I hold nearest to my heart. The attachment you feel for Luke and his quest for love is inescapable, mostly due to Lou Taylor Pucci’s spot-on performance. The powerful message of acceptance and love The Story of Luke delivers is one that fit the spirit of SF Indiefest and the great city of San Francisco like a glove.

#8 The We and the I

Leading up to the opening night screening of Michel Gondry’s The We and the I, the thing I was most looking forward to was just how innovative Gondry would get with his camera in the super-enclosed space that is a city bus. Just how many interesting camera angles could he find? The answer? It doesn’t matter. Gondry does use his camera in interesting ways, but what makes this film special are the ever-changing dynamics of the loud-mouthed, quick-witted, unfiltered characters that occupy the bus.

#9 The Ghastly Love of Johnny X

Watching this film in 35mm at The Roxie was one of the cornerstones of my incredible SF Indiefest experience. Having the director, Paul Bunnell, and the cast there, the energetic crowd, the buttery popcorn, the technical difficulties; these things all added up to an unforgettable night at the movies, which is what SF Indiefest is all about.

#10 Funeral Kings

The ultra-vulgar kids in Funeral Kings remind me of myself as an awkward teenager. I chuckled at how much of myself I saw in these characters in their pursuit of attention, validation, and sex. To see them chase after girls and sneak around their parents’ houses in the middle of the night was like a blast from the past. Like I Declare War, Funeral Kings features some incredible performances by young actors. The attitude these kids exude is authentic, and nothing about their performances feels forced.

As a native of the San Francisco Bay Area and a humble film lover, I am almost ashamed to say that this year’s SF Indiefest, which is celebrating its 15 year anniversary, is my first. After researching the history of the festival and sampling some of the films on deck, my expectations for the two-week-long indie-film celebration were sky high. The lineup of films for this year’s festival made me incredibly excited, and the off-the-wall parties SF Indiefest is known for had me anxious to dive in to the festivities. After the opening night screening of Michel Gondry’s fantastic The We and the I and the super-fun “Quinceanera” after party, I’m happy to say that my first SF Indiefest experience has gotten off to a wonderful start.

As I walked in to the charming Brava Theater, I immediately felt the strong sense of acceptance and community that San Francisco is known for. People ducking into the theater out of the cold rain were greeted with friendly handshakes, big hugs, kisses, laughter, and smiles that kept everybody warm. Everybody I spoke to was openly excited about Gondry’s film and the festival in general. As we took our seats, Sf Indiefest founder Jeff Ross took the stage to welcome us and thank the community for embracing the festival for 15 years. I was happy to be there to support what is a very special event.

The We and the I

After Mr. Ross’ introduction, we were plopped on a city bus in the Bronx with rowdy high-schoolers on their last day of school in Michel Gondry’s The We and the I. The film takes place inside the bus as we observe the teenagers’ relationships evolve as they roll through the city. It’s fascinating to watch the dynamics shift as passengers come and go, argue and reconcile. Gondry has fun with his camera in the tight space, and he finds a way to inject his signature whimsical flourishes while keeping the film grounded in reality. One of the best “hang-out” films I’ve seen in years. (Full review to follow)

After the film, we moved from the theater into the lobby where we celebrated the festival’s Quinceanera. Everybody shared more hugging and smiles, drank beer, ate cake, and had an all-around great time. Next up, we were drawn back into the theater by the driving, gritty music of Oakland’s Ghost Town Gospel who were joined by Boyd Tinsley of Dave Matthews Band.

My first San Francisco Indiefest experience could not have gotten off to a better start, and we’ll have more coverage of the festival in the coming days.

From February 7-21, a giant celebration of independent film will be running wild across the San Francisco Bay Area in the form of SF IndieFest, an independent film festival which will be celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, and Way Too Indie will be there to give you comprehensive coverage of the festivities. San Francisco exhibits an open-mindedness, advocacy of cinematic experimentation and innovation, and general artistic acceptance that no city in the world can match, making it the ideal environment for a festival like SF IndieFest to thrive in.

San Francisco hosts a slew of film festivals throughout the year, but what makes SF IndieFest unique are its special events, which include a The Big Lebowski -themed party (to be followed with a 35mm midnight screening of the film), a Roller Disco party (because, why not?), a Valentine’s Day 80’s Power Ballad Sing-Along, a Quinceanera-themed opening night party, and much more. These events are sure to provide a hell of a time for the thousands of festival-goers, but it’s the stellar lineup of films that has attracted independent filmmakers and enthusiasts from around the world to the city by the bay since 1998.

