storied event, and I worked in the Prospector Theater, one of eight main Festival theaters in Park City, Utah. The all encompassing job entailed overseeing theater operations including interfacing with filmmakers, cast, crew, publicists, press, entourage, programmers, patrons, projectionists, volunteers, and the occasional print runner who darted in and out like lightning to get the film reel to the next theater. Around 1600 volunteers make the festival tick, and Sundance Institute founder Robert Redford acknowledged this group at the opening press conference. “No one person runs this. This is a collaboration of a lot of forces – including people that are very unsung. The volunteers that come here; they provide the bulk of our labor force, and they do it for nothing.” This year’s festival was a return to the fresh ideas of Sundance gone by. Getting back to the indie spirit was in the forefront of the programmer’s and Redford’s minds. Signs all around the town simply said “RE”, indicating a REbirth, REfresh, and REthink aspect to the overall feeling of the festival. With 105 World Premieres, and 43 US Premieres, Sundance once again showcased the best in film.
With a full time schedule, I managed to see 12 films, from a documentary about female kickboxing in Iran (KICK IN IRAN), to a narrative directed by Philadelphian Tanya Hamilton and set at “home” in Germantown (NIGHT CATCHES US), to a documentary about education that was attended by Bill Gates, Michael Moore, Robert Redford, and George Soros (WAITING FOR SUPERMAN), to a hysterically funny musical that the filmmaker acknowledged could be described as “Australia meets Bollywood” (BRAN NUE DAE), and more. Documentaries WASTELAND and FREEDOM RIDERS were notable as well. HOLY ROLLERS was an interesting trip into the secret lives of Hasidic Jews trafficking drugs from Europe to NYC in the late 90's. YES, it was inspired by true events. On the other end of the spectrum was 8 - THE MORMON PROPOSITION, about the Mormon's spiritual crusade for Proposition 8 and against Gay marriage. All I can say is why is someone's relationship anybody's business?
One of my favorite films was WINTER’S BONE, which went on to win two awards, including the coveted Grand Jury Dramatic Award and a screenwriting award, a double bonus for filmmaker/screenwriter DEBRA GRANIK. A dark tale set in the Ozark Mountains, Winter’s Bone tells the story of a teenage girl who must go against the grain when her no good father skips bail and their home hangs in the balance. Music was a big part of the film, and after an audience member inquired about singer Maredith Sisco, a jam session ensued later on that night. This is the true spirit of Sundance; one never knows what may happen, and for me, being invited to attend the jam session was a highlight of the festival. On the home front, The Philadelphia Industry Lounge at Sundance showcased the advantages to filming in the city of brotherly love, represented by the PHILADELPHIA FILM OFFICE/Sharon Pinkenson, the post production studios of THE DIVE/Bob Lowery, and SHOOTERS POST & TRANSFER/Andy Williams, along with J. Andrew Greenblatt, Executive Producer of the Sundance Film TWELVE, and head of the Philadelphia Film Festival and Film Society.
LisaBeth is available to share her experiences about the festival, and to consult in “the art of Sundancing”. For more information, please contact her at create@lisabethweber.com.
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