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This week thousands of movie directors, writers, actors and
Hollywood executives are huddled together in the ski resort town of Park
City, Utah attending two independent film festivals. One is the now
prestigious and well-established Sundance Festival, which was started with
support from actor Robert Redford 22 years ago. The other is a more
free-spirited event called the Slamdance Festival, which is now in its
12th year.
Independent film producers were once on the fringes of the movie
industry, struggling to have their works seen in small theaters and rented
halls. The Sundance Festival has helped change all that by giving
independent films recognition and all-important exposure.
The Sundance festival and the Slamdance Festival, which takes place at
the same time, have put Park City, Utah on the Hollywood map. Every
January, this ski resort with a population of about 7,000 hosts more than
double that number of people who come to the festivals.
Craig McCarthy of the Park City Chamber of Commerce says the town takes
on a lot of glitter and glamour as a result. "It is a really neat change
of pace to all of a sudden have over 15,000 additional people who do not
come from the ski and snowboard world as our normal customers do," he
said. "It makes the town quite lively and it is just a really fun time for
all of us."
Mr. McCarthy says the festivals also bring in about $22 million to the
local economy.
But millions of people around the world who are unable to go to Park
City can also participate in the festivals, thanks to modern
technology.
Many of the films will end up being shown on cable television channels
around the world and winning films are almost assured of distribution on
DVDs, which are distributed worldwide.
But technology has a more immediate impact through the internet. The
Sundance Festival is offering free, real-time online showings of some of
the films entered in this year's competition on Sundance.org. The
Slamdance Festival also has free viewings of short films on its web site,
Slamdance.com.
Slamdance co-founder and independent filmmaker Dan Mirvish, speaking to
VOA by telephone from Park City, says the festival has grown into
something much bigger than a ten-day event.
"We also have a full, year-round operation with a screenplay
competition, we have a web site, Slamdance.com, where you can watch short
films year round. We do screenings once a month in New York and events in
L.A. [Los Angeles] We travel around the world actually. We have done
events everywhere from China to Chile to Stockholm, Sweden to Cannes,"
said Mirvish. "So we really have a global presence one way or another
now."
Mirvish says the internet now plays a big role in the festival. All
through the year, he says, short films are shown on the web site so that
online viewers can rate them.
"Those then actually come to Park City and then they are voted on in
Park City and on our web site. So it is a separate and parallel
competition," he added. "It is a nice way to have a sort of year-round
competition."
Mirvish says technology, in the form of small digital cameras and
computer editing programs has also made it possible for anyone, anywhere
to make a film.
"It is amazing what you can do with these cameras. Every year they get
a little better and fancier," he said. "There is no reason you cannot
shoot a film for $5,000, $10,000, or $500 or even $50, if you have the
camera. Then the editing and post production and sound work that you can
do on your MacIntosh or whatever computer is amazing."
Dan Mirvish shot his latest film, Open House: A Real Estate Musical
Comedy, with digital video cameras. The film is now out on DVD and has
become a cult favorite around the country. In fact, he says, Open House
has taken on a life of its own.
"People all around the country and it is starting to be around the
world now, too, watch the film and they are throwing their own real estate
open house parties, where they make finger sandwiches, which is kind of a
key thing in the movie, and they are sending in home videos of them
watching the film. It has become a bit of an interactive thing," said
Mirvish. "Now there are high schools that actually want to do stage
versions of the film, because it is a musical."
Both the Sundance and Slamdance festivals wrap up this weekend (Jan
29), but independent filmmakers around the world are invited to prepare
submissions for next year's competitions. | 
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