THE SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL: AN OVERVIEW
By Dana Mabe

INTRODUCTION
For ten days in January in Park City Utah, the Sundance Film Festival is held to screen the year’s most influential independent films. The films that are screened may or may not receive distribution as a result of the festival, but it cannot be argued the impact that is made on a filmmaker to have his or her film screened at such an event.

I consider myself a creative person, and if you are reading this I assume you are as well as you have taken an interest in experiencing one of world’s largest gatherings for independent film makers and coinsurers. I am sure you would then have little patience for an academic rambling of numbers and statistics so I will do my best to make the information I give you as practical and applicable as possible. Though my primary goal is to explain the value of the influence the Sundance Film Festival has on the independent film market, I also want to give an over view of the entire festival. From the history, to the major players, to how long you should expect to wait in line for a screening, I hope to give you a comprehensive guide to one of the most widely recognized festival in the world.

THE HISTORY OF THE SUNDANCE FILM
“No one could have predicted that this festival would have such a profound effect on how movies get made, what kind of movies get made, and how those movies get out to the public. Who could have predicted that independent film making would reinvigorate Hollywood?” (Smith, 23)

In 1978 no one had a clue. At that time, The Utah/United States Film festival was trying to spark the interest of filmmakers who perhaps didn’t have the resources to make their films within the studio system. The idea of Independent film was relatively new, but the goal was to showcase “retrospective” films made outside the “Hollywood system” and hold seminars concerning such. It was not easy getting entrants and attendees to submit their films and then travel to Salt Lake City.

Planners, including promoter Lory Smith, called friends, families, university film departments, and almost anyone who had ever appeared on any list concerning film. After the first festival the planners were excited, but had a $40,000 dollar deficit, but they had been bitten by the festival bug and, though it was irresponsible, plans were in motion for another year with a budget of $150,000.

In 1979 Robert Redford was cooking up an idea to bring the arts to the small ski resort called “Sundance” in the hills of Utah. Success had been kind to him and the idea of giving back to the art community appealed to Redford. Independent film had always been a passion for him, and he included Smith in beginning plans on the Sundance Institute.

“It would emerge as a center, resource, bringing together talented aspiring filmmakers with collaborating skilled professionals in an extraordinary supportive environment, which would allow greater experimentation with scripts, direction, and performance and also provide access to expertise in the areas of financing, marketing, and distribution.” (Smith, 37) Redford had Smith write a grant and the project was awarded $8,000 grant to the Institute. With Smith on board with the Sundance Institute and the Utah/United States film festival, the merging of the two was on the horizon.

In 1980, Sydney Pollock approached the planners of the Utah/US Fest with an idea. “ You know what you ought to do? You ought to move the festival to Park City and set it in the wintertime. You’d be the only film festival in the world held in a ski resort during ski season, and Hollywood would beat down the door to attend.” (Smith, 41) In 1981, the festival was held in the lap of the Sundance Institute, and due to an added few months of planning was able to include documentaries and short films as well as its usual docket of dramatic features.

It wasn’t until 1985 that the two entities finally joined to become one, a move which obviously proved to be beneficial to both parties. “It was more than a marriage of convenience. It was a stroke of genius.” The US Festival had a brand behind it along with much needed financial backing and a year-round staff whose only focus was to put on the competition. Sundance gained the attention of filmmakers as the desire for competition was growing along with the independent market. (Officially renamed in 1991)

Sundance became synonymous with independent film. That first year, a prize system was established and the best dramatic film would be honored the Grand Jury Prize. That year, Joel and Ethan Cohen made their debut with their film Blood Simple and the brothers took home the esteemed award.

Since then the Sundance Film Festival has become recognized internationally as a showcase for the best in new American independent film. The goal is for the festival to remain a competition for independents, but it has also become the first stop on the distribution highway for people who want to make Hollywood films. Slowly, the independent nature of the festival is fading out as many filmmakers are merely entering their films not to get to their art show, but to strike it rich. Smith explains it best in his book Party in a Box: “Many people have been critical of Hollywood using the festival and the world of independent film merely as a proving ground. If a filmmaker runs the independent gauntlet successfully, Hollywood will scoop the filmmaker up and help him or her make Hollywood-style movies…they are opportunists who are only wearing the mantle of independence long enough to get their foot in the door of Hollywood until they can become the film brats they’ve always wanted to be.” (Smith, 23)

