We had all admired Benh Zeitlin’s short, GLORY AT SEA, sent to us a couple years ago by filmmaker, journalist, and MFF alum Michael Tully.
But, even that couldn’t prepare me for Benh’s first feature, BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD, premiering here. It came out of the Sundance Labs and was written by Dudley Clendenin’s niece, Lucy Alibar (Dudley has ALS and has been doing that remarkable WYPR series with Tom Hall. I didn’t know about his connection to Lucy and the film until I got emails from him here after I’d seen the film).
Mythic and visually indescribable, the movie deals with the profoundest issues of family and our dangerous disconnect from nature. Anchored by an amazing performance by non actor Quvenzhane Wallis, who is 8 or 9, it is too audacious to be an easy sell. I pray we can show to you in May. It is why Sundance was invented.
–Jed Dietz
Image from Benh Zeitlin's 2012 Sundance film, BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD
Maryland Film Festival Blog 
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