Film Cincinnati Executive Director Kristen Schlotman is at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, this week to support Cincinnati-made feature projects, including Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, which will hold its world premiere at Sundance.
The film tells the story of Ted Bundy, one of the most notorious serial killers in the United States who confessed to 30 murders in the 1970s. The movie stars Zac Efron as Bundy and also features Lily Collins, John Malkovich and Jim Parsons and was shot at several locations in and around greater Cincinnati.
“We are proud of the work that director Joe Berlinger and his crew did on the film and we are going to Sundance to support their premiere,” said Schlotman. “Sundance is the largest independent film festival in this country and is a major showcase for films like Extremely Wicked.”
Ironically, the first day of Sundance, January 24, marks the 30th anniversary of the execution of Bundy at the Florida State Prison after receiving three death sentences in two separate trials in the state.
Other Cincinnati-area connections at Sundance include Andre Hyland, an Indian Hill High and University of Cincinnati graduate, who has two projects at Sundance—a short film, Old Haunt, which he wrote, directed and starred in, and an independent feature, The Death of Dick Long, in which he is an actor. And Yellow Spring filmmakers, Julia Reichert and Steve Bognar, will have their documentary, American Factory, debut at Sundance in the documentary competition.
Last year nearly 125,000 people attended the Sundance Film Festival, which generated a total economic impact of $191 million to the area. Film Cincinnati last was at Sundance in 2016, when three Cincinnati-made features were shown during the festival (GOAT, The Fits, Miles Ahead).
Film Cincinnati also will release the latest University of Cincinnati economic study on the film industry in greater Cincinnati at Sundance.