THE SURROGATE (Ben Lewin, USA)
Perhaps even
more of an indicator of a film’s eventual commercial career is the Audience Awards given at the Sundance Film Festival because they point to an
enthusiasm by the public. Distributors who may be wary of taking on certain
titles can look to these prize winners for an early indication of how they will
be received by audiences.
In the U.S.
Documentary Competition, the audience favorite announced at Saturday’s
closing awa...
They call it the Sundance alchemy…..the strange and rather unknowable process by which films with advanced buzz fall flat and titles that come out of nowhere become the next big indie flings. Such was the case at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, where several of the higher profile films did not get the love from audiences, critics or distributors, and where a few unheralded films walked away with the lion’s share of prizes and, most importantly, distribution contacts that wil...
It is probably safe to say that John Cooper, the Director of the Sundance Film Festival, dreams in 24 frames per second. He has said in various interviews over the years that film has been part of his DNA going way back to childhood, although his first immersion in the arts was in live theater, ranging from performance to design. He spent the obligatory years in New York City, the center of live performing arts, but in 1989, by chance (or fate), he volunteered at the Sundance Institute...
Sony Pictures Classics has taken the rights to two high profile films at the Sundance Film Festival. The company started off the sales stampede last week with the acquisition of the musical documentary SEARCHING FOR SUGARMAN. The film, a Swedish/UK co-production directed by Malik Bendjelloul, tells the tale of Rodriguez, a 1970s rock n roller who quickly fell out of favor and died, but was rediscovered by avid fans in South Africa. The film follows two South African fans who go on a jo...
Far from the red carpet glamour, the throngs trying to party crash on Main Street, the critics and programmers waiting on lines, there is another Sundance Film Festival taking place behind closed doors. While the Festival does not have an official market, as do such other events as Berlin and Cannes, there is definitely market business going on in private hotel suites and luxurious mountaintop villas. These are the precincts where sleep deprived sales agents hawk their wares to domesti...
TEDDY BEAR (Denmark)
It is now pretty clear that Vikings made landfall in North America several centuries before Columbus collided with the West Indies. If they had colonized the land, we would all be blonds and speaking Norwegian. Such, my children, are the vagaries of history. Well a new invasion from the Scandinavian nation is about to commence at the Sundance Film Festival, where a strong sampling of films from Norway, Sweden and Denmark are literally making waves.
De...
The world comes to the Sundance Film Festival from January 19 to 29. In the past several years, the Festival, which first made its reputation with American Indie cinema, has put as much emphasis on its World Cinema competitions, including sections for Dramatic Feature and Documentary Feature. By laying out a red carpet for international filmmakers and industry professionals, Sundance has been able to go mano-a-mano with such prestigious European-based film festivals as Berlin, Cannes a...
After a sucessful 2011, Silent River Film Festival 2012 call for entry now is open on Withoutabox. Filmmakers, submit your film at - www.withoutabox.com/login/9932 to take advantage of the earlybird deadline. For the list of the 2011 Award Winners, photos and videos, plaese visit - www.silentriverfilmfestival.com
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SILENT RIVER FILM FESTIVAL 2011.
We are proud to present the 1st annual Silent River Film Festival dedicated to the upcoming Independent Filmmakers of the world, in the city of Irvine CA, on it's 40th anniversay. Festival line-ups to be announced soon. Stay tuned. For more info, please visit - www.silentriverfilmfestival.com
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While the name Sundance immediately is linked with the American Independent film movement, in the past number of years, international titles have found a home base in the ski resort of Park City. By creating competition sections for both narrative and documentary films from around the world, the Festival has not only expanded its scope but has forged a link between international producers, distributors and financiers across the globe in a real and tangible way. In terms of the marketpl...
The stars were out in force earlier this week at the Sundance Film Festival when The Creative Coalition, a national advocacy organization for the arts and entertainment, gave out their 2011 Spotlight Initiative Awards at a gala ceremony in Park City. Academy-Award winning actor Alan Arkin received a special award for his career contribution and for his latest film THE CONVINCER, which premiered at the Festival earlier this week. Arkin returns to Park City for the first time since LI...
We are more than happy toannounce that we co-hosted a special Polish Filmmakers party, that was held atSundance on Monday night. The co-organizers of the event were Polish FilmInstitute and OFF PLUS CAMERA festival.Our festival, signed up a partnership agreement withSundance. Monday party was “a Sundance sanctioned event”, meaning it wasofficially included in the program of Sundance ’11. More than 700 people showedup at the party, among whom were: Lech Majewski, Rutger Hauer and SundancePr...
Savvy filmgoers at the Sundance Film Festival know that the roster of documentaries on tap are generally of more consistent quality and interest than their narrative cousins. For that reason, and the increased boxoffice potential of reality-based films at the theatrical box office, attention is being paid to the American films competing for Best Documentary honors at the event. They include:
Beats, Rhymes and Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest (Director: Michael Rapaport)...
