Some brief words of advice for the first-time Sundance filmmaker: Be prepared for icy temperatures. Don't let the Manhattan-like traffic upset you. Stuff food into your pockets whenever possible. And above all, don't let anyone catch you with a dead cell phone battery.
Landing some big money deal is priority No. 1 for most self-respecting Sundance filmmakers. Survival can be found a little further down the list.
Some things are bound to be the same when Sundance 2000 springs to life on Jan. 20. Plenty of snowfall is expected. Crowds will mob "must-see" screenings. Looking for celebrities? Just follow the pack of paparazzi.
Of course, CityBeat will be there, reporting on the new faces, breakout films and money-go-round wheelin' and dealin' that makes Park City, Utah, a frenzied filmland. Sundance 2000 marks CityBeat's sixth year of festival coverage. Looking back, I'm always amazed by the number of crazy stories we've seen through the years.
In 1995 Ed Burns grabbed the spotlight with his breakout film The Brothers McMullen. 1996 was the year Miramax co-chairman Harvey Weinstein got into a public fight over the rights to Shine, the true story of Australian pianist David Helfgott. 1997 saw Tim Robbins honored with a retrospective, in 1998 Courtney Love pulled director Nick Broomfield's Kurt Cobain documentary just before its festival screening. 1999 forever will be known as the year when The Blair Witch Project broke out.
Some films arrive at the festival with distribution deals already intact: Mary Harron's American Psycho, Sofia Coppola's The Virgin Suicides and Brad Anderson's Happy Accidents. These films are just along to build some all-important "buzz." Kevin Spacey, a longtime supporter of indie-minded films, will be honored with a retrospective of his work. Standing off to the side will be "Bob" himself, Sundance founder Robert Redford. What's remarkable is how the ever-expanding festival has outgrown Redford's own public profile. Sundance is not simply "Robert Redford's festival" anymore.
Over 10 days of caffeine highs, 100-odd films will struggle through deal-making, crass promotion and logistical nightmares to find their niche. Competition for the media's attention comes from Sundance off-shoots such as the Slamdance festival and an all-digital festival dubbed No Dance.
There will be the inevitable breakouts. There always are. It's what makes Sundance such a strange concoction of film art and Hollywood commerce. This strange marriage has made Sundance the most important film festival in America. Looking for the next trend? Scouting that "hot" filmmaker? The only place to be is Sundance.
Sundance also is the place to remake one's career. Musicians such as aging punker Johnny Rotten and REM frontman Michael Stipe come to Sundance to explore film work. TV stars like ER's Julianna Margulies and Wasteland's Rebecca Gayhart look for indie credibility. They wade through an onslaught of celebrity sightings -- Sandra Bullock promoting her short film, Gwyneth Paltrow arm-in-arm with then-boyfriend Ben Affleck -- all searching for the lightning strike of notoriety.
Last year, the discovery of The Blair Witch Project added a new chapter to the Sundance legend. Its story was much like past Sundance stories: a low-budget film making a bunch of money.
The money-go-round of the reported deals just makes you shake your head in disbelief. This buying and selling of independent movies can turn into a nasty business. Made-up deals are tossed into the endless spin-cycle of festival gossip. All-night negotiating sessions generate rumored bids. Not that every purchase turns into a post-festival hit. 1999 Sundance favorite Happy, Texas (about two ex-cons masquerading as gay beauty pageant organizers) never managed to find a sizable audience. Part of Sundance's thrill comes from the fact that every business decision is a gamble.
Sundance 2000 will ask an oft-repeated question: Are independent films becoming better? Looking back on a year of challenging studio films -- Three Kings, The Straight Story, Fight Club, American Beauty and Election -- it's a fair question to ask. The Sundance myth goes back to when writer/director Steven Soderbergh's sex, lies and videotape captured the first Sundance Audience Award in 1989 before becoming a box-office hit. The Blair Witch Project took the myth of the Sundance windfall to the next level.
Breakout dreams are supposed to happen at Sundance. It's why the festival exists. For many independent films, Sundance "buzz" is what opens the door to the commercial marketplace.
Making one's way to the Saturday Night Awards Ceremony on Jan. 30 becomes a fight for stamina. The hope is that one witnesses enough big deals and unexpected discoveries to warrant the Herculean effort. Along the way, Sundance 2000 is bound to ask a new question: What is the future for American independents? CityBeat aims to provide some answers. Just as we've been at Sundance over the past six years. ©
