Bleak view... but hopeful?

Having now seen an entire Sundance Film Festival, I think I can say that unfortunately the soulless minions of commercialism have won out. I hoped to find that underneath the celebrities and the flashy graphics and sponsors the festival was still about a love of films, and the freedom of independent films. Unfortunately I don't really think that's the way it is any more. Time and again I would tell people I didn't have anything to do with the film industry, and time and again they would respond, oh my goodness, are you just here because you love movies? They themselves were of course there to network. Sundance is as if the entire greater Los Angeles area has gone on vacation together, and brought some friends from New York along for the ride. When you walk down Main Street your bound to pass at least ten clubs, many set up by the festival it's self, which are sure to have signs up telling you you're not nearly rich or famous enough to enter. Thankfully it's still possible to talk to some people who really do enjoy films and are there for the movies; however, there are a great deal of people in attendance for less noble reasons. There are the rich kids who get mommy and daddy to send them along to Sundance so they can ski with their rich friends and buy their way into their rich parties. Also there are journalists, who rather than show the world all of the wonderful movies, instead talk about the antics of the celebrities and the idle rich. You can recognize these people by their incredible haircuts that move not an inch in the wind and the boom mike and camera that follow in their wake. The people to talk to are the ones that wait with you in line for three hours. Those surprisingly few fans that can be found paging through the Sundance guide continually with a grin on their faces. These are my favorite people, and these are the people that Sundance should really be for.