The Sundance Institute announced that Sundance NEXT FEST is returning August 7-9 and will make its base of operations at the Ace Hotel for the second year in a row. The weekend long event, which specifically showcases films from the main festival's NEXT selections, was first held in 2013 in West Hollywood, but the festival smartly moved it into the middle of the burgeoning and revitalized downtown LA scene last summer.
No films have been announced yet, but last year's programming included the public premiere of “Life After Beth” with a solo acoustic performance by Father John Misty, a screening of “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night” with a live performance by Warpaint, and a screening of “Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter” followed by a conversation between the filmmakers and Werner Herzog.
Some of the NEXT films that created buzz this past January included NEXT Audience Award winner “James White,” “Nasty Baby” with Kristen Wiig and Hollywood-set “Tangerine.”