Sundance
Film Festival

January 18 - 28, 2001



Sundance may lack the sunshine and glitter of its European counterparts
like Cannes and Venice, but it compensates with innovation and energy.
What other festival could convince film buffs and Hollywood executives
to bundle in the snow awaiting the screening of an indie film by
an unknown director? Or claim to have launched the phenomena known
as Blair Witch?

Founded
by Robert Redford and begun as a celebration of indie filmmaking,
the festival is now a must-stop-trek on the American festival circuit
and considered the most prestigious competition in North America.
Fans of Sundance claim the indie spirit is vibrant (notable discoveries
include Ed Burns for The Brothers McMullen and last year's
Karyn Kusama for Girlfight).
Those opposed bemoan its shark-fest atmosphere, and claim that its
second half (when Los Angeles executives take over the town) is
"pure hell" while everyone waits to see what deals are
done.

Despite
the festival's evolution, film is still king. For the 2001 event,
Sundance organizers winnowed down the 3,000 submissions to a mere
100 features and 60 short films. The 2001 fest boasts a diverse
lineup of films, documentaries and shorts, spread across several
sections. This year the fest will launch its first online festival,
and will revive last year's new creations such as the Gen-Y Studio,
which gathers together high school students from the US and around
the world for panel discussions on culture. Other Sundance sidebars
include the Sundance Theatre Program, to spotlight new work and
work in progress from the American theatre, and House of Docs, which
reinforces the festival's commitment to documentary film.

The
most prestigious of North American festival competitions, the Feature
Film Competition awards the Grand Jury Prize (last year was a tie
between Kenneth Longergan's You
Can Count on Me and Karyn
Kusama's Girlfight). Sundance bills this as "America's
premiere showcase for independently produced documentary and dramatic
films." Other awards include the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award,
and the Freedom of Expression Award for excellence in documentary
filmmaking. Cinematography and Directing awards are also presented
by the jury to dramatic and documentary films, while the coveted
Audience Award in each category is chosen by public ballot.

Other
sidebars include the American Spectrum program, which the festival
bills as a "diverse group of films designed to showcase the
impressive spectrum of images and ideas currently igniting American
independent cinema," and the Frontier Program, which "presents
films by American and international artists who demonstrate that
independent cinema is often volatile, changing, and intent upon
breaking the rules." World Cinema features a several festival
hits including Me You Them, Maelstrom,
Nationale
7 (Uneasy Riders), Angels
Of The Universe, Brother,
Chopper
and The
Dish. Another highly anticipated section is the Premieres
section, in which well-known directors and producers unveil their
latest offerings. Previous premieres included American
Psycho, Go, and The
Virgin Suicides.

This
year, Sundance kicks off with a screening of My First Mister,
the feature directorial debut of actress Christine Lahti and starring
Albert Brooks and Leelee Sobieski. This is followed up the next
evening with the thriller Caveman's Valentine, the latest
from director Kasi Lemmons (Eve's Bayou). Also slated to
screen are Michael Apted's wartime drama Enigma starring
Dougray Scott, Saffron Burrows and Kate Winslet and the Jodie Foster-produced
The Dangerous Lives Of Altar Boys starring Jena Malone and
Foster herself. Dangerous Lives has generated controversy
from the Catholic church in the US since pre-production.

Awards
for this year's Sundance Film Festival will be presented during
a live ceremony on the evening of Saturday, January 27, followed
by the Awards Night Party. Award-winning films will screen on Sunday,
January 28, the final day of the 2001 Sundance Film Festival.