There is a certain poetic justice in the fact that Park City’s defunct Blockbuster video rental location on Iron Horse Drive has been reincarnated as a central hub for Sundance’s New Frontier program — the festival’s annual exhibition of the very latest in media technology.

In the re-purposed space where local residents once picked through bins of VHS tapes, Sundance attendees will be immersed in augmented- and virtual-reality experiences, some of which are also enhanced with artificial intelligence and biometric feedback.

Blockbuster may have been slow to catch the tide of technological changes in the entertainment industry, but Sundance has been quick to adopt, and nurture, emerging trans-media platforms.

In the 1990s, a handful of universities were tinkering with virtual-reality headsets and haptic gear, but it wasn’t until 2012 when Sundance’s New Frontier curator Shari Frilot enlisted Nonny de la Peña and Michaela Kobsa-Markto to bring their nascent VR project to Park City that the film industry really began to pay attention.

Legend has it that the headset cobbled together for de la Peña’s project spurred a Kickstarter campaign that became the foundation for the company Oculus Rift, which shortly thereafter sold to Facebook for $2 billion. These days, virtual reality is a hot trend among gamers, artists, engineers and scientists.

“That really revolutionized the field and sparked the incarnation of VR,” said Frilot during a pre-festival phone interview.

Since those first motion-sickness-inducing excursions into the world of immersive entertainment, Sundance’s New Frontier fans have watched the technology become more refined — and the lines to participate in the program grow longer. Artists have simulated experiences as varied as hunkering down in a bomb-stricken war zone, traversing the tundra with Mongolian yak herders, being reborn as a tree in the jungle and exploring the depths of outer space.

[swift-infobox title=”Virtual reality at Sundance”]

Here are a few highlights recommended by Frilot:

Most unusual:
Antiquated
Esperpento (digital puppetry)
Mechanical Souls
Political
Traveling While Black
Ashe68
Ghost Fleet
Science-themed
Aquarela
Last Whisperers
Rocket Man 360
Most Eye-catching
The Dial
Likely to be most talked about
Traveling While Black
Aquarela
Esperpento

[/swift-infobox]

In the meantime, Oculus and countless spinoff companies have captured the imagination of video gamers and brought virtual- and augmented-reality into the mainstream cultural lexicon.

Still, Frilot, who spends the months between festivals searching the globe for new boundary-shattering art forms, says the landscape is evolving at an ever-increasing pace.

“Every work in the program this year comes from a moment of being surprised and knocked off my feet,” she said. “I see so much work and travel all over the place, it’s those works that take my breath away that hit the list. … It is a really special year, these artists are inventing new ways to express themselves.”

According to Frilot, the sizable space at 950 Iron Horse Drive, plus the lower level at The Ray venue, which came online last year, allow for more and bigger installations. Importantly, it will also include a bigger lounge, in her eyes an important interactive social space for the festival’s eclectic assortment of artists and audiences.

In all, this year’s New Frontier program lists approximately 31 titles — one of the biggest lineups in New Frontier’s tenure. Some are short VR or AR experiences that require headsets and take viewers on a variety of journeys inside a unique story’s environment. For those fluent in New Frontier terminology, they are described using words like: projection mapping, interactive, multiuser, immersive-theatre play and AI (artificial intelligence).

But not all require wearable technology. There are three films and several exhibits that according to the catalog employ: immersive light displays, magical reality and pre-cinematic stereo imaging.

The New Frontier venues include:

•An ongoing series of displays and performances at New Frontier Central open to all credentialed Sundance attendees.

•Ticketed exhibitions at The Ray (short VR and AR experiences sold in 90-minute blocks)

•Four films that will be presented at a variety of Sundance venues.

For a list of specific artists, times and locations go to: https://www.sundance.org/festivals/sundance-film-festival/program.

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Among the torrent of feature-length premieres and competition entries at the Sundance Film Festival each year, the shorts often get lost in the melee. And that is unfortunate — there are some gems hidden there. One of the standouts from this year’s animation category is the stunning 9-minute narrative “Hedgehog’s Home,” directed by Eva Cvijanović.

The painstakingly crafted characters inhabit a magical world of needle-felted wool where they spin a timeless Croatian fable. The story is one that Cvijanović loved when she was growing up in Sarajevo, Bosnia, and that took on new meaning when a brutal ethnic war forced her family to immigrate to Canada.

“I had a happy childhood until the conflict broke out in 1992. We were completely in it, we didn’t have school, we didn’t have electricity for months,” she remembers.