THE CHANGING FACE OF THE FESTIVAL
Harvey Weinstein and Miramax
Harvey Weinstein is unarguably the most powerful man in the industry, acquiring projects that he involves himself with at his leisure. The editing bay and festivals such as Sundance are his playground. Being a number man, he is known for plunking down big bucks for well-received films at Sundance. He has made Miramax the “reigning indie superpower.” (Biskind, 189)

When making his films, if test screenings did not go well he muscled his way into an editing bay and pressured the filmmaker to cut them as he wanted. And he was good. Bobby Cohen, producer of Cider House Rules said, “Harvey was in an editing bay for 10 minutes and had put together a cut that an editor who had spent his life cutting had not thought of. And it was by far the best option for the scene.”

Poor ratings by a selective audience in a single screening could spell doom for a film, especially if Harvey, who seemingly always started out with boundless enthusiasm, later lost interest. Harvey is known for losing interest in his films until they make their way into the editing bay and then cutting it down till it got the Miramax stamp of approval. As you will see in the Case Study section though, Harvey Weinstein knows a good film, and he knows what and when to buy. He got his hands on one of the greatest talents to ever come out of and revolutionize the Sundance Film Festival: Quentin Tarantino.

Quentin The Golden Boy Tarantino
In 1992 Quentin Tarantino was the name behind the script Reservoir Dogs. Everyone had read the script but no one had ever seen the man behind it. “Tarantino had never been to a film festival, had rarely been out of L.A., had never seen snow. He was walking around in a T-shirt in 20-degree weather… He was like a kid at his birthday party, not knowing what to go for first.” (Buskin, 117) Reservoir Dogs did not take home the Grand Jury Prize, but it put the Tarantino on the map for sure. He is cited for “making genre films art films” that year “In opening the door to genre that had been slammed shut by Sundance in the 1980’s, Dogs represented the return of the repressed, the revenge of the exploitation picture…American Indies had come of age” (Biskind, 121)

Miramax scooped up Tarantino instantly. He went on to make such award winning films as Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown. Harvey still refers to Miramax as “The house that Quentin built.” Harvey says, “ I never had to tell any filmmaker around the world anything other than one thing, ‘we were the company that made Pulp Fiction. Quentin is the Sundance Film Festival Golden Boy. He was a young guy with a good script and a good film that got bought by a good company. Since his debut at the festival in 1992 Miramax has been and will undoubtedly continue to be.

CASE STUDY: 2003
To see fully the effects Sundance has on the independent film market I have pulled together a list of the winners and entrants of the 2003 Sundance film festival to see where they are now:

2003 Sundance Winners

DRAMATIC
Grand Jury Prize: "American Splendor," directed by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcin
Audience Award: "The Station Agent," directed by Tom McCarthy

Directing Award: Catherine Hardwicke, "Thirteen"
Cinematography Award: Derek Cianfrance, "Quattro Noza"

Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: Tom McCarthy, "The Station Agent"
Special Jury Prizes for Outstanding Performance: Patricia Clarkson for "The
Station Agent," Pieces of April, and "All The Real Girls"; Charles Busch for "Die Mommie Die"
Special Jury Prizes for for Emotional Truth: "All the Real Girls," directed by David
Gordon Green; "What Alice Found," directed by A. Dean Bell

DOCUMENTARY:
Grand Jury Prize: "Capturing the Friedmans," directed by Andrew Jarecki

Audience Award: "My Flesh and Blood," directed by Jonathan Karsh
Directing Award: Jonathan Karsh, "My Flesh and Blood"
Cinematography Award: Dana Kupper, Gordon Quinn and Peter Gilbert, "Stevie"
Freedom of Expression Award: "What I Want My Words To Do To You," directed by Judith Katz, Madeleine Gavin, and Gary Sunshine.
Special Jury Prizes: "The Murder of Emmett Till," directed by Stanley Nelson and "A Certain Kind of Death," directed by Blue Hadaegh and Grover Babcock.

