Sundance Film Festival 2013
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The Faces and Places of the Sundance Film Festival, Part One
“Sundance is our annual tradeshow,” a friend remarked to me at one of the very crowded parties this year. Indeed, it is a place to catch up, even if that short conversation is in line at a theater or at Starbucks instead of the kind of proper sit-down you’d have at Cannes or Berlin. Here are a few of the folks I bumped into at Sundance, beginning with, above, director Jehane Noujain, snapped on Heber Street just hours before the premiere of her latest documentary, The Square. I was knocked out by the film, which is a vivid and expertly […]
by Scott Macaulay on Jan 24, 2013 -
A Young Producer’s Sundance Photo Diary, Day Five
I’m looking out my window right now and I don’t see mountains or snow. Miraculously, after 12 hours of traveling and functioning on about 15 hours of sleep over the last five days, I’m back in New York. Between packing up all my sweaters and saying goodbye to friends, I was still able to have a productive last day at Sundance though. I photographed a brunch the IFP and Sundance Institute hosted for film festival organizers, saw The Spectacular Now and Shane Carruth’s incredible Upstream Color, and made it up to Main Street only to be denied that free latte I […]
by Alexandra Byer on Jan 23, 2013 -
The Crowded Stages of the Sundance Film Festival
When I published my piece, “How To Do a Festival Q&A,” there was one word of advice from Trevor Groth that I wondered about: “#5: Don’t bring too many people onstage”: “It slows everything down and tends not to work with the vibe of a good Q&A,” says Groth about long lines of cast and crew marching to the stage after a film’s premiere. “Just bring the key actors and someone who played a crucial role — maybe a production designer or editor.” Apparently many of the Sundance filmmakers didn’t read my article — or heed Groth’s advice — because […]
by Scott Macaulay on Jan 23, 2013 -
Indieflix’s Scilla Andreen Announces “Royalty Pool Minutes”
Payment models in the digital film distribution world can be surprisingly confusing once you get past the simple straight cut of a Vimeo or iTunes download. Streaming in particular can raise questions. How much should a filmmaker make when his or her film is only viewed partially? Indieflix CEO Scilla Andreen proposes one answer she calls RPM — “royalty pool minutes.” It’s the new artist payment model for her site, and in an interview at Sundance, she argued for its simplicity and clarity. “We take a percentage of the overall monthly revenue coming to Indieflix,” Andreen explains. “We’ve evolved to […]
by Scott Macaulay on Jan 23, 2013 -
Sweetwater | Directors Logan & Noah Miller
[PREMIERE SCREENING: Thursday, Jan. 24, 9:45pm — Eccles Theatre, Park City] It all depends on who you ask. The producers would probably say they sacrificed an ungodly amount of money. Which is true. Good on them. The actors might say they sacrificed a larger paycheck on a bigger movie. To be sure. It’s an indie. The narcissist, which by definition every filmmaker qualifies, says EVERYTHING: grooming, pond-gazing, moonlight sonatas, vengeance against enemies, meditative bowel movements, a drastic reduction in sexual activity (if not a total loss), etc. But we’re twins. So we sacrificed each other. You see, we share everything. […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 23, 2013 -
Sundance: Death by Twitter, Computers vs. Brains
You are at the premiere of your own film. The screening is packed. The credits begin to roll…and 500 glowing screens appear in the darkness. You sit there, watching the phones, helpless as strangers and bloggers decide your fate 140 characters at a time. Perhaps the Variety critic delivers the first blow: a decisive mediocre. The indieWIRE stringer declares the audience underwhelmed, #sundance. At a party that night, people tell each other that they heard the movie was “only OK.” In the olden days, crowds of press and industry would gather outside the theatre to discuss their thoughts and settle on […]
by Alicia Van Couvering on Jan 23, 2013 -
Sundance Shorts Winners Announced
Tonight the winners of the short film awards for the Sundance Film Festival were announced. The Grand Jury Prize went to Polish director Grzegorz Zariczny’s The Whistle, while two directors known for their feature-length work — Damien Chazelle and Michael Almereyda — also picked up awards. The full list of winners is below: The Short Film Grand Jury Prize was awarded to: The Whistle / Poland (Director: Grzegorz Zariczny) — Marcin, a lowest-leagues football referee who lives in a small town near Krakow, dreams of better times. At his mother’s urging, he decides to change his life and find himself a girlfriend and a better job. […]
by Nick Dawson on Jan 23, 2013 -
The Other Side of Sundance
I’m not in the Sundance rhythm yet. I’m still trying to work out out how to fit in enough writing, food and sleep into my jam-packed schedule. Before arriving, I’d decided I wouldn’t go to too many parties, but on a whim I RSVP’d to a “celebrity poker tournament,” which was to be held at the Everest Mansion, a big house up in the mountains above Park City. My rationale was that I would get to experience “the other side” of Sundance, and could maybe relax and play a little poker. The list of confirmed guests included some famous names, […]
by Nick Dawson on Jan 23, 2013 -
Big Sur | Director Michael Polish
[PREMIERE SCREENING: Wednesday, Jan. 23, 9:45pm — Eccles Theatre, Park City] I believe with every independent movie the sacrifice is always time versus money. We never have enough of either. However, you find creative solutions when faced with these constraints. As for Big Sur, the location itself sacrificed our crew on a daily basis. It’s basically cliffs, canyons and sea shore. It’s heaven, so there’s some death involved…well, let’s say redemption. Overall it was a religious experience and the author of our bible was Jack Kerouac – a testament to survival.” Sundance Responses 2013
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 22, 2013 -
A Young Producer’s Sundance Photo Diary, Day Four
Day Four. Things began to slow down as it felt like a lot of Sundance goers boarded flights back to their real lives and work. It was a bit more manageable to walk down Main Street and restaurants didn’t all have 45-minute waits – though I still couldn’t get a free coffee at the Sundance Channel HQ. Sadly, it was a slower day for movies, but I was able to catch up with a lot of filmmakers and friends at the IFP’s Sundance party, which was a total success. Only one more day in Park City! I’ll be sad to […]
by Alexandra Byer on Jan 22, 2013
