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(Photos courtesy THINKFilm)

Yes, the man who gave us Off the Black is back, and in finalist form. Athens native James Ponsoldt, whose previous work created a buzz early in 2007, has been named one of 12 finalists for the 2008 Sundance/NHK International Filmmakers Award for his latest script, Refresh, Refresh. (NHK is the Japanese Broadcasting Corporation.) The award nurtures rising filmmakers around the world, with four winners plucked respectively from Europe, Latin America, the United States and Japan. The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony for the upcoming Sundance Film Festival, which runs from Jan. 17-27 in Park City, Utah.

Each winner gets a $10,000 prize along with a deal with the NHK, sealing Japanese TV broadcast rights after the project’s done. Sundance will collaborate with the winners throughout the year to help bring their projects to the silver screen.

Previous winners include Walter Salles (Central Station) and Miranda July (Me and You and Everyone We Know).

Here’s the description provided for Refresh, Refresh: “A desperate man’s attempt at deliverance while trying to perform a miracle fails and results in the death of a young boy. Recently released from prison, the man returns to the same small town where now his own child has fallen ill.”

The critical response to Off the Black, starring Nick Nolte (pictured, at right), fell somewhere between generally positive to mixed. Check out the range of reviews the film received here on Rotten Tomatoes. Ponsoldt discussed his film with Felicia Feaster last January. If you missed its run in Atlanta back then, it was released on DVD in April. Here’s a trailer of the film for the visually curious.

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