Our coverage will include: Film reviews and impressions, photos, video blogs, and coverage of the various special events and parties.

The films on deck this year are phenomenal; any and all lovers of independent film (that means you) should be getting very, very excited. Here are some films from the festival to keep an eye on, with reviews to follow as the festival commences.

The We And The I

(Director Michel Gondry)

In the festival’s big opener, the endlessly imaginative Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Be Kind Rewind, The Science of Sleep) plants us on a bus sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with a group of mischievous Bronx teenagers on their last day of school and watch as their relationships evolve, or perhaps dissolve. It will be interesting to see what kind of imagery and situations Gondry, with his surrealist visual style and mad-scientist flare, will offer up with such a small, cramped space to play with. We watch Gondry’s films to see just how far he can stretch his imagination, and The We And The I looks to be an inventive, humorous, emotional, and wholly unique showcase of his one-of-a-kind creativity.

The We And The I trailer:

Days of Grace

(Director Everardo Valerio Gout)

Set in Mexico City, Days of Grace follows the intertwining destinies of three men, who fight for their lives inside the vicious, corrupt, wicked environment that envelops them. Jumping between the years 2002, 2006, and 2010, Everado Valerio Gout tells a relentless tale of deception and vengeance that puts its characters through hell to see who comes out in one piece.

Days of Grace trailer:

All The Light In The Sky

(Director Joe Swanberg)

In All The Light In The Sky, the festival’s closer, Joe Swanberg invites us to spend time with Marie (Jane Adams), an actress in her 40’s who lives on a house by the sea in Malibu. Marie feels there is something missing in her life, and we watch as she contemplates which direction to go in to find what she’s looking for.

(No trailer yet for All The Light In The Sky)

Antiviral

(Director Brandon Cronenberg)

In this gruesome, thrilling take on body-horror, director Brandon Cronenberg delivers a fantastic feature debut that channels his father’s legacy while successfully establishing his own cinematic style. Antiviral follows Syd March, played by the gifted Caleb Landry Jones, as he uses his own body as a vehicle to smuggle viruses harvested from celebrities to sell to rabid fans who want to make a connection with their favorite stars on a biological level.

Antiviral trailer:

Wrong

(Director Quentin Dupieux)

Dolph Springer (Jack Plotnick) wakes up to find he has lost the love of his life: his dog, Paul. He embarks on a strange, wacky, comical quest to reunite with his beloved canine friend, and uncovers an unexpected spiritual conspiracy along the way. In Wrong, the follow-up to the outrageously absurd Rubber, director Quentin Dupieux creates a weird, nonsensical world where it rains indoors, dog sh*t has memories, and clocks read “7:60.”

Wrong trailer:

There are a lot more wonderful films to look forward to at the festival. Here is the rest of the lineup.

SF IndieFest 2013 Lineup:

28 Hotel Rooms (Matt Ross)
Be Good (Todd Looby)
Berberian Sound Studio (Peter Strickland)
Blue Dream (Gregory Hatanaka)
Born Innocent (Donald Wrye)
Bound By Flesh (Leslie Zemeckis)
Days of Grace (Everado Gout)
Faceless (Tristan Albrecht)
Faces in the Mirror (Boyd Tinsley)
Funeral Kings (Matt & Kevin McManus)
The Ghastly Love of Johnny X (Paul Bunnell)
Ghosts With Shit Jobs (Chris McCawley)
Iceberg Slim: Portrait of a Pimp (Jorge Hinojosa)
I Declare War (Jason Lapeyre & Robert Wilson)
Inside Lara Roxx (Mia Donovan)
It’s a Disaster (Todd Berger)
The International Sign for Choking (Zach Weintraub)
The Last Elvis (Armando Bo)
The Legend of Kaspar Hauser (Davide Manuli)
The Life and Times of Paul the Psychic Octopus (Alexandre Phillippe)
Manborg (Steven Kostanski)
Not in Tel Aviv (Nony Geffen)
The Other Side of Sleep (Rebecca Daly)
The Revisionaries (Scott Thurman)
Sightseers (Ben Wheatley)
Simon Killer (Antonio Campos)
The Story of Luke (Alonso Mayo)
Sun Don’t Shine (Amy Seimetz)
Toys Are Not For Children (Stanley Brassloff)
Video Diary of a Lost Girl (Lindsay Denniberg)

Shorts Program

An Animated World
Bouquet of Pleasures & Pains
Cults, Manholes & Slide Rail Riders
Defying the Limits
Hilarious & Entertaining Adventures
Innocence Bursting
Uncanny Shorts-Past & Present

The Toronto International Film Festival has announced more titles today in six of their programmes. After last week’s announcement of Galas and Special Presentations, TIFF has revealed the line-ups for TIFF Docs, City to City, Midnight Madness, TIFF Kids, TIFF Cinematheque, and Vanguard today.

