Sundance, Film by Film - NYTimes.com The Sundance Film Festival has released its competition lineups for its 30th edition in January, and as the Bagger's colleague Brooks Barnes reports here, though the programmers largely opted for films along themes they know well - race and family - they also took an unusual turn into horror. "Over all, we're seeing films that are of much higher quality," John Cooper, Sundance's director, said. We think a lot of that is coming from technology, which has freed filmmakers from limitations, including financial ones. You can do special effects now. Here are the lineups in the U.S. dramatic and documentary and world cinema feature and documentary categories, as well as the slate in the Next section for "forward-thinking" films. The summaries provided by the festival: Camp X-Ray (Director and screenwriter: Peter Sattler) - A young woman is stationed as a guard in Guantánamo Bay, where she forms an unlikely friendship with one of the detainees. Cast: Kristen Stewart, Peyman Moaadi, Lane Garrison, J.J. Soria, John Carroll Lynch. Cold in July (Director: Jim Mickle, Screenwriters: Jim Mickle, Nick Damici) - After killing a home intruder, a small-town Texas man's life unravels into a dark underworld of corruption and violence. Cast: Michael C. Hall, Don Johnson, Sam Shepard, Vinessa Shaw, Nick Damici, Wyatt Russell. Dear White People (Director and screenwriter: Justin Simien) - Four black students attend an Ivy League college where a riot breaks out over an "African-American" themed party thrown by white students. With tongue planted firmly in cheek, the film explores racial identity in postracial America while weaving a story about forging one's unique path in the world. Cast: Tyler Williams, Tessa Thompson, Teyonah Parris, Brandon Bell. Fishing Without Nets (Director: Cutter Hodierne, Screenwriters: Cutter Hodierne, John Hibey, David Burkman) - A story of pirates in Somalia told from the perspective of a struggling young Somali fisherman. Cast: Abdikani Muktar, Abdi Siad, Abduwhali Faarah, Abdikhadir Hassan, Reda Kateb, Idil Ibrahim. God's Pocket (Director: John Slattery, Screenwriters: John Slattery, Alex Metcalf) - When Mickey's stepson Leon is killed in a construction "accident," Mickey tries to bury the bad news with the body. But when the boy's mother demands the truth, Mickey finds himself stuck between a body he can't bury, a wife he can't please and a debt he can't pay. Cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Richard Jenkins, Christina Hendricks, John Turturro. Happy Christmas (Director and screenwriter: Joe Swanberg) - After a breakup with her boyfriend, a young woman moves in with her older brother, his wife and their 2-year-old son. Cast: Anna Kendrick, Melanie Lynskey, Mark Webber, Lena Dunham, Joe Swanberg. Hellion (Director and screenwriter: Kat Candler) - When motocross- and heavy metal-obsessed 13-year-old Jacob's delinquent behavior forces C.P.S. to place his little brother Wes with his aunt, Jacob and his emotionally absent father must finally take responsibility for their actions and each other to bring Wes home. Cast: Aaron Paul, Juliette Lewis, Josh Wiggins, Deke Garner, Jonny Mars, Walt Roberts. Infinitely Polar Bear (Director and screenwriter: Maya Forbes) - A manic-depressive mess of a father tries to win back his wife by trying to take full responsibility of their two young, spirited daughters, who don't make the overwhelming task any easier. Cast: Mark Ruffalo, Zoe Saldana, Imogene Wolodarsky, Ashley Aufderheide. Jamie Marks Is Dead (Director and screenwriter: Carter Smith) - No one seemed to care about Jamie Marks until after his death. Hoping to find the love and friendship he never had in life, Jamie's ghost visits a former classmate, Adam McCormick, drawing him into the bleak world between the living and the dead. Cast: Cameron Monaghan, Noah Silver, Morgan Saylor, Judy Greer, Madisen Beaty, Liv Tyler. Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter (Director: David Zellner, Screenwriters: David Zellner, Nathan Zellner) - A lonely Japanese woman becomes convinced that a satchel of money buried in a fictional film is, in fact, real. Abandoning her structured life in Tokyo for the frozen Minnesota wilderness, she embarks on an impulsive quest to search for her lost mythical fortune. Cast: Rinko Kikuchi. Life After Beth (Director and screenwriter: Jeff Baena) - Zach is devastated by the unexpected death of his girlfriend, Beth. When she mysteriously returns, he gets a second chance at love. Soon his whole world turns upside down. Cast: Aubrey Plaza, Dane DeHaan, John C. Reilly, Molly Shannon, Cheryl Hines, Paul Reiser. Low Down (Director: Jeff Preiss, Screenwriters: Amy Albany, Topper Lilien) - Based on Amy Albany's memoir, this explores