Her family’s struggle was intensified because of her parents’ mixed heritage.

“My mom married a person from a different background so there was a lot of animosity toward us,” she said. 

Cvijanović, her mom and sister were forced to leave the city without her father, but even after escaping Sarajevo to live in her mother’s tiny village, they experienced discrimination.

“It was difficult being an unwanted refugee in a place my mom was from,” she said.

In 1996 the family was reunited and moved to Montreal, but the warm, fuzzy tale of her home in the Balkans was still brewing in Cvijanović’s imagination and helped to motivate her toward a career in filmmaking.

The opportunity to finally bring her characters to life came about after earning spot in a program for young filmmakers offered by the National Film Board of Canada. Based on a one-minute submission, the NFB signed on to produce Hedgehog’s Home.

However, Cvijanović says she still had a number of hurdles to surmount. Her 2-D animation skills were affirmed, but her vision for Hedgehog required elaborate 3-D stop-motion expertise. For that, she turned to Bonobo Studios, based in Zagreb, Croatia.

Working with Bonobo’s animators also gave Cvijanović another chance to go home.

Working in Zagreb was more affordable, plus “from the start I wanted to include that region in the making of the film. I still have family there, and it was nice to be there with them.”

The entire process, from building the sets and puppets to orchestrating the minute motions of each character, took a full year, she said. Along the way, she and the team devised ways to create the seamless illusion of live action. 

Thanks to their commitment to perfection, down to subtle facial expressions, blowing fur and a race through the woods to Hedgehog’s home, Cvijanović ensures that a beloved part of Croatia’s pre-war culture — and a sweet reminder about the importance having a sense of home —  will be accessible to future generations.

Prior to Sundance, “Hedgehog’s Home” won a special recognition award at the Berlin International Film Festival. Cvijanović said she is hoping the film will be released to the public soon.

For more information and a peek at the film go to: https://vimeo.com/246865828.

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“Born out of rejection, Slamdance’s artist-led group continues to discover cutting-edge talent creating work outside of convention,” said Slamdance co-founder and President, Peter Baxter. “Our 2018 competition lineup is daring, varied, and vivid — it represents the spirit of our time and leads us into the future.”

All films were selected from blind submissions by a team of Slamdance alumni and are programmed democratically. Jury and Audience Awards are presented for the Best Narrative Feature and Best Documentary Feature.  

“This year’s special screenings at Slamdance are not about movie stars, big-name filmmakers or hot trending topics. They share the common theme of humanity —highlighting issues of disability, mental health, the resonance of friendship and the extraordinary resilience of human beings,” said Paul Rachman, Slamdance co-conspirator and special screenings programmer.

“From the extraordinary power of one man’s determination to prove himself in Lisa France’s ‘Roll With Me’ to the reliance and trust we put in the animals and pets we share the earth within Dana Nachman’s ‘The Pick of the Litter,’ where dogs learn to lead the blind into a more fulfilling life. The message is clear — we are all here to help each other.”

Additionally, a major new Festival award has been launched. Alumni Anthony and Joe Russo (“Welcome To Collinwood,” “Captain America: Civil War”) have partnered with Slamdance to further develop the mission of the artist-led organization with their inaugural Russo Fellowship award. The award winner will receive a $25,000 cash prize and mentorship from Joe and Anthony in the development of the winner’s next project at the brothers’ new Los Angeles-based studio. Every participating filmmaker at the 2018 festival is eligible for this prize. The award will be presented annually to a new recipient at the Slamdance Film Festival.

“The Russo brothers exemplify our ‘by filmmakers for filmmakers’ paradigm,” said Baxter. They are joined by a great number of dedicated alumni who’ve shown when it comes to recognizing talent and launching careers, Slamdance’s independent and grassroots film community really can do it themselves.”

Established in 1995, Slamdance is dedicated to discovering and supporting new talents in independent filmmaking. In addition to the Russo Brothers, notable Slamdance alumni include: Christopher Nolan (“Dunkirk,” “Interstellar”), Oren Peli (“Paranormal Activity”), Bong Joon Ho (“Snowpiercer”), Lena Dunham (“Girls”), Azazel Jacobs (“The Lovers”), and Benh Zeitlin (“Beasts of the Southern Wild”).

In November 2015, Slamdance announced DIG (Digital, Interactive & Gaming), a new digital, interactive and gaming showcase dedicated to emerging independent artists working in hybrid, immersive and developing forms of digital media art.