SHORT
Jury Prize: "Terminal Bar," directed by Stefan Nadelman
(WWW.IMDB.COM)

How a film screens for an audience can determine if a film will get purchased and set up for distribution. Though Sundance was never intended to be a testing ground for the Hollywood market, it has naturally evolved into that. A standing ovation could mean purchase by companies like Miramax, Fox Searchlight, or Fine Line for numbers in the millions.

In 2003, American Splendor took home the Grand Jury Prize. The story of comic book hero Harvey Pekar was produced by HBO and was purchased at the festival and distributed by Fine Line, the independent off shoot of New Line. It grossed over $6 million and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Not far behind in terms of gross was the year’s winner of the award for directing, Catherine Hardwicke’s Thirteen. It is a harrowing story of a young girl experimenting with drugs, sex, and crime. It was co-written by one of the teenage girls that stars in it, and by the Wednesday of the festival, Fox Searchlight had purchased the film for $2 million (The estimated budget of the film was only $1.5 million.) With the help of actress Holly Hunter starring in the film, it went on to gross over $4 million.

There cannot not be a Sundance without Miramax slapping down the big bucks for a film that appears well received. The winner of the Waldo Salt Screenwriting award, (named after the Academy Award-winning screenwriter of Coming Home and Midnight Cowboy and determined by the dramatic jury recognizes outstanding screenwriting in a film) The Station Agent- the story of a dwarf living in an abandoned train depot and his friendship with a hot dog vendor- was purchased by Miramax for $1.5 million. The film was made on a budget of only $500,000, and dwarfs, it was discovered much to the excitement of Harvey Weinstein I’m sure, perform well at the box office. As of April 2003, the film had grossed over $5.5 million. Proving once again that Miramax knows how to pick‘em.

A true example of indie film making was the film Pieces of April. Shot on DVCAM with a budget of $300,000 in only a few days the film went on to win Patricia Clarkson The Special Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding performance and after the film was engaged in a bidding war between Miramax, Fine Line, and United Artists. United Artists eventually won out with a deal somewhere between $3-4 million.

The Grand Jury Prize winning documentary Capturing the Friedmans was picked up by Magnolia Pictures in collaboration with HBO. The documentary made more than $3 million in ticket sales, making it one of the higher grossing indie releases of 2003. The film was also nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary.

Some films that don’t go over well at the festival can still perform well. Paramount Classics' release of Northfork made $1.4 million and Party Monster made $827,000. Paramount Classics also acquired rights to the art house hit United States of Leland which only made $350,000.

Almost all of the films which won awards received some sort of distribution deal- even those that shouldn’t have. Die Mommy Die, All the Pretty Girls, and The Shape of Things all performed poorly for audiences outside of Park City.

FOR THE YOUNG FILMAKER: WHAT WORKS AND WHAT DOESN’T
I interviewed young filmmaker, Ashley Jordan, who recently had her film West Bank Story accepted into this year’s festival. She shared some helpful advice on what she thinks made it possible for her film to be recognized.

First of all, Ashley is only 26 years old and a recent graduate (undergrad) of USC film school. She has no real industry connections, but a willing attitude to beg, borrow and, well, steal to get her film made. The budget of her film was $100,000. Though it is more than the average student film it is about average for the independent short that makes it into the Festival. The money did not come from investors, but rather private donors and director Ari Sandel’s pocket.

When I asked her why she thought her film made it into the festival she answered very frankly, “ Because it is good.” I asked her how. She explained that the key element was that not only was the story good, it is relevant. West Bank Story is a short musical about two feuding fast food joints in the West Bank. It is, of course, and homage to West Side Story with two employees at the opposing restaurants having a secret love affair.

Ashley went on to explain that Sandel was a tough director, but he is responsible for the film turning out as good as it did. He wanted everything and he wanted it for free. She described the film as a true “spectacle.” She oversaw the building of a market in the desert of Santa Clarita complete with live goats and chickens. Every attempt was made to keep the director’s vision. Sandel was persistent in communicating to Ashley that nothing but the best would suffice, and that if they looked hard and long enough (pre-production lasted four moths) they could get it for free.

Ashley noted a few other contributing factors. Sundance likes to feature films that address tough issues. “There are not many issues tougher to deal with than the Palestinian/ Israeli conflict and our film addresses that in an in your face comical sort of way- I think they liked that.”