The Midnight Madness programme is dedicated to showing off some of the world’s wildest new films. This year’s selections include opening film Dredd 3D starring Karl Urban, Seven Psychopaths starring Colin Farrell and The ABCs of Death, the anthology horror film with 26 directors each making a short about a letter of the alphabet. This is also the first year Midnight Madness will have at least one of their films in 3D.

The City to City program was created in 2009 to profile cities around the world with new, exciting filmmakers. This year’s selection is Mumbai which joins the list of other cities chosen for the program including Tel Aviv, Istanbul and Buenos Aires.

TIFF Docs, formerly caled Real to Reel, focuses on documentaries from around the world. Plenty of major documentaries have premiered at TIFF including last year’s Best Documentary winner Undefeated. This year some of the documentaries playing include new works by Ken Burns and Alex Gibney. The festival also revealed documentaries that will be playing in their Wavelengths and Masters programmes.

The Vanguard programme focuses on new, original, provocative and boundary-pushing films. Some titles included in the Vanguard line-up this year include the remake of Nicolas Winding Refn`s Pusher and Sightseers, director Ben Wheatley`s (Kill List, Down Terrace) new film.

TIFF Kids is dedicated to programming children`s films at the festival. Two of the more high-profile titles playing this year are Finding Nemo 3D and Hotel Transylvania.

TIFF Cinematheque is a new programme this year that shows classic films restores. Titles this year include Alfred Hitchcock`s Dial M for Murder and a new 4K restoration of Roman Polanski`s Tess.

The list of all the titles announced today are below. Way Too Indie will be covering the Toronto International Film Festival this year which runs from September 6 – 16th. To find out more information about the festival go to www.tiff.net/thefestival

Midnight Madness:
Dredd 3D – (Pete Travis) (Opening Film)
Seven Psychopaths – (Martin McDonagh)
No One Lives – (Ryuhei Kitamura)
Hellbenders 3D – (JT Petty)
The Lords of Salem – (Rob Zombie)
Aftershock – (Nicolas Lopez)
The Bay – (Barry Levinson)
Come Out and Play – (Makinov)
The ABCs of Death – (Various)
John Dies at the End – (Don Coscarelli)

City to City:
The Bright Day – (Mohit Takalkar)
Gangs of Wasseypur – Part One – (Anurag Kashyap)
Gangs of Wasseypur – Part Two – (Anurag Kashyap)
Ishaqzaade – (Habib Faisal)
Miss Lovely – (Ashim Ahluwalia)
Mumbai’s King – (Manjeet Singh)
Peddlers – (Vasan Bala)
Shahid – (Hansal Mehta)
Shanghai – (Dibakar Banerjee)
Ship of Theseus – (Anand Gandhi)

TIFF Documentaries:
9.79* – (Daniel Gordon)
Artifact – (Bartholomew Cubbins)
A World Not Ours – (Mahdi Fleifel)
The Act of Killing – (Joshua Oppenheimer)
As if We Were Catching a Cobra – (Hala Alabdalla)
Camp 14 — Total Control Zone – (Marc Wiese)
The Central Park Five – (Ken Burns, David McMahon and Sarah Burns)
Far Out Isn’t Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story – (Brad Bernstein)
Fidaï – (Damien Ounouri)
First Comes Love – (Nina Davenport)
The Gatekeepers – (Dror Moreh)
The Girl from the South – (José Luis García)
How to Make Money Selling Drugs – (Matthew Cooke)
Iceberg Slim: Portrait of a Pimp – (Jorge Hinojosa)
London – The Modern Babylon – (Julien Temple)
Lunarcy! – (Simon Ennis)
Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God – (Alex Gibney)
Men At Lunch – (Seán Ó Cualáin)
More Than Honey – (Markus Imhoof)
No Place on Earth – (Janet Tobias)
Reincarnated – (Andrew Capper)
Roman Polanski: Odd Man Out – (Marina Zenovich)
The Secret Disco Revolution – (Jamie Kastner)
Shepard & Dark – (Treva Wurmfeld)
Show Stopper: The Theatrical Life of Garth Drabinsky – (Barry Avrich)
State 194 – (Dan Setton)
Storm Surfers 3D – (Christopher Nelius and Justin McMillan)
The Walls of Dakar – (Abdoul Aziz Cissé)

