12th Annual Slamdance Film Festival 2006 Kicks Off with US Premiere of Larry Clark's Film WASSUP ROCKERS

Hollywood - The Slamdance 2006 Film Festival kicks off on Thursday, January 19th with the US Premiere of writer/director Larry Clark‚s latest film WASSUP ROCKERS (First Look Studios, 2005, USA), a skateboarding odyssey about a group of Latino teens who leave their East Los Angeles neighborhood to explore the wilds of Beverly Hills. Larry Clark will appear in person with screenings of the film. The festival, once again headquartered at the Treasure Mountain Inn (255 Main Street), will take place January 19th - 27th, 2006, in Park City, Utah - coinciding with the Sundance Film Festival. Slamdance will expand further in Salt Lake City, to include film screenings, screenplay readings and events in Sugar House.

WASSUP ROCKERS made its World Premiere at 2005 Toronto International Film Festival. The film is a story based on real life experiences of a group of Latino (mostly Salvadorian and Guatamalan), teenagers who, instead of conforming to the hip hop culture of their gang infested neighborhood, wear their clothes tight (Ramones style), listen to (and play) punk rock and ride their skateboards. Constantly harassed for being different in their neighborhood, they have to fight to be themselves. One morning they take two City Buses into Hollywood to skate the famous "Nine Stairs" at Beverly Hills High that they always see in the popular skateboard videos. While there, they catch the attention of some rich white Beverly Hills girls - leading to trouble with the girls‚ boyfriends as well as the police. The police bust them simply because they‚re there ("you don't belong here") and they escape into Beverly Hills where they meet up with the girls and a variety of Beverly Hills characters, getting into really big trouble as they are chased by the police and residents. The boys have to get away and try to make their way to the (relative) safety of South Central.

Best known for his haunting portrayal of teen subculture in his photography books, "Tulsa and Teenage Lust," Larry Clark continues to be a significant figure in contemporary art. His work is included in important museum collections in the United States, Europe and Asia, including the Museum of Modern Art, Whitney Museum, MOCA LA, and the Frankfurt Museum für Moderne Kunst. Clark's groundbreaking first feature film, KIDS, was released in 1995 to critical acclaim. His sixth film is Wassup Rockers. He splits his time between New York and Los Angeles. 2006 Slamdance Film Festival is presented by Kodak and fox21.

Slamdance is a year-round organization dedicated to new artists from around the world. Started in 1995 by a group of upstart filmmakers, Slamdance Film Festival is a year-round organization dedicated to emerging artists and their vision. Slamdance has established a unique reputation for premiering independent films by first-time directors working with limited budgets. At the same time, the Festival has stayed true to its roots by being organized and programmed by active filmmakers. Slamdance films have been picked up for distribution, invited to festivals around the world, won Independent Spirit Awards, the Palme d'Or and an Academy Award, among many other accolades. Slamdance Film Festival alumni include "Memento" director Christopher Nolan (festival award winner "Following"), the Emmy Award winning Russo Brothers ("Pieces"), and "Monster's Ball" director Marc Forster (festival audience award winner "Loungers"). The 2005 Slamdance opening night film, "Mad Hot Ballroom," was acquired by Paramount Classics.

Slamdance has successfully established year-round ventures including the Screenplay Competition, Best Of Screenings in the U.S., Festival events in China and Poland, the Anarchy Online Film competition, the Dirty Dozen DVD Series (currently in its 7th volume), and short film productions dubbed $99 Specials. In 2004, Slamdance launched a teleplay competition in conjunction with fox21, the Guerilla Gamemaker Competition, and the Slamdance Media Group, a company comprised of distribution, development and talent-management units.