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Screenshots of Sundance-related offerings on Amazon (top) and Netflix (below). (Courtesy of Nan Chalat Noaker)

Not everyone is lucky enough to score a film festival ticket. Even those who do can’t possibly take in all of the whirlwind events Sundance has to offer over its 10-day run in Park City. (This year’s fare includes 121 features, 69 shorts, plus special events, panels and more than a dozen virtual and augmented reality experiences!)

That’s OK. Breathe. Even if you are ticketless, take a dip in the festival frenzy: hop on the bus, mosey down Main Street, grab a stool at the coffee shop. Listen to the vibe, ask a stranger what they’ve seen, what they liked, or hated. Jot it down. And take some comfort in knowing that many of the films will return online.

Unlike the past, when little-known independent gems slipped from the screen after Sundance, never to be seen again, it is now possible to find many past winners and even cult favorites online. Several streaming services, like Netflix and Amazon, now have sections devoted to Sundance films. The Sundance Institute website also has a guide for finding fledgling films from past festivals.

The trick is knowing what titles to look for. If you happen to be your household’s designated entertainment captain this list may help. But be forewarned: part of the fun of choosing an independent film is not knowing what to expect. Be prepared to take the brunt of criticism if a film turns out to be “too weird” for your spouse or teens and take pride in the fact that you are broadening their horizons.

*A note of caution, though: independent films are not always rated for age-appropriate content. While many are kid-friendly, some tackle mature topics without traditional audience filters. Buyer beware.

Screenshots of Sundance-related offerings on Amazon (top) and Netflix (below). (Courtesy of Nan Chalat Noaker)

Where to look:

Films are listed by year and where each one is available online. There are also capsule descriptions and links to the MPAA ratings where available.

For devoted Sundance fans, the Sundance Institute has its own streaming service that is compatible with just about every device from Apple TV to Xbox One, including Chromecast and Roku. The cost is $4.99 per month or $59.99 annually and a student discount is also available.

Netflix:

If you have a Netflix subscription, type ‘Sundance” in the search bar and you will find several categories, including “Sundance Film Festival Award Winning Movies.” There are also subheads for Sundance Dramas and Sundance Documentaries.

Amazon:

Amazon’s video streaming service also has a Sundance section — many of the titles are even available for Prime members — a bonanza for adventuresome home movie watchers.

iTunes:

On your account, go to the store, select movies and in the search bar type in “Sundance.” iTunes has an especially abundant selection of World Cinema Documentaries and Dramas.

Google Play:

If you are an Android user, Google Play will take you to a world of Sundance films and epic features. Just type Sundance into the search bar.

Most of these services offer films to buy or rent. Expect to see a $3 to $5 charge on your credit card for a one-night rental.

What to watch:

OK, you probably already have a favorite way to stream — and a favorite spot on the couch. But what to watch? Here are a few suggestions. There are no guarantees you will like them all, but you are sure to be fascinated and when the last reel is packed up at the end of this year’s Sundance film festival, there will soon be more to choose from.

Documentaries

Nobody Speak

A riveting documentary about the far-reaching implications of the Hulk Hogan versus Gawker trial on free speech. The film depicts the origins of the attacks on the media during the 2016 campaign season.

Icarus

A fascinating documentary film about performance-enhancing doping among Olympic-level athletes with an uncanny plot twist that ties into today’s news headlines.

The Eagle Huntress

A young Kazakh girl bucks tradition to become the first female competitor in an age-old contest using trained eagles to hunt for prey. The images of the stark Mongolian landscape are awesome.

The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom

An elegant short film about the aftermath of the Tsunami in Japan.

Chasing Coral

Another stunning documentary about environmental degradation by the makers of Chasing Ice (also worth renting).

Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World

A great music documentary about the unheralded role that Native American musicians played in the development of rock and roll.

Last Men in Aleppo

A World Cinema grand prize winner for the heroic volunteers who rescue bombing victims in Syria. Like many of Sundance’s best documentaries, the film turns black and white headlines into compelling human stories.

Blood Brother

An idealist resolves his career crisis by volunteering to work in an orphanage for children with AIDS and his best friend goes along to film the experience. Sounds hard to watch but the warmth of the characters’ hearts won over Sundance audiences in 2013.

Life Animated

A New York Times reporter turns his lens on his own family and their experience raising an autistic child. Hopeful and heartwarming.

