( The Frisky ) -- Yesterday independent film 's glitterati bundled up in their sweaters and ear muffs for the start of the Sundance Film Festival . And since we all know that today 's Sundance movies are tomorrow 's breakout hits and the movies we 'll all be betting on come next year 's award season , here are eight movies on the lineup that have me salivating . Here 's hoping they 'll be in theaters soon . `` Project Nim '' : Back in the 1970s , scientists conducted an experiment an a young chimp named Nim . If they raised him like a human , would he learn to communicate using sign language ? In this doc , brought to you by the guy who made the amazing `` Man on Wire , '' you 'll find out how it went down -- and say `` awwww '' a bunch . `` Meek 's Cutoff '' : We adore Michelle Williams and this movie sets her on the Oregon trail in 1845 . It 'll be a quiet movie , but we predict that with Michelle in the lead , bonnets will become the new cool girl thing to wear . `` Higher Ground '' : Vera Farmiga is n't just one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood , in my humble opinion -- she 's also the smartest . This flick is her directorial debut , about a woman who spends 20 years in a fundamentalist commune and finally decides to leave . `` The Future '' : We love Miranda July , so will forgive the fact that the plot of her new movie -- a 30-something couple slowly falls apart -- sounds an awful lot like `` Blue Valentine , '' only with brown , curly hair rather than blondes . We also hear that it 's narrated by a cat ? `` My Idiot Brother '' : We 're still so glad that Paul Rudd 's beard was grown for a movie and not just because . In this comedy , Paul stars as the slacker brother of three uber-ambituous sisters , played by Elizabeth Banks , Zooey Deschanel , and Emily Mortimer . `` The Greatest Movie Ever Sold '' : Morgan Spurlock , the man who ate Big Macs for science in `` Super Size Me , '' takes on the world of product placement in this new doc . The twist ? The movie is funded by the products you see in it . `` Like Crazy '' : Long-distance relationships are rough . Like , really hard . This movie , which already has some great buzz going , tells the story of a young couple that meets in college and then has to split when one of them has to return to the UK . `` Red State '' : Kevin Smith 's publicity stunt for his new religious horror film is ... that he wo n't be doing any publicity for it . Oh , and he 'll be auctioning off the rights . Put in a bid on Sunday . TM & © 2010 TMV , Inc. | All Rights Reserved .
`` Project Nim '' is about scientists who conducted an experiment an a young chimp . `` Meek 's Cutoff '' sets Michelle Williams on the Oregon trail in 1845 . In `` My Idiot Brother , '' Paul Rudd stars as the slacker brother of three sisters .