In its nineteenth year, the Slamdance Film Festival appears to be pulling out all the stops, thanks to their recent announcement of a very impressive slate of Special Screenings and their all-new Slam Collective, launching at January’s fest. The list of Special Screenings includes a film that may very well be one of Slamdance’s most impressive bits of programming ever, the World Premiere of Philippe Caland‘s Vipaka,a mysterious project about karma with a cast that includes Forest Whitaker, Anthony Mackie, Mike Epps, and Sanaa Lathan. Listen up, Slamdancers, this is going to the hot ticket of the festival. We’re anxious for our tickets already! The festival has also announced the films that make up their new Slam Collective, a collaboration “between global filmmakers using innovative methods and shared experience.” This new section is “inspired by the idea that with digital technology, cameras, online distribution, like-minded filmmakers from different cultures across continents can embrace a basic concept and create several films with one unifying theme; the discovery of community.” This year’s inaugural Slam Collective features seven filmmakers from five different continents, all working to create one new documentary, comprised of their own linked documentary shorts. These titles join the festival’s already-announced Features lineup, which also appears to be packed with some gems-in-the-making. Check out the full list of Special Screenings and the Slam Collective films after the break!

In the spirit of truly independent film, the Slamdance Film Festival has just announced their feature lineup for their upcoming 2013 outing. The festival will screen 22 feature-length competition films (12 narratives and 10 documentaries), and all films come from first-time filmmakers (in their respective programs). Despite the flux of new talent, there are plenty of recognizable names that pop up within the lineup’s ranks, including Brea Grant, Michael Urie, Jesse Eisenberg, Mamie Gummer, Ralph Macchio, Natasha Lyonne, Ben Stiller, Gavin McInnes, Zach Galifianakis, Sarah Silverman, Patton Oswalt, Sean Conroy, Paul Provenza, and Marc Maron.  The festival will present awards to competition films in the following categories: Jury Award for Feature Doc, Jury Award for Narrative Feature, Audience Award for Feature Doc, Audience Award for Feature Narrative, and Filmmaker Award for Spirit of Slamdance. Kodak will present the Kodak Vision Award for Best Cinematography. Check out the full list of Slamdance features, complete with synopses and cast lists, after the break.