Sonita

An Afghan teen rebels against her culture by composing rap music about her country’s complicit role in forced child marriages. An inspiring role model for young women.

Crash Reel

This 2013 documentary features the high stakes risks taken by competitive athletes in extreme sports and centers on the recovery of an Olympic snowboarder who was injured while training in Park City.

Dramas

Captain Fantastic

Viggo Mortenson charmed Sundance audiences in 2015 as an eccentric dad coping with the death of his wife while trying to raise their children in a decidedly nontraditional fashion.

Whiplash

The 2014 story about a talented drummer and his maniacal teacher (played by J.K. Simons) earned first-time feature filmmaker Damien Chazelle a Grand Jury award. The talented director went on to create the multiple Academy Award-winning “LaLa Land.”

In a World

A breakout role for Lake Bell as a voice-over actress, the film won an audience award in Park City.

Deidra and Laney Rob A Train

A pitch-perfect comedy with excellent young actors. And it was filmed in Utah so locals will have fun checking out the scenery.

The Big Sick

A heartwarming romance about bridging cultural divides, about family and hope.

The Last Word

A treat for Shirley MacLain fans — invite mom over for popcorn and some intergenerational bonding.

Ain’t Them Bodies Saints

An intense tale of a crime, revenge and romance, with excellent acting by Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara.

Fruitvale Station

Based on a true story, the film was ahead of its time depicting police brutality and racial violence.

The post Host your own ‘Couchfest’: Streaming films online appeared first on Park Record.

Jared Ruga knows how it feels to be an outsider in a predominantly conservative society. But he is humbled knowing the obstacles he faces are small compared to the life-and-death challenges encountered by Salt Lake City’s gay community in the 1980s.

Three years ago, Ruga, a media and entertainment financial consultant, was approached by the University of Utah library to help fund a special collection about two women who were the only medical professionals in the state willing to care for AIDS patients in that era.

Ruga was just a preschooler when Dr. Kristen Ries and her assistant Maggie Snyder began caring for Utah’s first AIDS patients and was likely unaware of the tragic consequences of the epidemic as it was unfolding. But as a gay man in 2015, he understood the extraordinary courage it must have taken to defy the fear and bigotry that caused many of those patients — especially in Utah’s predominantly Mormon culture — to be cast aside in that dark time.     

“I didn’t grow up LDS, but I did grow up in Salt Lake City and I know what it feels like to grow up an outsider who doesn’t belong,” said Ruga. “So, to take my experience and amplify that by watching friends dying on top of being an outsider … I couldn’t believe they were able to create that sense of community.

“What Dr. Ries and Maggie did, besides offering world-class medical care when they couldn’t get it from anyone else, was they created an extended family when many of these people were exiled from the entire community. It is something I yearned for as a kid growing up here,” he explained.         

From that perspective, Ruga became determined to share Ries and Snyder’s story with as wide an audience as possible. So he called family friend and noted Utah documentary filmmaker Jenny Mackenzie.

According to Mackenzie, the story struck a familiar chord, though for different reasons.

“I went to high school and college in the 1980s in New York City. My parents were in the theater world: dad was an actor and TV director, mom was a playwright and college professor and they lost many of their friends to the AIDS epidemic early on. They were both very liberal and active politically.”

Following in their footsteps, Mackenzie turned to filmmaking, in particular documentaries that focus on health care and social activism. Ruga’s pitch fit perfectly in her wheelhouse. But, she told him that before making a commitment she needed to meet the subjects.

“We went to their house for tea and I just instantly fell in love with them,” she said.

In addition to sharing their dramatic memories, Mackenzie said Ries and Snyder had kept detailed scrapbooks of the political and social tumult surrounding the AIDS crisis.

“They have about 25 to 30 four-inch, three-ring binders with every single ribbon from the walk, flyers from events, invitations, notes from patients, from patients’ lovers, from patients’ families and newspaper clippings. A lot of our time together was spent getting to know them and diving into this history,” said Mackenzie.

The scrapbooks, especially their cascading pages of obituaries, helped the filmmakers illustrate the desperate circumstances Ries and Snyder and their patients faced.

In the film, Snyder laments, “I counted those deaths for quite a while. When it when it got to be 500 I just couldn’t count anymore, it was too painful.”

Despite the early despair, the film’s central theme is a celebration of Ries and Snyder’s success. Through interviews with former patients and current Utah politicians, the filmmakers underscore their extraordinary compassion and commitment.