her heart-wrenching journey to adulthood while being raised by her father, bebop pianist Joe Albany, as he teeters between incarceration and addiction in the urban decay and waning bohemia of Hollywood in the 1970s. Cast: John Hawkes, Elle Fanning, Glenn Close, Lena Headey, Peter Dinklage, Flea. The Skeleton Twins (Director: Craig Johnson, Screenwriters: Craig Johnson, Mark Heyman) - Estranged twins Maggie and Milo coincidentally cheat death on the same day, prompting them to reunite and confront the reasons their lives went so wrong. As the twins" reunion reinvigorates them, they realize the key to fixing their lives may just lie in repairing their relationship. Cast: Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Luke Wilson, Ty Burrell, Boyd Holbrook, Joanna Gleason. The Sleepwalker (Director: Mona Fastvold, Screenwriters: Mona Fastvold, Brady Corbet) - A young couple, Kaia and Andrew, are renovating Kaia's secluded family estate. Their lives are violently interrupted when unexpected guests arrive. Cast: Gitte Witt, Christopher Abbott, Brady Corbet, Stephanie Ellis. Song One (Director and screenwriter: Kate Barker-Froyland) - Estranged from her family, Franny returns home when an accident leaves her brother comatose. Retracing his life as an aspiring musician, she tracks down his favorite musician, James Forester. Against the backdrop of Brooklyn's music scene, Franny and James develop an unexpected relationship and face the realities of their lives. Cast: Anne Hathaway, Johnny Flynn, Mary Steenburgen, Ben Rosenfield. Whiplash (Director and screenwriter: Damien Chazelle) - Under the direction of a ruthless instructor, a talented young drummer begins to pursue perfection at any cost, even his humanity. Cast: Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons. Alive Inside: A Story of Music & Memory (Director: Michael Rossato-Bennett) - Five million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's disease and dementia - many of them alone in nursing homes. A man with a simple idea discovers that songs embedded deep in memory can ease pain and awaken these fading minds. Joy and life are resuscitated, and our cultural fears over aging are confronted. All the Beautiful Things (Director: John Harkrider) - John and Barron are lifelong friends whose friendship is tested when Barron's girlfriend says Barron put a knife to her throat and raped her. Not knowing she has lied, John tells her to go to the police. Years later, John and Barron meet in a bar to resolve the betrayal. Captivated: The Trials of Pamela SmartThe Case Against 8 (Directors: Ben Cotner, Ryan White) - A behind-the-scenes look at the case to overturn California's ban on same-sex marriage. Shot over five years, the film follows the unlikely team that took the first federal marriage equality lawsuit to the United States Supreme Court. Cesar's Last Fast (Directors: Richard Ray Perez, Lorena Parlee) - Inspired by Catholic social teaching, Cesar Chavez risked his life fighting for America's poorest workers. The film illuminates the intensity of one man's devotion and personal sacrifice, chronicles the birth of an economic justice movement, and tells an untold chapter in the story of civil rights in America. Dinosaur 13 (Director: Todd Miller) - The true tale behind one of the greatest discoveries in history. E-Team (Directors: Katy Chevigny, Ross Kauffman) - This is driven by the high-stakes investigative work of four intrepid human-rights workers, offering a rare look at their lives at home and their dramatic work in the field. Fed Up (Director: Stephanie Soechtig) - This blows the lid off everything we thought we knew about food and weight loss, revealing a 30-year campaign by the food industry, aided by the United States government, to mislead and confuse the American public, resulting in one of the largest health epidemics in history. The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz (Director: Brian Knappenberger) - Programming prodigy and information activist Aaron Swartz did groundbreaking work in social justice and political organizing. His passion for open access ensnared him in a legal nightmare that ended with the taking of his own life at the age of 26. Ivory Tower (Director: Andrew Rossi) - As tuition spirals upward and student debt passes a trillion dollars, students and parents ask, "Is college worth it?" From the halls of Harvard to public and private colleges in financial crisis to education startups in the Silicon Valley, an urgent portrait emerges of a great American institution at the breaking point. Marmato (Director: Mark Grieco) - Colombia is the center of a new global gold rush, and Marmato, a historic mining town, is the new frontier. Filmed over the course of nearly six years, Marmato chronicles how