'Mary and Max' to open Sundance

November 19, 2008 The Aussie feature debut of director Adam Elliot and producer Melanie Coombs, the team behind 2004's Oscar-winning animated short "Harvie Krumpet," will have its world premiere Jan. 15 in Park City, Utah. The tale spans two decades and is far from children's fare, covering such topics as autism, taxidermy, psychiatry, alcoholism, obesity and kleptomania. How such an offbeat project will fare in an indie film industry with feet of clay remains to be seen, but the opening night slot has traditionally helped films without domestic distribution attract industry attention.

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