The result, “Quiet Heroes,” earned a spot on this year’s Sundance program and will hit home with audiences who lived through the AIDS crisis. It will no doubt revive memories of the disease’s devastating effect on the arts community and the way the gay community rallied to overcome it. But it might surprise many of them to learn that two of that battle’s champions were based right here in Utah.

According to Mackenzie, “In a way, Utah is a character in the film. The conservative monoculture in the 1980s is very significant to this story. The political aspects are so important because history repeats itself and right now we are in a massive crisis for marginalized communities. They continue to see challenges from the current administration and they are very vulnerable.”

Ruga believes the film is more relevant than ever, and carries an important message for his contemporaries in the gay community.

“This is a story about how the community rallied around its own to protect them and I think having that story of hope and resilience will really resonate today. Also, I don’t want AIDS to be forgotten. Transmission rates are flat or on the rise, depending on the demographic and we are not that much closer to a cure than we were 30 years ago, we have great drugs to manage it but we are not good at curing it or preventing it.

“What’s crazy for me is we are talking about things that happened 20-30 years ago, but many of those issues are still unresolved. LGBT equality is not fully realized yet, AIDS is still not cured, we’ve got a healthcare system that still lets people die unnecessarily because of bureaucracy and these were all challenges that Maggie and Kristen faced when they were in practice.”

“Quiet Heroes”

Sundance Documentary Premiere  //  Director: Jenny Mackenzie, Co-Directors: Jared Ruga, Amanda Stoddard, Producers: Jenny Mackenzie, Jared Ruga, Amanda Stoddard

Screenings:

• Sunday, Jan. 21 at 6:30 p.m. at the Rose Wagner Auditorium in Salt Lake City
• Tuesday, Jan. 23 at noon at The Egyptian Theatre in Park City
• Friday, Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. at the Holiday Village Cinema 4 in Park City

The post Film honors a heroic AIDS physician in Salt Lake City appeared first on Park Record.

The vacant building shoehorned into the elbow of the Holiday Village shopping area in Park City used to be a popular spot to buy socks, soccer balls and snowboards. But when the old Sports Authority location reopens as “The Ray” during the Sundance Film Festival, locals will hardly recognize it. One of Park City’s first ski shops has been converted into a state-of-the art theater.

The festival’s newest venue will house a 500-seat cinema, a black box theater and an exhibition space for many of this year’s New Frontier virtual and augmented reality exhibitions.

“I am so profoundly proud of this venue,” said Sundance’s Technical Director Holden Payne. “It will really show off the filmmakers’ work in the way it is meant to be shown.”

With more than 50 surround speakers Payne adds, “It’s basically 3D sound.” In addition to the Dolby Atmos technology, brand new high back seats and  “the biggest screen we could fit in there,” Payne unabashedly claims, “there won’t be a bad seat in the house.”

The stadium seating flows upward from where the store’s old cash registers were located, to the mezzanine where snow boots and sneakers could often be found on sale. The projection booth sits high above the back row and the walls on all sides are studded with impressive banks of high tech speakers. In December, the sounds of construction workers still hard at work were swallowed up by the sound-absorbing insulation that Payne says will heighten the whole experience.

“It’s a very dead room so we can control the sound in a very compelling and amazing way,” he said.

The theater has a 4K digital projector but is also equipped with 35mm equipment enabling Sundance to screen rare archival films without damaging the prints.

“I think it is going to be one of the best rooms to see a film anywhere,” he said.

The old ski sharpening and waxing area has been reserved for many of the festival’s New Frontier offerings including digital and augmented reality exhibitions and panel discussions. Visitors will be ushered in the middle door and down the stairs to the Black Box, a spacious lounge and individual artist spaces.

“It is bigger than the Claimjumper, where New Frontier was previously housed, but it is still very intimate,” said Sundance Operations Director Tina Graham, who spent much of the holiday season overseeing final touches on The Ray. “We are making a permanent space for the program to land.”

Sundance has leased the location for five years with two options to renew, but there are no immediate plans to keep the venue open beyond the festival. “We will take a step back and evaluate it and see what the city will allow us to do,” she said.

In the meantime, festival-goers should make a special effort to attend at least one screening at the new venue and take a swing through New Frontier while they are there.

The post Sundance lifts the curtain on a new venue appeared first on Park Record.

According to former Park City Mayor Jack Thomas, the first inkling that the stars were about to align came in the form of a call from a real star: Robert Redford.

