Sundance Day 8: SIN NOMBRE, AMREEKA, NYC Filmmaker party!

With this weekend€™s award ceremony fast approaching, the buzz at Sundance is all about which up and coming directors will take come the coveted jury prizes in the best feature and best documentary categories, Today I decided to check out the work of two young American directors with features in the U.S dramatic competition that were shot almost entirely abroad.

SIN NOMBRE (€œnameless€) the tour de force Spanish language thriller by up and coming director Cary Joji Fukunaga tells the story of the brutal violence and rivalry within one of Mexico€™s most notorious gangs Mara Salvatrucha (known as MS-13). Paralleling and at points intersecting is a second story about the South Americans who hitch rides on the tops of trains and risk everything for the chance to illegally cross over the U.S. border.

The incredible production value was no doubt helped by the generous contributions of Focus Features, the film€™s executive producer, and the film boasts exceptional cinematography, sound design and editing. However, the bulk of the credit for the film€™s success lies in the superb script and spot-on casting choices of screenwriter/director Fukunaga.

Fukunaga€™s decision to use unknown South American actors (and in some cases, non-actors) works to his advantage as all of the performances are authentic and moving. Newcomer Edgar Flores is particularly outstanding as the young MS-13 member Casper, who turns against the gang after they destroy the love of his life, and sets out to help a young immigrant girl in her mission to escape across the border.

In addiction to demonstrating serious chops as a director, the clean-cut, California native took an incredibly courageous approach to tackling the difficult subject matter. At the Q and A session after the screening, Fukunaga recounted the dangerous research process he carried out in preparation of the film which involved interviewing real-life gang members and dodging bullets on the Mexican trains.

While certainly not the most uplifting of the films in competition SIN NOMBRE is fantastic debut for soon to be famous director Fukunaga.

Like SIN NOMBRE, AMREEKA (an Arabic phonetic pronunciation of €œAmerica€) is also a labour of love, or rather as the director Cherien Dabi described it herself "a love poem" to her own Palestinian-American family. Telling the story of a Palestinian mother and son€™s rocky transition from life on the West Bank to life in the U.S, AMREEKA highlights the difficulties of being Middle-Eastern at the start of America's invasion of Iraq.

Munah Farah is a palestinian single mom who feels trapped by the restrictive lifestyle of the West Bank and seeks a better life for herself and her teenage son Fadi. When she receives word that she has been granted a green card. Munah and Fadi move to Illionois to join the family of Munah's sister. What ensues is a challenging nesting period in which Munah and Fadi encounter prejudices and are forced to make compromises in order to adjust to western culture.

Dabi's charming and poignant film gives a fresh portrayal of the disparity between the idealised version of the American Dream and the reality of being an immigrant in post 9/11 American society.

The New York Filmmaker party was by far and above the most positive experience I've had with the nightlife at Sundance. Held in a private lodge on the Canyons Mountain Resort (one of the several ski resorts in the Park City area), the event had the vibe of a cool, down to earth house party where unknown bloggers such as myself could rub shoulders with some of the festival's high profile directors and talent. The DJs were also noteworthy and mixed everything from Kanye to The Clash. Thanks for the invite, B.J!