Here’s our take on Sundance with some pictures to follow

The Sundance Film Festival has been a learning experience for me in many ways, good and bad. I got to meet many of the celebrities that I had only seen in movies or heard about. Many of them were nice and down-to-earth individuals, who would engage in conversations and would answer any questions that one could have about their movie or performance. However, I also met some who were really snobbish and would completely ignore people who were just willing to talk to them or ask them any sort of questions. This gave me a better outlook on the lives of these individuals and how extreme their personalities could be, just like normal people. I also had the opportunity to interact with some upcoming directors and filmmakers, such as Kanji Nakajima (Clone Returns Home) and Ross Katz (Taking Chance), who had made an impact on me with their respective movies. I heard about the difficulties and experiences that they had in making these independent movies, and was able to experience a different side to cinema that is often overshadowed by mainstream movies.

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Park City during Sundance Film Festival

It’s cold, it’s crowded, and it’s fantastic: welcome to the Sundance Film Festival. From catching shuttles to meeting celebs, I have had a very different and wonderful experience in Park City. The independent film industry has its own share of celebrities and it really surprised me to see some of the big stars attending their premieres to packed cinema houses. I got to see Kevin Bacon from literally two feet away and shook hands with Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor, aside from meeting some of the upcoming independent filmmakers. What I observed was that they were just normal people, like us, who were good – if not great – at their professions. During many Q and A sessions, I would see them joke around with one another just like we would with our classmates or friends. Getting over my initial hype of meeting stars, I met some people who worked behind the scenes for many hours, in order to bring this unique film festival to the world. I was able to meet volunteers at bus stations, staff members at theaters, and even strike up an occasional conversation with the person behind the snack stand at some theater. Not only were they excited about the film festival and had their experiences to share, they all really wanted to be here at Sundance. I have never seen such enthusiasm before and it definitely rubbed of on me, making me even more excited to be attending the festival.

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