Sundance heads back to Brooklyn this Thursday, May 29, for ten days of screenings, performances and talks celebrating some of 2008’s best selections in Park City, Utah. This is the third year the Robert Redford-helmed fest has set up shop at BAM, and if you’ve never been, you’re missing an opportunity to catch amazing films way before their theatrical release dates, as well as post-screening panels with the filmmakers.

The biggest feature buzz this year is for Choke, the film version of Chuck Palahniuk’s twisted novel of the same name, starring Anjelica Huston and Sam Rockwell. Sadly, the Palahniuk superfans have already snatched up the tickets, but here’s the real secret of Sundance Institute at BAM: It’s the docs you wanna see, since most of the features (like Choke) are slated for wide release later this year. A lot of the documentaries — there are 12 total — will prove much harder to find down the road.

One of our favorite doc picks (which we got to preview) is The Order of Myths. Shot by Mobile, Alabama native Margaret Brown, the film follows the town’s elaborate and still racially segregated Mardi Gras festival.

We’re also intrigued by the mockumentary-seeming Anvil!, about the now-obscure Canadian metal band that influenced Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax, whose filmmaker worked as a roadie on their tour of hockey arenas (the Canucks even play a free post-screening show in BAMcafe). Made in America, by Dogtown and Z Boys director Stacy Peralta, traces the history of South Central L.A., from the Watts riots to the rise of the Crips. And Stranded is yet another, no doubt engrossing account of those Uruguayan rugby players who survived a crash in the Andes (in part by eating their teammates).

Quite a few great features have yet to sell out, too, like the acclaimed neo-stoner flick Smiley Face, starring funnygirl Anna Faris, and an award-winning sci-fi film, Sleep Dealer, set in the not-too-distant future where “node workers” in Mexico and elsewhere hook their minds and bodies to a central computer system that controls sophisticated ‘bots back in the States.

Since so many screenings have already sold out–next year we’ll preview Sundance at BAM sooner!–snatch tickets to any or all of the above now. And keep an eye on the site (here), since they may add second showings to select films.

Sent by Annaliese