As the Sundance Film Festival enters its mid-way point and there is an obvious thinning in the ranks of both celebrities and professionals, here is a rundown of some of the buzz, information and deals that are making noise in Park City this week.
FILMMAKER MAGAZINE OFFERS NO GLITZ SUNDANCE COVERAGE
If you believed what you read in most newspapers and see on television entertainment magazines, Sundance seems to exist merely as a playground for fabulous celebrities where they...
The Sundance Film Festival is not only a place to screen new films, make distribution deals and party like it's 1999. It is also a particularly strong environment for announcing new intiatives and alliances that will expand the reach of film and new media in the months to come. Such an announcement was made at the start of the Festival by ScheinMedia, a media marketing firm based in New York.
ScheinMedia has announced that it has acquired an operating interest in FilmFestivalTod...
Actress Vera Farmiga, who was nominated last year for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as George Clooney's love interest in the zeitgeist comedy UP IN THE AIR, has returned to the Sundance Film Festival with her feature directorial debut HIGHER GROUND, which is competing in the American Independents Narrative section. The film, in which she stars as a woman coping with a crisis of faith. had its initial screenings this weekend and is already one of the standout titles ...
For American Independent filmmakers (and increasingly, international ones too), the Sundance Film Festival is an opportunity to put one's project on the world stage and, hopefully, end up with a delicious distribution deal. Of course, truth be told, less than 5% of the 250 films on offer here will create any sort of noise after the Festival concludes (well, push that up to 10% if you include the films that will eventually be asked to participate on the international film festival circ...
Just a quick shout out to find out who is heading to Park City this week for Sundance. The Valley Film Festival will be there in a few short hours and we'd love to meet up with you.
Our no-fee submission period opens 2/1 but if you find us at Sundance, we'll take your film on the spot! To make it even easier, we're inviting a few industry pals to join us for coffee at our condo on Saturday (1/22) at 9:30am. If you're around and would like to join, please contact us at info@...
Mohammed moves to the mountain as the 2011 edition of the Sundance Film Festival, the only world class film event to take place at a ski resort, kicks off tomorrow, with not one film but a cross-section of some of the Festival's strongest and most buzzed titles. John Cooper, the new Sundance honcho since last year, has done away with the traditional single Opening Night Gala and replaced it with a series of films. "It was almost impossible to find a film that represented the entire p...
Main Street location offers headlining acts, celebrity and private events, unique sponsorships, luxury gifting suites, VIP memberships and more
House of Blues Foundation Room will open in Park City, UT during the Sundance Film Festival from January 20th-30th, 2011.
Renovations have begun on the Main Street locale where more than 40,000 attendees pass daily. The 400+ seat room will fill up nightly with major headlining acts and an afternoon music lounge. Numerous opportunities...
Charleston International Film Festival announces 2011 Dates and Call for Submissions Charleston, SC – We are very excited to announce that the 4th Annual Charleston International Film Festival (CIFF) will be held at the classic and swanky American Theater in historic downtown Charleston, SC (USA), May 18–22, 2011.
Please visit our website www.CharlestonIFF.com for more information and instructions on submitting entries for our upcoming festival. SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW OPEN In i...
See a FREE SCREENING of GASLAND this Friday!
Presented by The Burt's Bees Greater Good Foundation.
GASLAND
Friday, September 3*
9:00pm
American Tobacco Campus - Main Lawn
318 Blackwell Street
Durham, NC, 27701
FREE!
When filmmaker Josh Fox discovers that Natural Gas drilling is coming to his area-the Catskillls/Poconos region of Upstate New York and Pennsylvania, he sets off on a 24 state journey to uncover the dee...
Some might say that the most prized award given at the Sundance Film Festival is the public prize. Winners of the Audience Award, as opposed to winners of the juried competitions, tend to indicate an innate audience appreciation that speaks volumes to film distributors and critics. In that light, tonight's Opening Film at the 15th Gen Art Film Festival is bound to be a crowd pleaser.
HappyThankYouMorePlease is the directorial debut of actor Josh Radnor, best known for his role o...
Along with new festival directors, this year the Sundance Film Festival had an entirely new vision.
Main Street was crowded, people dined and socialized well into the early morning and Sundance just felt more "alive" than it was last year. This could be partly due to the slight rise claimed in the American economy or it could simply be the better selection of films.
As proof that the festival is doing it's job, many of the films are moving on to be featured in o...
Maybe it is the altitude or its location high in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah, but Sundance Film Festival jurors seem to gravitate towards films that can be both chilly (and chilling) in tone and execution. Two years ago, it was FROZEN RIVER, a film about border smuggling in the frozen tundra of upstate New York that put one in the mood for an overcoat and a teeming cup of Ovaltine. Last year’s winner PRECIOUS, which just secured an impressive five Oscar nominations this morni...