townspeople confront a Canadian mining company that wants the $20 billion in gold beneath their homes. No No: A Dockumentary (Director: Jeffrey Radice) - Dock Ellis pitched a no-hitter on LSD, then worked for decades counseling drug abusers. Dock's soulful style defined 1970s baseball as he kept hitters honest and embarrassed the establishment. An ensemble cast of teammates, friends and family investigate his life on the field, in the media and out of the spotlight. The Overnighters (Director: Jesse Moss) - Desperate, broken men chase their dreams and run from their demons in the North Dakota oil fields. A local pastor's decision to help them has extraordinary and unexpected consequences. Private Violence (Director: Cynthia Hill) - One in four women experience violence in their homes. Have you ever asked, "Why doesn't she just leave?" This shatters the brutality of our logic and intimately reveals the stories of two women: Deanna Walters, who transforms from victim to survivor, and Kit Gruelle, who advocates for justice. Rich Hill (Directors: Andrew Droz Palermo, Tracy Droz Tragos) - In a rural, American town, kids face heartbreaking choices, find comfort in the most fragile of family bonds and dream of a future of possibility. Watchers of the Sky (Director: Edet Belzberg) - Five interwoven stories of remarkable courage from Nuremberg to Rwanda, from Darfur to Syria, and from apathy to action. 52 Tuesdays/Australia (Director: Sophie Hyde, Screenplay: Matthew Cormack) - 16-year-old Billie's reluctant path to independence is accelerated when her mother reveals plans for gender transition, and their time together becomes limited to Tuesdays. This emotionally charged story of desire, responsibility and transformation was filmed over the course of a year - once a week, every week, only on Tuesdays. Cast: Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Del Herbert-Jane, Imogen Archer, Mario Späte, Beau Williams, Sam Althuizen. Blind/ Norway, Netherlands (Director and screenwriter: Eskil Vogt) - Having recently lost her sight, Ingrid retreats to the safety of her home, a place where she can feel in control, alone with her husband and her thoughts. But Ingrid's real problems lie within, not beyond the walls of her apartment, and her deepest fears and repressed fantasies soon take over. Cast: Ellen Dorrit Petersen, Henrik Rafaelsen, Vera Vitali, Marius Kolbenstvedt. Difret/Ethiopia (Director and screenwriter: Zeresenay Berhane Mehari) - Meaza Ashenafi is a young lawyer who operates under the government's radar helping women and children until one young girl's legal case exposes everything, threatening not only her career but her survival. Cast: Meron Getnet, Tizita Hagere. The Disobedient/Serbia (Director and screenwriter: Mina Djukic) - Leni anxiously waits for her childhood friend Lazar, who is coming back to their hometown after years of studying abroad. After they reunite, they embark on a random bicycle trip around their childhood haunts, which will either exhaust or reinvent their relationship. Cast: Hana Selimovic, Mladen Sovilj, Minja Subota, Danijel Sike, Ivan Djordjevic. God Help the Girl/Britain (Director and screenwriter: Stuart Murdoch) - This musical from Stuart Murdoch of Belle and Sebastian is about some messed up boys and girls and the music they made. Cast: Emily Browning, Olly Alexander, Hannah Murray, Cora Bissett, Pierre Boulanger. Liar's Dice/India (Director and screenwriter: Geetu Mohandas) - Kamala, a young woman from the village of Chitkul, leaves her native land with her daughter to search for her missing husband. Along the journey, they encounter Nawazudin, a free-spirited army deserter with his own selfish motives who helps them reach their destination. Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Geetanjali Thapa, Manya Gupta. Lilting/Britain (Director and screenwriter: Hong Khaou) - The world of a Chinese mother mourning the untimely death of her son is suddenly disrupted by the presence of a stranger who doesn't speak her language. Cast: Ben Whishaw, Pei-Pei Cheng, Andrew Leung, Peter Bowles, Naomi Christie, Morven Christie. Lock Charmer/Argentina (Director and screenwriter: Natalia Smirnoff) - Upon learning that his girlfriend is pregnant, 33-year-old locksmith Sebastian begins to have strange visions about his clients. With the help of an unlikely assistant, he sets out to use his newfound talent for his own good. Cast: Esteban Lamothe, Erica Rivas, Yosiria Huaripata. To Kill a Man/Chile, France (Director and screenwriter: Alejandro Fernandez Almendras) - When Jorge, a hard-working family man who's barely making ends meet, gets mugged by Kalule, a neighborhood delinquent, Jorge's son decides to confront the attacker, only to get himself shot. Even though Jorge's son nearly