Mediawala Festival

If you love movies, then you've probably heard of the Sundance Film Festival. However, you may not know much about it. What is it, how did it originate, and what can you do while you're there? Let's look at these great questions.

What is it?

The Sundance Film Festival is held in January of each year in Park City, Utah. This exciting festival geared towards people who love film is the biggest of its kind in the U.S. Its focus is on independent films, and it is a platform for new up and coming directors to showcase their creations. The Sundance includes many different categories, from documentary to dramatic, and domestic to international. Both short and full length pictures are now allowed entry. The awards given for the winners in each category have become much sought after, as the Festival's prestige has consistently grown.

How did it come about?

This unique vision was started by a few film insiders with a vision. The head of Robert Redford's production company Wildwood, Sterling Van Wagenen, was instrumental in its inception. Other key players where Cirina Hampton Catania and John Earle, of the Utah Film Commission. Their goal for the Sundance Film Festival was to give Utah a greater visibility in the film industry, as well as to promote greater focus on independent films. The first Sundance was held in August of 1978 in the capital of Salt Lake City. Only films submitted by American directors were admitted to the competition in the early years. By the following year, the Sundance was turning a profit, with a total of over 60 movies being shown. The early success of the Festival was aided by the Governor of Utah and the involvement of Robert Redford as Chairman of the group. With Redford's high profile name attached to the event, it gained more notoriety than it otherwise would have. Another factor which contributed to the success of the Sundance was the fact that only one other such event existed to celebrate independent films in the country at that time. The Sundance was truly the ground floor for the boom in independent films which you see happening today.

As the Sundance Film Festival has progressed over the years, it has grown in both scope and influence. It has helped to start the careers of many well-known directors, including Quentin Tarantino, Steven Soderbergh, and Kevin Smith. Some famous films which have premiered at Sundance include the Blair Witch Project, Thank You for Smoking, and Napolean Dynamite.

What can you do while you're there?

The Sundance Film Festival is one of the most popular movie festivals in the nation, and it offers a great variety of events for you to enjoy. It has evolved from a low key affair for unknown films into a big budget showcase for Hollywood players. This gives you ample opportunity to see famous Hollywood celebrities right on the street. However, the Festival has been trying to get back to its roots, starting up the "Focus On Film" initiative to reinforce the message that the festival is meant to show films that would not get a viewing otherwise.

Not only can you take in your fill of movies, you can attend premiers and even see the new very low budget films that are a new category in the Festival's lineup. Also, if you want to take a break from movies for a day, the skiing in the area is excellent.

So, there you have it. The Sundance Film Festival is a one of kind celebration of film that will offer you a variety of things to see and do. If you love movies, then why not check it out this year?