Sundance Institute announces Riley Keough, Jena Malone movie ‘Lovesong’ as NEXT FEST opener

The Sundance Institute has announced that the Riley Keough and Jena Malone movie “Lovesong” will kick off the Sundance NEXT FEST next month in LA. 

The Sundance Institute has announced that the upcoming Riley Keough movie “Lovesong” will kick off the Sundance NEXT FEST next month.
© AFP PHOTO / ALBERTO PIZZOLI

The news of the opener and lineup for the festival, which will take place August 12-14, was announced by the Sundance Institute on Thursday.

Directed by So Yong Kim, “Lovesong” follows the friendship between Sarah and Mindy, who after an impromptu road trip together are forced apart by unforseen circumstances. Years later, Sarah attempts to rebuild their intimate relationship in the days leading up to Mindy’s wedding.

Film fans can also expect to see an array of new movies and emerging music artists at the event, as well as the Los Angeles premieres of six new independent films taken from the 2016 Sundance Film Festival held in Park City, Utah.

Commenting on the program for this year Trevor Groth, Director of Programming for the Sundance Film Festival, said, “Sundance NEXT FEST has become a summer staple for independent film and music fans in Los Angeles who want to experience what’s new and next in culture. This is our biggest and weirdest lineup to date, and I can’t wait for people to see what we’ve dreamt up this year.”

Sundance NEXT FEST will take place at The Theatre at Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles. Tickets are priced $15-25 and go on sale to Sundance Institute members on Thursday and for the general public on Friday, July 8 at sundance.org/next.