dies, Kalule's sentence is minimal, heightening the friction. Cast: Daniel Candia, Daniel Antivilo, Alejandra Yañez, Ariel Mateluna. Viktoria/Bulgaria, Romania (Director and screenwriter: Maya Vitkova) - Although determined not to have a child in Communist Bulgaria, Boryana gives birth to Viktoria, who despite being born with no umbilical cord, is proclaimed to be the baby of the decade. But political collapse and the hardships of the new time bind mother and daughter. Cast: Irmena Chichikova, Daria Vitkova, Kalina Vitkova, Mariana Krumova, Dimo Dimov, Georgi Spassov. Wetlands/Germany (Director: David Wnendt, Screenwriters: Claus Falkenberg, David Wnendt) - Meet Helen Memel. She likes to experiment with vegetables while masturbating and thinks that bodily hygiene is greatly overrated. She shocks those around her by speaking her mind in a most unladylike manner on topics that many people would not even dare consider. Cast: Carla Juri, Christoph Letkowski, Meret Becker, Axel Milberg, Marlen Kruse, Edgar Selge. White Shadow/Italy, Germany, Tanzania (Director: Noaz Deshe, Screenwriters: Noaz Deshe, James Masson) - Alias is a young albino boy on the run. His mother has sent him away to find refuge in the city after witnessing his father's murder. Over time, the city becomes no different than the bush: wherever Alias travels, the same rules of survival apply. Cast: Hamisi Bazili, James Gayo, Glory Mbayuwayu, Salum Abdallah. 20,000 Days On Earth/Britain (Directors: Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard) - Drama and reality combine in a fictitious 24 hours in the life of the musician Nick Cave. With startlingly frank insights and an intimate portrayal of the artistic process, this film examines what makes us who we are and celebrates the transformative power of the creative spirit. Concerning Violence/Sweden, United States, Denmark, Finland (Director: Göran Hugo Olsson) - This is based on newly discovered, powerful archival material documenting the most daring moments in the struggle for liberation in the Third World, accompanied by text from "The Wretched of the Earth" by Frantz Fanon. The Green Prince/Germany, Israel, Britain (Director: Nadav Schirman) - This real-life thriller tells the story of one of Israel's prized intelligence sources, recruited to spy on his own people for more than a decade. Focusing on the complex relationship with his handler, this is a gripping account of terror, betrayal and unthinkable choices, along with a friendship that defies all boundaries. Happiness/France, Finland (Director: Thomas Balmès) - Peyangki is a dreamy and solitary 8-year-old monk living in Laya, a Bhutanese village perched high in the Himalayas. Soon the world will come to him: the village is about to be connected to electricity, and the first television will flicker on before Peyangki's eyes. Love Child/South Korea, United States (Director: Valerie Veatch) - In Seoul, a young couple stands accused of neglect when "Internet addiction" in an online fantasy game costs the life of their infant daughter. This documents the 2010 trial and subsequent ruling that set a global precedent in a world where virtual is the new reality. Mr leos caraX/France (Director: Tessa Louise-Salomé) - This plunges us into the poetic and visionary world of a mysterious, solitary filmmaker who was already a cult figure from his first film. Punctuated by interviews and previously unseen footage, this documentary is most of all a fine-tuned exploration of the poetic and visionary world of Leos Carax, alias Mr. X. My Prairie Home/Canada (Director: Chelsea McMullan) - A poetic journey through landscapes real and emotional, this documentary/musical offers an intimate portrait of transgender singer Rae Spoon, framed by stunning images of the Canadian prairies. The Notorious Mr. Bout/United States, Russia (Directors: Tony Gerber, Maxim Pozdorovkin) - Viktor Bout was a war profiteer, an entrepreneur, an aviation tycoon, an arms dealer, and - strangest of all - a documentary filmmaker. This film s the ultimate rags-to-riches-to-prison memoir, documented by the last man you'd expect to be holding the camera. The Return to Homs/Syria, Germany (Director: Talal Derki) - Basset Sarout, the 19-year-old national football team goalkeeper, becomes a demonstration leader and singer, and then a fighter. Ossama, a 24-year-old renowned citizen cameraman, is critical and ironic, a pacifist until he is detained by the regime's security forces. Sepideh - Reaching for the Stars/Denmark (Director: Berit Madsen) - Sepideh wants to become an astronaut. As a young Iranian woman, she knows it's dangerous to challenge traditions and expectations. Still, she holds on to her dream. She knows a tough battle is ahead, a battle that only seems possible to win once she