Sundance Diary: A Rough Start.......

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Friday, January 19----I know I should have planned it differently. When I usually attend a film festival, I make sure to arrive a day early, in order to adjust to the maddening pace, and also encounter the inevitable lines, mix ups and technical snafus. Well, all of the above greeted me when I arrived this morning at the Marriot Park City Hotel, the Festival's main hq. In order of annoyance, my Press Badge was not there (even though I had diligently sent in my Accreditation request in in early December), they did not have a photo to accompany the Press Pass (sent in three times via email) and the system that was generating Credentials is tied to the internet, which had been down since last evening. Welcome to Sundance...a world class festival set in a hopelessly unequipped ski resort.

OK, such things do happen...and the staff have been very nice and accomodating, but after a 2 hour wait on a line that did not budge an inch, this reporter decided to take his chances and come a little later in the day. However, being without a Press Badge is like traveling abroad with a passport....you cannot do anything without it. I had already missed a critically important press screening of the film THE SAVAGES, directed by Tamara Jenkins and starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney. Ouch. But the powers that be at the Sundance press office did comp me with a ticket for tonight's gala public screening, so I will catch it.

But not my breath....in these high altitudes, and with the amount of walking one must do to get to a stop on the shuttle bus route, my lungs are in overdrive and I find myself slightly gasping for air. OK, calm down, Sandy, take a big, big, big breath....head back to your condo, make yourself some "Jewish penicilin" (otherwise known as chicken soup) and blog it all on here.

At least the sun is shining...and so will my disposition once the internet is back up, once my credentials are straightened out, once I have my Sundance passport. Until then, sheesh..........

Sandy Mandelberger

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