Ghosts of Sundance: Past, Present and Future

This was not my first Sundance and not by any means my last. I am fortunate to have been to a Sundance Film Festival a long time ago during one of my ski trips. The champagne powder and mountains always bring a smile and while I didn’t get a chance to ski this time around, I know when I come back it will be my total focus. Here’s my take on visiting the Ghosts of Sundance Past, Present and Future.

Sundance Past
I was granted accreditation and I was able to catch up on films I missed with audiences at the Press & Industry screening schedule. That changed in Sundance Twentyten. Since then its been an uphill battle to get past the person who gleefully gets to say no to my face. Curious, I wanted to know who did get accreditation. I called and left voice messages and never got a call back. I emailed my request for the media demographics but never got a response. Most likely, lower level volunteers are assigned to review requests. There has also been another rule in place that absolves anyone from making a decision– no accreditation granted during the Sundance Film Festival. That doesn’t make any sense at all. Neither does the lopsided process of granting the Charlotte Reporter accreditation and not someone following indie filmmakers on the film festival circuit for the past six years.

Sundance Present
Wait List should be renamed Waste List. The idea is to get to the venue two hours ahead, get a Waitlist number, then come back 30 minutes before the screening and be on the line for the tickets that have been released. A lot of time was wasted standing in line. Also it’s another place where certain power-enabled volunteers get to gleefully tell you that you are a half minute late and must go to the end of the line. There are no excuses despite the snowstorm, late shuttles, icy slush impeding your uphill run to the Egyptian Theatre in the Park City altitude. Library Theater venue had the most sympathetic and informed volunteers and has taken over as my favorite venue (from Egyptian Theatre) to see a film screening and Q&A.

Parties are the networking backbone and wise attendance planning can widen the circle of connection for filmmakers during this ten day film industry convention. My advice is not to rely on the served bites and pickings at most of the party events. They are token morsels to tide you over while the drinks are served at a feverish pitch –and this sometimes starts at 4 p.m. AST (Apres-Ski Time). Film schedules and networking events often prevented me from regular meals and granola bars were packed by the boxloads. Water. Drink water.

Drink water. I can’t emphasize that enough especially during the parties when Vodka flows faster than a Spring-time mountain stream. Many people may be unaware of the effect that thinner high altitude has on them while they consume alcohol in mass quantities. It can be a dangerous combination. For a couple of years now, kudos go to Sundance organizers for the green water bottles available to anyone and everyone to fill with water and have it available for consumption. Drink water. Now just have to get the party organizers on board and not include bottled water in their gift bags.

Filmmaker Q&As are a wonderful opportunity to meet filmmakers, actors and sometimes the author or subject of the film at this limited post screening timeslot. I find this lacking in just about every film festival I attend and too bad the Sundance programmers this years didn’t give it enough thought to make it the best for the audience as well as the filmmakers. High level programmers made an appearance to introduce the film then escaped through the back door leaving the director awkwardly dangling at the end of the microphone with no expereinced moderator circumventing inappropriate questions and getting the conversation back on track.

Tools and technology keep getting better and the most helpful this year was the Sundance App. Two years ago it cost $4.99, this year it was free and worth it. Between the App, my iPhone, iPad2, Twitter and WordPress, I was able to access films and events, record conversations, write and post blogs in between the Wait List lines, screenings and parties. I did not penetrate the gifting lounges; however, did meet a great Park City gal, Jill Adler, a freelance writer for Park City who wrote about it in her Sundance for Sale and can be found @PCskigal. She helped a lot with Twitter.

Slamdance Film Festival is well organized with programmers who introduce the film and remain to manage the filmmaker Q&A. You never know who you’ll see standing around in the lobby at Slamdance without security or entourage. Lucky film goers saw Jonathan Demme’s latest Neil Young collaboration with Neil Young’s Journeys. His performance at the Bing Bar was the talk of the town.

Sundance Future
As I mentioned in a previous blog, film festivals are anamorphic entities that are constantly evolving–growing bigger and out of control or downsizing to a more manageable event. A couple of years ago, Sundance Film Festival cut across-the-board in an attempt to downsize; however, did not achieve their goal. Instead, it behaved like a typical corporate enitity– importing high profile programmersand administrators, cutting media accreditation to sell more tickets; selling expensive festival credentials that really don’t get you anything (no films, anyway) other than entrance into certain venues; limiting access to events without recourse; ignoring the film screening Q&A experience; allowing too many VIP cars on Main Street especially during snowstorm and peak times thus encumbering shuttle transportation.

Nevertheless, Sundance Film Festival with its flaws is still an exciting ten days for the 50K+ visitors descending on the ski town. It’s a financial resource boon for the local economy and other local and state governments can learn from the film industry and the countless, hard-working and dedicated volunteers on how to kick start downtrodden economies in their own neck-of-the-woods. Looking to the future, the microcosmic Sundance Film Festival may have to reassess their growth within the confines of its current physical venues in Utah while reaching out online, out of bounds and internationally as the indie film business continues to grow and expand into the universe. It’s a daunting as well as rousing task for film festival pioneers forging ahead into cinematic futures. But keep those ruby slippers. There’s no place like home.