MISSING SUNDANCE
After havimg gpme eight years in a row to Sundance, this is the third that I haven't. In spite of the many friends and colleagues that are there, I can see them in more intimate surroundings at home. I rarely got any work done at Sundance. Also, the parties I could get into had more wannabes than players.
The years I went I did enjoy, and, for me, from a professional standpoint, it was good to be part of the mix. And the New England representatin was stronger. For almost l0 years in a row, there was a narrative film from New England in competition; in the case of documentary, it was almost l5 years. And, because I knew so many people, I could help newcomers get oriented. Then, too, there was a functioning Massachusetts film office, which would organzie a breakfast or a cocktail party for those of us from the region. For me, the self-proclaimed elder statesman of New England independent film film, it was a must. But, no more. There is no organized New England presence. Furthermore, tickets are harder to come by, and the Festival has become more spread out and more commercial. I have more fun at the regional festivals I attend and participate in, and aso at Toronto, which retains its sense of intimacy in spite of its vastness.
So, I prefer the boutique festivals, like Northampton, Woods Hole or New Haven, in which I partipate, or Maine, Green Mountain, Provincetown and Newport, which I occasionally attend.
This year at Sundance, there is no representative from Northampton, and that's not a problem. We know enough people in Park City to advise us on films we ought to be showing, if there any we could get, and as Northampton goes through its growing pains of finding not only financial solvency but also fimin identity, its developing board and supporters give it plentyto work with. One of the great things about both Northapton and Woods Hole is that those fromn the outside who do come not only have a good time but find them professionally valuable. And they tell their friends in the business to participate. That cannot happen in a festival as large as Sundance.
So, I do avoid the expense. And, because so many people I regularly work with are in Park City, I get work caught up on. I only wish we didn.t have all the snow and cld that is normally associated with Sundance.
The years I went I did enjoy, and, for me, from a professional standpoint, it was good to be part of the mix. And the New England representatin was stronger. For almost l0 years in a row, there was a narrative film from New England in competition; in the case of documentary, it was almost l5 years. And, because I knew so many people, I could help newcomers get oriented. Then, too, there was a functioning Massachusetts film office, which would organzie a breakfast or a cocktail party for those of us from the region. For me, the self-proclaimed elder statesman of New England independent film film, it was a must. But, no more. There is no organized New England presence. Furthermore, tickets are harder to come by, and the Festival has become more spread out and more commercial. I have more fun at the regional festivals I attend and participate in, and aso at Toronto, which retains its sense of intimacy in spite of its vastness.
So, I prefer the boutique festivals, like Northampton, Woods Hole or New Haven, in which I partipate, or Maine, Green Mountain, Provincetown and Newport, which I occasionally attend.
This year at Sundance, there is no representative from Northampton, and that's not a problem. We know enough people in Park City to advise us on films we ought to be showing, if there any we could get, and as Northampton goes through its growing pains of finding not only financial solvency but also fimin identity, its developing board and supporters give it plentyto work with. One of the great things about both Northapton and Woods Hole is that those fromn the outside who do come not only have a good time but find them professionally valuable. And they tell their friends in the business to participate. That cannot happen in a festival as large as Sundance.
So, I do avoid the expense. And, because so many people I regularly work with are in Park City, I get work caught up on. I only wish we didn.t have all the snow and cld that is normally associated with Sundance.
1 Comments:
I went to Sundance and it was a good time. Great skiing and snowboarding, and great panels and music. Highlights for me were the Fred Wiseman/Werner Herzog and Barbara Kopple talks; also The Dresden Dolls and Suzanne Vega at the music cafe. I was so busy I didn't get to see too many films, but highlights were Buscemi's new film "Lonesome Jim" and I also liked an Australian short called "Fuel". I'd recommend for BUFF "America's Biggest Dick". A Dick Cheney speech in which the filmmaker replaces Cheney's mouth and words with Al Pacino's mouth and dialogue from Scarface. Done before, but most entertaining version of this trick I've seen. Also possible BUFF material is the short "Cry For Help." I found the festival organizers had a very "can do" attitude, in the sense that if you ask for something, they usually won't send you away empty handed, they aim to please. I had a very good experience. If you are planning a West Coast ski trip anyway, I would definitely recommend Park City during the festival. Same price as Vail, way more fun. And Vail is pretty fun.
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