After a particularly bad bout of festival-related traffic congestion, Thomas said Redford called City Hall to learn more about the event’s impacts on the community and how they could be mitigated. The founder of the Sundance Institute and its annual film festival drove around the city with staffers, met with council members and fielded questions. A few months later, Thomas was invited to Redford’s resort for a follow-up visit.

According to Thomas, they chatted about their mutual love of skiing and about Utah’s beautiful scenery.

“Of course, our backgrounds are very different, but there are some parallels,” said Thomas. Among them, they are both married to women from Germany, which touched off a discussion about the Bauhaus movement in the city of Weimar after World War I. For Thomas, a noted artist and local architect, the famous school exemplified how a small community could influence arts and culture around the world.

The topic resonated with Redford.

“In our discussion, Redford mentioned he’d love to have a permanent home in Park City,” said Thomas, who lamented that once the festival closes each year, Sundance’s presence on the local landscape largely disappears.

“I said that would be totally appropriate and I’d be very excited about Park City becoming more than what we are and expanding on arts and creativity,” Thomas said.

At the same time, another of Park City’s major arts organizations was also looking for a home. The Kimball Art Center, a 30-year mainstay on Main Street had sold its building and was casting about for a new location. The art center had been unable to gain design approval for an expanded facility in the closely regulated historic district and was occupying a temporary space in a former church.

“There was a danger of losing one or both of them and I didn’t want to see the consequences of that,” said Thomas.

With the Bauhaus playing a seductive tune in the back of his mind, Thomas and others in City Hall began to imagine the possibilities of joining forces with both art organizations to establish an ambitious arts and culture district on one of the last underdeveloped pieces of land within the city limits.

The upshot was revealed in a surprise announcement last July. Park City officials said they had entered into an agreement with a pair of private developers to buy a 5.25-acre parcel of land along Kearns Boulevard that had been slated for a controversial residential and commercial project. At a press conference, flanked by leaders from the Kimball and Sundance, they unveiled preliminary plans for a project that would be anchored by substantial facilities for each arts organization. The proposed master plan also called for a common plaza accompanied by the city-built infrastructure for parking, public transportation, affordable housing and complementary commercial development.

As per the agreement, the Kimball and Sundance would purchase their own parcels on the property to help offset the city’s $19.5 million investment. The city also announced a 1 percent hike in the transient room tax rate to fund its part of the project.

The community’s reaction to the announcement was largely positive.

In the ensuing months there has been little sign of activity on the property that stretches in a northwesterly direction from the corner of Kearns Boulevard and Bonanza Drive, but behind the scenes, a consultant has been huddling with the participants about their specific needs and how to integrate them into a cohesive district.

According to Kimball Art Center Board Chair Maggie AbuHaidar, her organization’s mission to provide exhibitions, art education and events won’t change, but the partnership it already enjoys with Sundance will expand and offer new possibilities.

The two organizations have a history of sharing resources and spaces that will be enhanced as they build out neighboring buildings, she said. She pointed to the Sundance Film Festival as a prime example. For many years the Kimball rented its space to Sundance during the annual 10-day event as a handy headquarters on Main Street. This year it will vacate its temporary spot on Kearns Boulevard to make way for the festival’s New Frontier exhibition.

“This has been a longtime relationship. We are all so close. We don’t just disrupt our operations for them; they provide us with support as well. Once Sundance has bricks and mortar at this new arts and culture district, that symbiotic relationship is only going to grow stronger,” said AbuHaidar.

Sundance Institute Chief Financial Officer and Managing Director Betsy Wallace chimed in describing the proposal as the “perfect alignment” of partners at just the right time.

According to Wallace, Sundance had just completed a new economic impact report demonstrating the growing impact of arts and culture throughout the state.

“It is really a force to be reckoned with,” she said, while venturing to add that as the winters grow shorter, Sundance and other arts organizations may be able to mitigate the potential downturn in tourism dollars.

She confirmed that Redford is excited about expanding Sundance’s footprint in Park City, too.

“The DNA of the Institute is part and parcel with Park City but even though we’ve been here 30 years and have year-round offices here, its presence in Park City is largely centered on the festival. This would put a firmer stake in the ground. And that is what he’d like to see as we move forward,” said Wallace.

While hesitating to handicap the master plan process with specifics, Wallace said year-round possibilities include a place to exhibit festival artifacts, a 300-seat theater and much-needed office space.

Of the current space that Sundance leases at Silver Star along the Park City Golf Club she exclaimed, “Oh gosh, we are on top of each other and during the festival, when our staffers from New York and L.A. arrive, it is compounded.”

