SUNDANCE 2009: THE VIEW FROM PARK CITY

Written by Amanda Salazar

So I made it, I am now in Park City. It is cold, but not as cold as everyone keeps saying. Maybe because I have experienced a good New York winter, I am pretty prepared for this, but the week ahead looks to be sunny and in the thirties. Nice.

Finally arriving, I am left thinking about what I will see-whether that will be on the silver screen or on the streets. I am certain that the filmmakers are just as nervous and excited for their screening as I am. I am on the other side of the camera, the one that writes about their screening, creating talk and knowledge for their independent film. Buzz is everything at Sundance, what people talk about will make the film take off or just be forgotten to the pages of the program.

The general public only gets a taste of what plays at Sundance, if that. There are the 64 featured films competing in different categories (Dramatic Feature, Documentary Feature, World Cinema, etc.) and they get a lot of the publicity, but what happens to the others? It is such an honor to be accepted at Sundance, that that is publicity in itself and some films have the star power to carry the film, no matter what the distribution. But what films are you really going to see out of this?

To give you an idea of what played last year and what you got a chance to see in the theaters, the following films might ring a bell:

Choke was up for Best Dramatic Competition at Sundance and had a limited release. The film featured Sam Rockwell and was based off of the book by Chuck Palahniuk, but did not win at the festival.

Man On Wire took home two awards, including World Cinema Audience Award Documentary and the Jury Prize for World Cinema Documentary. This film was also released, but limited and did not draw much attention at the box office although it has won a number of critical awards..

American Teen was in competition for Documentary Feature and did not win, but was also picked up and released. The marketing campaign worked very well for this film, but this is with the help of the controversy around the way the movie was filmed.

Frozen River won the ultimate award, The Grand Jury Prize for dramatic feature, but still it was not widely seen in theaters after its release.

If you have not heard of any of these titles, you are not alone. For those that you do recognize, you most likely saw these films at art houses or independent movie theaters. But this is the life of an indie film, the life of indies outside of festivals. Festival goers come to see movies that you cant find anywhere else, to get something different than Hollywood. Unfortunately, we don’t see enough.

So whether or not you end up seeing some of the films that I will be talking about, this is what I am seeing, what interests me. I hope to expose you to things that are not specifically spotlighted, but at the same time, I will keep you up to date on what everyone is talking about. It’s time to create our own buzz.

3…2…1…Sundance!

Written by Amanda Salazar

Three days left until the kick off of Sundance Film Festival 2009. Three days to soak in this beautiful Southern California weather. Three days to pack every warm piece of clothing I have, three days to catch up on sleep, and three days left to prepare my schedule of films.

This will be my first trip to the festival. If it is as crazy as everyone keeps telling me, I am slightly frightened, but definitely excited. I keep getting advice from anyone that has attended on what to expect, but even with all of this preparation, I am anxious to finally get to Park City.

Since I can remember, it has been a dream of mine to go to Sundance. It is hard to explain why, but as a film-school graduate and genuine lover of movies, it has become this engrained desire to make it to the small city to watch the films and mingle with filmgoers like myself.

With everything that I have been told, apparently this year it will be a different Sundance — reflecting our economic state. But then again, I have nothing to compare it to. Perhaps there will not be as many vendors, or free gifts, or fancy parties. But the films are there; in fact with over 3600 features submitted to the festival, the program will go on.

Last night’s Golden Globe ceremony proved that this might be another year for the independent filmmaker. Slumdog Millionaire won big, taking home four awards, including Best Dramatic Picture and Best Director for Danny Boyle. Another underdog picture and actor, Mickey Rourke won the award for Best Actor in a Drama for The Wrestler. With indies taking top awards, this could be foreshadowing for what is to come and what is to be picked up by the distributors, making Sundance even that more exciting.

Luckily, being that I will already be in Park City, I will also be attending films and events at Slamdance. This film festival will be in its 15th year and it is a festival that works with first-time independent filmmakers. Again this will be another first and I can’t wait to tell you more about my experiences at both.

Basically, I am so excited that I might pee myself. For the next few weeks, I will be writing about what it is really like from someone that has just entered the film industry, as a first-timer that simply wants to share with others that truly love this industry. Paired with reviews of films that I have seen, I hope to document everything that is Sundance and Slamdance- from films to parties to music and everything in between.

In my final days before I leave I would like to congratulate the filmmakers that are showing their films. For those that are attending, I will see you there. In just three days, my dream will come true. Man, that feels great.