Wavelengths:
Bestiaire – (Denis Côté)

Masters:
The End of Time – (Peter Mettler)

TIFF Kids:
Ernest & Célestine – (Benjamin Renner, Vincent Patar, Stéphane Aubier)
Finding Nemo 3D – (Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich)
Hotel Transylvania – (Genndy Tartakovsky)
Igor & the Cranes’ Journey – (Evgeny Ruman)

TIFF Cinematheque:
The Bitter Ash – (Larry Kentz)
The Cloud Capped Star – (Ritwik Ghatak)
Dial M for Murder – (Alfred Hitchcock)
Loin du Viêtnam – (Joris Ivens, William Klein, Claude Lelouch, Agnès Varda, Jean-Luc Godard, Chris Marker, Alain Resnais)
Stromboli – (Roberto Rossellini)
Tess – (Roman Polanski)

TIFF Vanguard:
90 Minutes – (Eva Sørhaug)
Beijing Flickers – (Zhang Yuan)
Berberian Sound Studio – (Peter Strickland)
Blondie – (Jesper Ganslandt)
Here Comes the Devil – (Adrian Garcia Bogliano)
iLL Manors – (Ben Drew)
Motorway – (Soi Cheang)
Painless – (Juan Carlos Medina)
Peaches Does Herself – (Peaches)
Pusher – (Luis Prieto)
Room 237 – (Rodney Ascher)
Sightseers – (Ben Wheatley)
Thale – (Aleksander Nordaas)
The We and the I – (Michel Gondry)

The 65th annual Cannes Film Festival is underway currently and the staff at Way Too Indie wanted to highlight the Top 13 Films we are anticipating to see the most. We are still about a week away before we will be hearing from the jury which films they decided to give awards to. There are over 20 films that are in the In Competition category and if we had to guess who walks away with top prize of the Palme d’Or, it would be one of the films we listed below. Without further ado, Way Too Indie’s Top 13 Most Anticipated Films at Cannes Film Festival 2012.

Beasts of the Southern Wild (director Benh Zeitlin)

Immediately after watching the trailer to Beasts of the Southern Wild I made note that this is a film I need to see. Chatter around this film started when it won the dramatic Grand Jury Prize Award at Sundance this year. It looks like it could have some Where the Wild Things Are elements to it but perhaps with a more gritty and serious story to it. If Beasts of the Southern Wild is half as good as the trailer makes it out to be, we should be in for a real treat with this film. Roger Ebert recently tweeted that Beasts of the Southern Wild is the best film he has seen this year. Cue the goosebumps. [Dustin]

UPDATE: Our review of Beasts of the Southern Wild

Post Tenebras Lux (director Carlos Reygadas)

After Battle in Heaven, Carlos Reygadas must have had some sort of epiphany. His follow-up, Silent Light, was one of the best movies of the last 10 years and felt like it was light years ahead of everything he did previously. His most recent work, the short film This is my Kingdom from the omnibus film Revolucion, might be his best work to date. Post Tenebras Lux looks like Reygadas is only maturing and developing even more. The first images and clips from the movie are jaw-droppingly gorgeous, the director of Cannes has been more or less openly gushing about it, and it’s already being compared to Tree of Life. Reygadas is one of the more exciting directors working today, and if Post Tenebras Lux lives up to the hype it should be unlike anything we’ve seen before. [CJ]

Mud (director Jeff Nichols)

Director Jeff Nichols is on a hot streak. His first feature Shotgun Stories was an indie sensation and had a lot of people singing his name from the rafters as a promising young director. Then his second feature with Michael Shannon (who is one of the top actors right now), Take Shelter, was a great step for the director. Working again with Shannon and few other top actors including Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Sarah Paulson, Sam Shepard and Joe Don Baker (a personal favorite), Mud looks to be a winner with this pedigree working together. [Blake]

Moonrise Kingdom (director Wes Anderson)

The mere fact that it has been three years since Wes Anderson has graced us with his unprecedented style and passion is reason enough to want to see Moonrise Kingdom. The film is about capturing the feeling of being madly in love at the tender age of 12. Backed by the cast of his regulars, Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzmann along with some Anderson newcomers Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, Frances McDormand and Tilda Swinton is another reason why I am excited to see this film. [Dustin]

