Institute History
Description
Napoleon is an outcast high school student in Idaho who spends his days drawing mythical beasts, duking it out with his fragile brother Kip, and avoiding his Uncle Rico, who is stuck in his “glory” days of high school football. When friends Deb and Pedro come into his life, the trio launch a campaign to elect Pedro for class president. Together, they must rely on their knowledge of cows, piñatas, and Napoleon’s surprise special talent in order to defeat the stuck-up frontrunner, Summer Wheatley. Sporting some sweet moon boots and relying on his illegal government ninja moves, Napoleon Dynamite seeks to become a new kind of hero.
In a modest film made with a ton of heart, Jon Heder gives a truly awe-inspiring performance as the titular character, while writer-director Jared Hess and his co-writer wife, Jerusha Hess, flesh out this world and its characters so brilliantly that it takes multiple viewings to truly savor the magnificence that is Napoleon Dynamite. Like all great comedies, the genius is in the details.
Since its premiere at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival in the U.S. Dramatic Competition almost 20 years ago, Napoleon Dynamite’s quirky humor and offbeat characters have sustained a lasting impact on pop culture, proliferating endless references in popular media and a steadfast following. The film’s brand-new restoration will debut at the upcoming Festival. The original 35mm cut negative was digitally scanned at a 4K resolution by Disney and Searchlight Pictures. All color and restoration work was also performed at 4K resolution, which was approved by the director, Jared Hess.
“Returning to Sundance with Napoleon Dynamite feels like a homecoming. When it premiered at the festival 20 years ago, we never anticipated the incredible reaction it would receive,” said Hess. “It’s always been a very personal film for Jerusha and me, so the love affair it’s had with audiences all these years continues to delight us. To commemorate its 20th anniversary, we are thrilled to screen this newly restored version of Napoleon Dynamite. The restoration team did an amazing job bringing to life new details from the original film’s negative that we’d never seen before. We can’t wait to share it!”
Park City screening will be followed by a conversation with screenwriter Jerusha Hess, actor Jon Heder, and more.
Digitally restored from a 4k scan of the original 35mm cut negative, supervised by director Jared Hess.
Screenings include closed and open captions.