“Seeing this come to fruition and seeing it get some legs is a wonderful statement of where the city and the state are in accepting arts and culture,” she concluded.

As he completed his term in office in December it was clear that Thomas was pleased to see the parties all moving forward on the plan. While carrying his drafting table out of City Hall he paused to muse once again about the Bauhaus.

“What I hope to see is a neighborhood with two successful anchors, the Kimball and Sundance, a neighborhood that reflects our core values with a small-town aspect and opportunities for businesses that might not be able to afford to be here otherwise.

“Like the Bauhaus, when you get a coalition of creative people you build a center of gravity for arts and culture that will draw artists from around the country. Like Sundance itself has, this district will empower creativity and creative people that will round out our community,” said Thomas.

The post Plans call for vibrant art district in the heart of town appeared first on Park Record.

For many newly minted filmmakers, submitting a project to the Sundance Film Festival is daunting, and acceptance seems like an improbable long shot. And there is plenty of reason to keep their optimism in check. According to a press release announcing this year’s festival program, the 121 feature-length films that will be screened were culled from a pool of 3,901 submissions. The competition among short films was just as fierce.

But according to Trevor Groth, Sundance’s longtime director of programming, first-time filmmakers should not be discouraged — their chances may be better than they imagine.

“We are wide open to the different stories anyone wants to tell, and it doesn’t matter what their background is,” he said, adding some successful applicants may not even have formal movie-making training.

He singled out two of this year’s U.S. Documentary Competition films that were made by novices, “The Sentence,” and “Minding the Gap.”

“They just started filming friends and family then, over the course of the story, you see them evolve and their skills get better and their storytelling gets better,” said Groth.

Groth says a good way for an aspiring filmmaker to begin turning a tale into a film is to hit the film festival circuit as an attendee.

“One of the best parts about film festivals is the sense of community they create among like-minded people who love film and love storytelling. You can actually meet people to collaborate with,” said Groth.

The growing market for independent films has led to a corresponding increase in global, regional and local film festivals that, Groth says, can be great places to network with “people who can tell your story.”

He also mentioned a newer trend: people with various film-related skills are forming collectives.

“Sometimes one person will direct and others will produce, then they switch roles and shoot each other’s films or edit them. I think that kind of group thinking about films is a great way to break into it.”

Once a project is in the works, Groth suggests taking an objective view of the whole range of festival possibilities including, but not limited to, Sundance.

The best thing is to do some homework. “There are endless film festivals you could submit to, but it’s good to target the ones that make the most sense. … Look and see if your film has similarities with other films that have played there, that the programmers and the audiences might respond to.”

When submitting to multiple festivals though, Groth added, it is important to pay attention to the rules for each one. Sundance, for example, requires that all films in competition be “world premieres.” There are no premiere restrictions however for Sundance’s short films.

“Obviously, a great way to break into filmmaking is to make a short film. We encourage people to show those in as many places as you can. We will still accept submissions for shorts no matter where they play, what festivals they have played in, even if it is online we will still consider it,” he explained.

But, when pressed to reveal some tips on winning the heart of a Sundance programmer, Groth did offer a few specific suggestions.

Spend extra time on editing

“The hardest part about filmmaking is, arguably, editing. I wish filmmakers would take time to edit their films to the point where they are the films they need to be. Don’t be afraid of losing some scenes or some moments that you really love but don’t make the film better. … The majority of submissions that come to us, we all feel, could be edited more … not rushing the editing process would be advice I would give.”

Lighten up!

“In general, I would love to see more comedies submitted. We love comedies at Sundance, but they are hard to find, good ones especially. I’d love to see the percentage of people trying to make a comedy grow … there are a lot of dramas out there and it is refreshing to see comedies too.”

Believe in your film

“When you believe in your film, you are ready. And if one festival doesn’t accept you, don’t let it discourage you. Keep on submitting it and if the festivals don’t work out, put it online. Plenty of people can get discovered that way, too. Just believe in your film, believe in yourself and be persistent.”

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In advance of this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Programming Director Trevor Groth offered a preview of some highlights.

Which film will be most talked about?

“Blindspotting”
U.S. Dramatic Competition

Groth: “It has a real vibrant energy to it. It’s both funny and heavy and stylish and there is great music in it, all of the unique qualities of ‘Blindspotting’ are going to make people talk a lot about it during the festival, for sure.”

Which film is the funniest?

