Early 'Sundance' Favourites Already Generating A Buzz For Upcoming Movies

The Sundance Film Festival is the place to be for young, aspiring filmmakers hoping to crack into the hotly-contested business of the movies. By the end of the film festival, which this year runs from 16-26 January, there are always a selection of film titles that are revived for the following awards season, and this year people are so eager for the celluloid showcase that a number of early contenders for festival glory have been marked before their debut release.

The dark God's Pocket stars Philip Seymour Hoffman and Eddie Marsan

In thirty years the film has discovered some of the most promising filmmakers out there and continues to deliver, from Roland Joffé’s T_he Killing Field_s in the festival's opening year (1985) to last year's most notable success; Fruitvale Station, the debut feature length from Ryan Coogler. With another 120 films to get through this year it seems more than likely that at least one of the releases will be leaving Park City, Utah, with more than a few skiing lessons and a commemorative t-shirt.

This year's festival is among the most big name-heavy in the festival's long run, with some of alternative cinema's top-rated actors trying their hand at directing for the first time, and some other big names having their latest films premiere at the festival. Sundance regular William H. Macy and Mad Men's John Slattery will have their directorial debut's aired at the festival, with Macy's Rudderless hoping to benefit from Sundance's eclectic audience. Meanwhile, Slattery is directing the screen adaption of Pete Dexter’s novel God’s Pocket, with Philip Seymour Hoffman starring in the dark drama.

Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston star together in Only Lovers Left Alive, whilst two of the biggest comedies debuting the festival will also see some A-listers take top billing. Amy Poehler and Paul Rudd will star alongside each other in the rom-com They Came Together, with Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader starring alongside each other as estranged siblings in The Skeleton Twins.

Only Lovers Left Alive is a romantic vampire film that might not actually suck

Next Page: Which films are the most anticipated of the festival?

Despite those films having some of the biggest names of the festival, they are not among the most hotly tipped for festival and future success. From pop musicals to Guantanamo Bay-based stories of friendship, there's much more to offer than rom-coms and directorial debuts this year at Sundance.

Camp X Ray promises big things from Stewart

Camp X-Ray will see Twilight's Kristen Stewart star in her latest attempt to cast off the shadows of her vampire-laden movie past, and it may be her best chance yet at establishing herself as a genuine acting talent. The film tells the story of a new Guantanamo Bay guard (Stewart) who befriends a detained terror suspect being held in the notorious army prison (Payman Maadi).

Two British movies are also generating their fair amount of pre-festival buzz also, with Frank and God Help the Girl tipped for acclaim. Frank will tell the story of the enigmatic Frank Sidebottom, played by Michael Fassbender, as told from the perspective of a wannabe musician (Domhnall Gleeson) who tries to join Frank's pop band. God Help the Girl is the debut film from a Belle & Sebastian's Stuart Murdoch and is a Glasgow-set pop musical that follows a trio of budding musician and features entirely new music composed and recorded by Murdoch in 2009.

Frank is one of the festival's most off-kilter debutants

Next Page: What else are people looking forward to?

Aaron Paul also features in one of the festival's most looked-forward to films; Hellion. The full-length version of Kat Candler's 2012 short film of the same name, which also debuted at Sundance, sees young newcomer Josh Wiggins play a rebellious youth acting out after the death of his mother while his father (Paul) can only grieve.

The most hotly-anticipated, non-big name comedy to potentially rock the festival is the satirical Dear White People, which looks to expose some racial identity issues as well as provide laughs (check out a behind the scenes clip above). Justin Simien was able to complete his first time directorial thanks to a fundraising campaign hosted on Indiegogo and the low budget comedy might be the biggest success story to emerge from the festival since Clerks in 1994.

Whilst it might not seem like it, the story of palaeontologist Peter Larson's discovery of Sue, the most complete T. Rex skeleton ever discovered, is one of the most fascinating stories to be adapted into a film to be released early this year. Dinosaur 13 was directed by Todd Miller and marks the occasion when Hollywood finally got hold of Larson's story, after numerous attempts over the years to turn his book Rex Appeal into a film.