seeks help from an unexpected source. We Come as Friends/France, Austria (Director: Hubert Sauper) - This views colonization as a human phenomenon through explicit and metaphoric lenses without oversimplified accusations or political theorizing. Web Junkie/Israel (Directors: Shosh Shlam, Hilla Medalia) - China is the first country to label "Internet addiction" a clinical disorder. This film investigates a Beijing rehab center where Chinese teenagers are deprogrammed. Appropriate Behavior (Director and screenwriter: Desiree Akhavan) - Shirin is struggling to become an ideal Persian daughter, a politically correct bisexual and a hip, young Brooklynite, but fails miserably in her effort at all identities. Cast: Desiree Akhavan, Rebecca Henderson, Halley Feiffer, Scott Adsit, Anh Duong, Arian Moayed. World Premiere Drunktown's Finest (Director and screenwriter: Sydney Freeland) - Three young Native Americans - a rebellious father-to-be, a devout Christian woman and a promiscuous transsexual - come of age on an Indian reservation. Cast: Jeremiah Bitsui, Carmen Moore, Morningstar Angeline, Kiowa Gordon, Shauna Baker, Elizabeth Francis. The Foxy Merkins (Director: Madeleine Olnek, Screenwriters: Lisa Haas, Jackie Monahan, Madeleine Olnek) - Two lesbian hookers work the streets of New York. One is a down-on-her-luck newbie; the other is a beautiful - and straight - grifter who's an expert at picking up women. Together they face bargain-hunting housewives, double-dealing conservative women, and each other in this prostitute buddy comedy. Cast: Lisa Haas, Jackie Monahan, Alex Karpovsky, Susan Ziegler, Sally Sockwell, Deb Margolin. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night / United States (Director and screenwriter: Ana Lily Amirpour) - In the Iranian ghost town Bad City, a place that reeks of death and loneliness, depraved denizens are unaware they are being stalked by a lonesome vampire. Cast: Sheila Vand, Arash Marandi, Dominic Rains, Marshall Manesh, Mozhan Marnó, Milad Eghbali. Imperial Dreams (Director: Malik Vitthal, Screenwriters: Malik Vitthal, Ismet Prcic) - A 21-year-old reformed gangster's devotion to his family and his future are put to the test when he is released from prison and returns to his old stomping grounds in Watts in Los Angeles. Cast: John Boyega, Rotimi Akinosho, Glenn Plummer, Keke Palmer, De'aundre Bonds. Land Ho! (Directors and screenwriters: Martha Stephens, Aaron Katz) - A pair of ex-brothers-in-law set off to Iceland in an effort to reclaim their youth through Reykjavik nightclubs, trendy spas and rugged campsites. This bawdy adventure is a throwback to 1980s road comedies, as well as a candid exploration of aging, loneliness and friendship. Cast: Paul Eenhoorn, Earl Nelson, Alice Olivia Clarke, Karrie Crouse, Elizabeth McKee, Emmsjé Gauti. Listen Up Philip (Director and screenwriter: Alex Ross Perry) - In a story about changing seasons and changing attitudes, a newly accomplished writer faces mistakes and miseries affecting those around him, including his girlfriend, her sister, his idol, his idol's daughter and all the ex-girlfriends and enemies waiting on the open streets of New York. Cast: Jason Schwartzman, Elisabeth Moss, Jonathan Pryce, Krysten Ritter, Josephine de La Baume. Memphis (Director and screenwriter: Tim Sutton) - A strange singer drifts through the mythic city of Memphis, surrounded by beautiful women, legendary musicians, a stone-cold hustler, a righteous preacher and a wolf pack of kids. Under a canopy of ancient oak trees and burning spirituality, his doomed journey breaks from conformity and reaches out for glory. Cast: Willis Earl Beal, Lopaka Thomas, Constance Brantley, Devonte Hull, John Gary Williams, Larry Dodson. Obvious Child (Director and screenwriter: Gillian Robespierre) - An honest comedy about what happens when Brooklyn comedian Donna Stern gets dumped, fired and pregnant, just in time for the worst/best Valentine's Day of her life. Cast: Jenny Slate, Jake Lacy, Gaby Hoffmann, David Cross, Gabe Liedman, Richard Kind. Ping Pong Summer (Director and screenwriter: Michael Tully) - 1985. Ocean City, Md., Summer vacation. Rap music. Parachute pants. Ping pong. First crushes. Best friends. Mean bullies. Weird mentors. That awkward, momentous time in your life when you're treated like an alien by everyone around you, even though you know deep down you're as funky fresh as it gets. Cast: Susan Sarandon, John Hannah, Lea Thompson, Amy Sedaris, Robert Longstreet, Marcello Conte. War Story (Director: Mark Jackson, Screenwriters: Kristin Gore, Mark Jackson) - A war photographer retreats to a small town in Sicily after being held captive during the conflict in Libya. Cast: Catherine Keener, Hafsia Herzi, Vincenzo Amato, Donatella Finocchiaro, Ben Kingsley.