“A Futile and Stupid Gesture”
Premieres

Groth: “The film I probably laughed the most at throughout would be ‘A Futile and Stupid Gesture’ which is the National Lampoon story directed by David Wain who did ‘Wet Hot American Summer.’ I thought the one-liners were so rapid fire and so funny and there was great casting.”

Which will be the toughest to watch?

“The Tale”
U.S. Dramatic Competition

Groth: “I will say two. ‘The Tale’ is a very personal act of a young woman coming of age where she had something traumatic happen and her adult self is looking back at that time in her life. There are some scenes that are tough to watch, but all for a very important purpose.”

“Holiday”
World Dramatic Competition

Groth: “Then there is another film, ‘Holiday,’ that is very provocative, very challenging. It is also incredibly well made, which is why it’s in the festival, but is definitely going to spark a lot of conversation in the audience and the Q&As are going to be interesting.”

Which is the most avant-garde, technically or artistically?

“Sorry to Bother You”
World Dramatic Competition

Groth: “In a way, there is a film called ‘Sorry to Bother You’ that is a comedy, a satire about racial identity in the age we live in, but it is set in sort of a fantastic world. It reminds me of the kind of film that Michel Gondry (‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’) or Charlie Kaufman (‘Anomalisa’) might make. It’s really smart and really funny but really out there in storytelling.”

“Search”
NEXT

Groth: “In the film, ‘Search,’ throughout the entire film the audience is watching a computer screen and everything that comes up on that is how you get all the information. It’s a thriller where you see FaceTime conversations, Google searches and emails.  It’s a really smart and stylish approach to what a film can be.”

“306 Hollywood”
NEXT

Groth: “‘306 Hollywood’ is a documentary made by two siblings who basically tell their grandmother’s story by coming into her home after she has passed away and excavating it and bringing her story to light. It’s really special.”

Which is the most timely politically?

“Seeing Allred”
U.S. Documentary

Groth: “There are a lot, but I’d go to the documentary about Gloria Allred who is one of the nation’s most famous women’s rights attorneys. ‘Seeing Allred’ really stands out because the headlines are so dominated by sexual assault and sexual misconduct in the workplace and she’s been fighting that fight for years.”

Are there some performances that stand out?

Groth: “The program is really notable this year for performances by actresses both known and unknown. I could list so many but some extraordinary performances worth mentioning include: Carey Mulligan (‘Wildlife’), Laura Dern (‘The Tale’), Andrea Riceborough (‘Nancy’) Maggie Gyllenhaal (‘The Kindergarten Teacher’), Chloë Sevigny (‘Lizzie’), Keira Knightley (‘Colette’) to name a few of the known actresses. I would also add some newcomers: Elsie Fisher (‘Eighth Grade’) and Thomasin Harcourt-McKenzie (‘Leave No Trace’).

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The Sundance Institute has evolved from a scrappy rebel fighting the established movie studio hierarchy into a well-respected leader in the film industry. Today, its annual film festival in Park City is ranked as one of the top 10 in the world, among Cannes, Berlin, Venice and Tribeca, and is considered a bellwether for the future. The films, panel discussions and special events reverberate throughout the industry — unveiling new artists, cultural shifts and innovative tools.

In addition to its influence around the globe, the Sundance Film Festival has had a profound impact on its host city and state. According to an independent economic impact study conducted by Y2 Analytics, last year the event drew 71,600 attendees and pumped $151.5 million into the state and local economy.

The festival has also enriched Utah’s cultural landscape. Thanks, in part, to support from the Sundance Institute, the state is home to a burgeoning year-round film community. With a growing number of local art-house theaters, sophisticated production studios and crews, as well as university-level film programs, Utah has become an attractive destination for up-and-coming filmmakers and film lovers.

That cinephile fever grows to epidemic proportions in late January, when Salt Lake and Park City residents get an extraordinary sneak peek at the latest the film world has to offer. Many begin anticipating the festival weeks in advance, securing passes and ticket packages online before the titles are even announced.

Admittedly some residents prefer to take to the slopes until the movie-making hubbub subsides, but most still take great pride in noting that their hometown has a special place in the constellation of film festival stardom.

As Parkites prepare to be in the spotlight, we offer this overarching advice: make the effort to participate — whether by jumping all-in or just taking a peek under the tent. The work that is being done, much of it behind the scenes, is important stuff. After 25 years the Sundance Film Festival has come to both reflect and predict some of the most important issues and media technology of our time.

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