Sundance Film Festival USA (and the movie "Win Win") coming to the Michigan Theater, with tickets on sale now

On January 27, 9 filmmakers and their films will be dispatched from Park City to cities across America, providing audiences the opportunity to experience screenings direct from the Festival in their hometown art houses and to engage in live conversation with Festival artists. An introduction video, featuring Robert Redford and highlights from the Festival, will precede the screenings.

The SFF film that will be screened at the Michigan Theater on January 27 is "Win Win," by director and screenwriter Tom McCarthy, based on the story by McCarthy and Joe Tiboni. In this world premiere film, when a disheartened attorney who's moonlighting as a high school wrestling coach stumbles across a star athlete, things seem to be looking up — that is, until the boy's mother shows up fresh from rehab and flat broke, threatening to derail everything. "Win Win" stars Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan, Bobby Cannavale, and Jeffrey Tambor.

(Also, there will be a special, post-SFF screening of Miguel Arteta's "Cedar Rapids," which was filmed locally, at the Michigan Theater on a date that's yet-to-be-determined. Stay tuned as more information become available about this screening.) Reserved seats for "Win Win" are priced at $15, and they first went on sale Friday, December 3 at 10 a.m. at Ticketmaster.com and all Ticketmaster outlets, including the Michigan Union Ticket Office. Charge by phone at 800-745-3000.

Participating SFF USA cities and their theatres are:

• Ann Arbor, Michigan: Michigan Theater • Boston, Massachusetts: Coolidge Corner Theatre • Chicago, Illinois: Music Box Theatre • Los Angeles, California: Vista Theater • Madison, Wisconsin: Sundance Cinemas Madison • Nashville, Tennessee: Belcourt Theatre • New York, New York: Brooklyn Academy of Music • San Francisco, California: Sundance Kabuki Cinemas • Seattle, Washington: Egyptian Theater

Sundance Film Festival president and founder Robert Redford explained, “The concept behind Sundance Film Festival USA is to ignite dialogue as people across the country engage in a collective film experience. It is an extension, really, of the work we have done for decades: supporting the independent voice, bringing artists to the table and inserting art more and more into the social context of how we live. We hope by speaking with artists about their work and experiencing the Festival as it is happening, audiences will be inspired to share opinions, discuss the key issues of our day and reflect on the role art plays in social change.”