UPDATE: Our review of Moonrise Kingdom

Mekong Hotel (director Apichatpong Weerasethakul)

I’ve only seen two movies by Joe (his nickname for people who have a hard time pronouncing his full name) but they’re both masterpieces. Joe’s films are so hypnotic, bizarre and immersive with their lack of focus on time or narrative that they can feel like they come from another plane of existence entirely. Mekong Hotel sounds like a horror film from its synopsis involving a cannibalistic ghost but things are never that simple with Joe’s movies. Here’s hoping that Mekong Hotel can live up to at least half of the quality of his other films. [CJ]

Rust and Bone (director Jacques Audiard)

Jacques Audiard made a great movie a few years ago called A Prophet which made my top ten list the year it came out. I then went back to watch his breakout feature The Beat That My Heart Skipped, which is one hell of a movie. Now comes Rust and Bone, with Oscar winner Marion Cotillard as a killer whale trainer who falls in love a man named Ali. There bond only grows stronger after Stephanie (Cotillard) suffers a horrible accident. [Blake]

The We and The I (director Michel Gondry)

Willing to overlook Michel Gondry’s previous Hollywood adventure The Green Hornet in hopes that he has returned to his old style of films that put him on the map as an acclaimed film director. His more avant-garde style of films like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Science of Sleep show off his creativity as a visionary director. Not a lot is known about this film yet but the talk is the film is closer to his earlier work. Knowing his potential, it is hard not to look forward to see what Michel Gondry has come up with now. [Dustin]

Love (director Michael Haneke)

Michael Haneke is back from his massive success involving The White Ribbon with what looks like something on a smaller scale. As with most of Haneke’s films the information given out so far is limited. It involves a family whose lives change after the mother has “an attack.” Isabelle Huppert, who gave Haneke the Palme D’Or for White Ribbon, has what looks like a small role in this so hopefully their collaboration will be as good as when they got together for The Piano Teacher. Haneke is considered to be one of the best directors working today by some (including myself) so no matter what there will always be an excited audience for whatever Haneke does next. [CJ]

Killing Them Softly (director Andrew Dominik)

Formerly titled Coogan’s Trade, Andrew Dominik’s newest film has internet film geeks abuzz with its powerhouse cast being lead by the director who has made two fantastic features in Chopper and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and starring one of the biggest, if not the biggest actor on the planet Brad Pitt. Along with Pitt you got, Richard Jenkins, Sam Shepard (him again), James Gandolfini and Ray Liotta. Pitt plays a mob enforcer tasked with investigating the robbery of a mob run poker game. All this talent has me salivating at the mouth. [Blake]

Laurence Anyways (director Xavier Dolan)

The synopsis of Laurence Anyways, a man on this 30th birthday tries to save his relationship with his fiancé after telling her he wants to become a woman, made me curious enough to watch the trailer. After watching the trailer, it looks to be an emotional filled unique love story. Xavier Dolan’s first two films I Killed My Mother and Heartbeats also both premiered at Cannes cementing him as an acclaimed upcoming director. Unlike his previous films, in Laurence Anyways he decides to stay behind the camera instead of also acting in the film. [Dustin]

Cosmopolis (director David Cronenberg)

After making more conventional films for almost a decade, David Cronenberg appears to be diving head first into the weird-ass types of films that made him get so popular in the first place. It seems like people didn’t realize how much they missed the days of Dead Ringers or Videodrome until the first trailers for Cosmopolis came out, launching it straight into a position as one of the most anticipated films this year. Hopefully Cronenberg can live up to the hype that’s suddenly surrounded this movie in the last few weeks. [CJ]

Paradise:Love (director Ulrich Seidl)

Ulrich Seidl is a director I’ve never heard of before, but one that I will now follow, and the trailer has me completely sold. The subject matter sounds ripe for the picking and the style of the film, which looks like a documentary, will only add to how powerful the film could end up being. Taking place in a tropical paradise, a white middle aged woman who is on vacation becomes involved with a local a black man. Judging from the trailer, love and heartbreak look to be inevitable. [Blake]

You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet! (director Alain Resnais)

This wasn’t on my radar at all until I saw the fantastic trailer for it along with the bizarre synopsis involving the massive star-studded French cast playing themselves performing a play they’ve all been in at some point throughout their careers after the playwright posthumously invites them to see a young theatre company perform the same play (you might need to read that a few times to fully understand it). Resnais is still going strong in his later years, and if anything his new movie is going to be one of the more unique titles in competition this year. [CJ]