So the day we traveled back to Florida, we flew out of the Salt Lake City airport. While waiting in the terminal at our gate, I happened to be sitting in front of one of the televisions showing the news. I started watching the coverage for one of those award shows where the celebrities come and all the media outlets go crazy. I thought to myself, why doesn’t Sundance get this kind of national coverage?

I thought about this some more and then I felt stupid for thinking Sundance should have been on that screen in the news. If it were, it would completely undermine the point of the point of the festival. Yes, Sundance is well known and gets plenty of recognition in print around the world. I mean, how else would it get such great directors, like Alexis Dos Santos of Unmade Beds, to fill the world cinema categories? But it still, somehow, maintains a quiet existence in a way. The kind of existence that allows filmmakers, actors, and their audiences to casually interact. Where else can you walk down the street in a small mountain town and run into the directors or the stars of the movies you just saw? (more…)

If you grow up in New York City or Los Angeles it is common to see famous people. It is even “proper” to act as if they aren’t important. You wouldn’t give them anymore attention then you would give anyone else. I never grew up in the city. For me, it is a weird concept knowing I am in a town that is now over populated with famous people. As much as this baffles and intrigues me, I would never approach the extremes of which some people are going.

I have seen crowds of people standing outside of restaurants waiting for actors to stop eating. I saw a mob of people run across the street to see Ashley Judd. Famous people are being bombarded while they eat; no wonder they don’t want to walk around. 

I understand that these people are “above” us, but I have a hard time understanding why we attack them. Yes my heart might have skipped a beat when I saw Dominic Cooper standing right next to me, and I thought it was cool to be sitting in the  same row as Chris Rock for The Informers, but I wasn’t freaking out. 

Yesterday, I was walking down the street and I saw the Mystery Team all standing there. Had I not been in a hurry, I would have stopped, said how I enjoyed their film, and continued walking. It makes sense to take pictures and ask questions while they are on stage, but when they are eating… personally, I think not. 

Even though I haven’t been star gazing, I have met a lot of amazing people. The first day I was in Park City, I wanted to explore the town. I ended up at coffee shop, writing (see Enslavement to 1,3,7-trimethylaxnthine to read what I thought of the place.) This place had minimal seating, so three people joined my table. Not understanding how communicative people are during Sundance, this surprised me. It ended up being a great first morning. One of them works in publicity and after finding out that I was a communication major, gave me his card and told me to contact him for an internship. 

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A few thoughts from some of the students who came to the festival in 2006 and 2008:

On why to go:

• “Sundance is not just about watching movies, traveling, or going on a vacation, but it’s about sharing an accomplishment.  It’s about sharing your love of movies with other people.  But most of all it’s about respecting the dreams that so many have worked so hard to pursue, produce, and accomplish, and that is why I am attending the festival.” (Emily Behrens, ‘08)
• “What draws me to watch an independent film is the fact that the film will touch me on some daringly real level….I watch independent films because there is a sense of truth that validates the lives we lead.” (Sharon Oegerle, ‘08)
• “Overall I am just hoping to see original and well made films that tell a great story while keeping me attracted to it without boring me.  And even if I don’t like any of the films I see I will still enjoy seeing how well these young film makers have done and to see what stories they have to tell.” (Bill Griswold, ‘08) (more…)