Sundance's NEXT Weekend Festival is happening right now in Los Angeles. It's like the sunny, West Coast little brother of the original Sundance Film Festival in Utah. Some of the greatest hits from last January's festival are playing, along with some new films and a handful of shorts. Two of VICE's short documentaries, Death of the American Hobo and The Only Record Store in Mauritania, will be featured in NEXT Weekend's YouTube Shorts screening on Friday. This is not our first time with films in the festival—Eddy Moretti and Shane Smith's feature, White Lightnin' , played at Sundance way back in 2009. But this is VICE's first entrance into the YouTube Shorts category.
YouTube Shorts highlights the creative storytellers and forward-thinking filmmakers using YouTube as a way to get their work out there. Our two contributions, one about the fading place for hobos in present-day America, and the other documenting our trip to Mauritania's best—and only—record store, have been viewed hundreds of thousands of times on YouTube, but this is the first time they will be blasted onto the big screen.
If you're in the LA area on Friday night, come by Sundance's Sunset Cinema at 5 PM and join the party.
More on the NEXT Weekend Festival here.
Buy tickets to see YouTube Shorts here.
Sundance Sunset Cinemas
8000 West Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90046