In this special edition of Read it First! we're going to be talking about the literary films premiering at the Sundance Film Festival. The Sundance Film Festival is the largest independent film festival in the United States. It takes place in Utah over the last week of January every year and showcases both feature length and short films, documentary and fiction, as well as national and international films. To find out more about the festival and the films being screened this year, visit their website - http://www.sundance.org/festivals/sundance-film-festival
This year at Sundance :
 | Kurban Said's classic romance is the story of a love that can overcome all obstacles. In early 20th century Azerbaijan, two youths fall in youth. Ali, a Muslim man, and Nino, a Christian woman, must contend with cultural and familial resistance to their relationship. Ali and Nino is a timeless love story that explores the personal ramifications of cultural discord. Check out the film's Sundance page here |
 | Both Ways is the Only Way I Want It, by renowned short story writer Maile Meloy, is set in the American West and takes the themes of family, friendship and the trouble our desires can lead us to. The film, Certain Women, interweaves several of these stories to create a cohesive storyline. Check out the film's Sundance page here |
 | After surviving a traumatic car jacking, Brad Lands has struggled to find normality in a world utterly changed. In a grasp at the conventional, Lands follows his brother to college and pledges, against his instincts, the same fraternity. But the normal college and fraternity experience is not the stabilizing force he expected. Goat, Land's non fiction memoir, takes a hard look at fraternity culture and the expectations of masculinity in American society. Check out the film's Sundance page here |
 | It is 1951, the second year of the Korean War, and Marcus Messner has finally escaped. After changing colleges to get away from his overprotective father, Marcus gets his chance to experience life on his own. As he struggles to find his way in this new world, he learns about love and hatred, conflict and resolution. Indignation by Philip Roth is a tale of youthful inexperience and the paths it can leads us down. Check out the film's Sundance page here |
 | Never published during her lifetime, Jane Austen's Lady Susan follows the widowed Lady Susan Vernon as she attempts to simultaneously arrange a marriage for herself and her daughter in Georgian English society. The film, adapted by Whit Stillman, will be released under the title "Love and Friendship." |
 | When Benjamin Benjamin finds himself single and unemployed, he decides to take a night class on providing home healthcare for those with disabilities. But his class did nothing to prepare him for his first patient, Trevor, a teenage boy with Muscular Dystrophy. Faced with Trev's anger and frustration, Ben soon finds that home care is about more than physical well-being. Jonathan Evison's The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving is a warm novel about finding the joy of life in the most unexpected of places. Check out the film's Sundance page here |
 | Sophie and the Rising Sun by Augusta Trobaugh Sophie has spent the majority of her life caring for her elderly mother and her aunts, having given up on romance after losing her first love in World War I. But her quiet resigned life in Salt Creek, Georgia is disrupted when the charming gardner, Mr. Oto, moves to town. Just as Sophie and Mr. Oto realize the depths of their affections, the attack on Pearl Harbor threatens to tear them apart. Check out the film's Sundance page here |