The director, though a stickler for maintaining his vision, had the abilities of Harvey Weinstein in the editing room. He cut his film almost in half (from thirty minutes down to eighteen) to allow for it to be featured in festivals. “Sundance has to show a certain amount of films. Really it was the only way to go if we wanted it there.”

They submitted their film in a rough cut form and Ashley says that though they are definitely going to have the film shown in this year’s short competition, the selection board still hasn’t seen the final cut with the corrected sound mix. “They knew it was good and relevant and, well, good and they wanted. We’re in!” Ashley exclaimed.
I asked her for her advice for my fellow students. She said to, “hold true to your vision and take the time to make it happen. NEVER settle for second best, and don’t be afraid to cut it down to make it fit--after all what’s the point of all the work if no one is going to see it.”

Only in her twenties, Ashley Jordan and her crew will have a film at Sundance Film Festival and hopefully it will perform well. Students should be inspired by shorts such as West Bank Story and features such as Pieces of April to go out and tell a story. Shoot on film or video build a market or simply film in a dirty apartment. Determination and a good idea will get your film made and seen if you really want it bad enough.

HOW TO SUNDANCE: GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR TIME AT THE FESTIVAL
The most important thing to realize is that you are in Park City, Utah. The festival mostly takes place on Main Street, which is a steep ice covered 45 degree angled street. The largest theater is the Eccles, which seats 1,300 with auditorium style seating. It is attached to the local High School. Films are also screened in the city’s Library. There is also the Holiday Cinema, or “Sciatica Tri-plex” as it is more commonly called. This cinema has three theaters. At the top of main street sits The Egyptian, an old theater that was restored for the Sundance Film Festival in 1999. No theaters are close to one another (none are walking distance of each other). No place is easy to get to fro. Allow plenty of travel time as you will be waiting for shuttles that must commute.

Also realize that for some screenings such as dramatic films, which have arrived at the festival with a lot of “buzz” attached to them my have at least an hour long wait to get in. Screenings will not always start on time, which plays a factor in your arriving to your next screening on time as you are never a hop skip and a jump away from the next theater. (Anderson, 12)

Trade magazines aren’t the only mags lurking with cameras in lines for the screenings. Sundance offers a great opportunity for Southern California residents to strut their stuff in their winter fashions. You’ll see the hippest jeans and celebrities in the warmest couture. If you’ll be wearing it next year- they’ll be wearing it this year. Dress warm and snuggly, but avoid frump.

And finally, Ugg boots are out this year anyway, but for those that don’t know how to let a good thing die, please remember Ugg’s appearance at last year’s festival. Attendees wearing the then fashionable ankle to knee high suede boots were distraught to discover that they are not, in fact, water and snow proof. Sopping wet Ugg boots aren’t cute, are uncomfortable, and don’t pack well. Your best bet would be to leave them home or shove them to the back of your closet because they ain’t coming back.

Realizing that I have just pointed out all of the negative things about the ten days of film mayhem which overtakes Park City, I must point out that you will be surrounded by filmmakers, students, artists, celebrities, media, and Mormons. Really, I can’t think of a better way to spend ten days in January.

CONCLUSION:
So you’re off to Sundance. Though it may sound melo-dramatic, this is the opportunity of a lifetime. The Sundance Film Festival is a gathering together of some of the most creative minds in America and the World. From its humble beginnings as a small festival in Utah that had to beg for entrants to the first look at what will be the year’s biggest indie hits, it is an opportunity to learn from the brightest minds in the industry. Remember as you are there what Robert Redford said of his festival, “So from around the world we gather these artists together to celebrate their work, and the stories they tell are the stories that for some people will be thrilling, for some people will be appalling, but they will never be dull-and that’s the way we like it. And those are the stories of the world we live in… They’re really unique stories, and their stories are our stories. They’re not into answering. They’re into questioning. And their questions are our questions. Glad you’re here.” (Anderson, 94)

Bibliography
Anderson, John. Sundancing: Hanging out and Listening it at America’s Most Important Film Festival. Avon Books, 2000
Biskind, Peter. Down and Dirty Pictures. Miramax, Sundance,
And the Rise of the Independent Film. Simon & Shuster, 2004.
Smith, Lory. Party In A Box. The Story of the Sundance Film
Fesitval. Gibbs Smith, 1999
All Statistics from StudioSystem.com and IMDB.Com databases.