A Sundance Report
by Ariana.


Thursday, January 18, 2001
8:00pm "What's so wrong with Hollywood?" is one of the first things I hear at the baggage carousel...Oh no, it's finally happened, I think--Sundance has officially turned into a huge cheesy market full of soulless ICM agents, like Cannes with snow and bikini tops!!! Well, when in Rome...I manage to get 3 cards and a party invite in the airport.

9:30pm We pull into Park City. The snow-covered terrain is so vast and pure, even at night it is overwhelmingly stunning. Thursday is opening night-so, no one is on the streets...just a few Mormons avoiding the Starbucks, usually there's a fairly mediocre "name" opening premiere film and the premiere gala, which is worth attending since only the "hardcore" attend. This year's film is surprisingly very good. It is Christine Lahti's feature debut "My first Mister," a cute and quirky sort of a romantic "odd couple."


Friday, January 19, 2001
9:00am Frantic call to American Airlines, "but this is NOT a vacation, if I were in Europe on vacation it wouldn't matter-all American tourists look wrinkled to them...This is a Film Festival-I have to look cute and charming. I need clothes that say, 'come talk to me. I'm cool' not ' she smells like old peanuts. Help her off the streets!" The airline agrees to give me $50. Not much of a shopping spree at the Sundance Shop, but now it's SWAG time! (swag: free promotional materials-collected and traded by festivalgoers).

10:00am Main Street. Where is everyone? Usually Main street teams with people, many of them promoting their own free screenings...no more Scandinavians dragging us to hotel rooms to watch "Van Dance" a B film about biker chics, no Indian guy holding "my own mini-van dance" trying to make someone buy his homemade VHS movie - screening all day out of the mini-van! Trey Parker is not passing out flyers to every female in town for Lapdance, last year's slamdance party. No Dance has found an actual home, as has Digidance. Slamdunk? All the other outdoor dancing seems to have ended? It seems they have passed a law stopping all guerilla marketing to AVOID becoming another marketplace. Part of the move to remain independent, and a lot of Sundance children have returned. Allison Anders, Richard Linklater, Cheryl Dunye and Robert Rodriguez all have films here this year. A very haggard Sissy Spacek look-a-like walks past me. Wait no, that was Sissy Spacek and I hear she's given the performance of her life in Todd Field's, "In the Bedroom."----Let the BUZZ begin!

As I work my way up Main Street, I am given hats, t-shirts, pens, notebooks. I get two free T's and lunch from "Fresh Fest." Yes, that's right-Subway Foods has rented a space and is having a film festival! One of Sundance's programmers has actually left to work in the film division of another major corporation and I hear that GAP, GM, and Coca-Cola all have film departments now. At first, this seems disturbing. Don't we already have enough machines mass-producing what John Pierson calls "filmed entertainment?" Then again, chances are that these private sector groups want something innovative and different to call more attention to themselves, and shouldn't the private sector be funding the arts more anyway... could be a sort of modern day house of Esterhaz. Think of all the industrialists who funded Wagner, and Heine...

AtomFilms has by far the coolest funkadelic decor. They also furnish me with more clothing and even a TOOTHBRUSH-who needs luggage anyway! Talk about festival Kharma! As I leave the Sundance Digital Lounge. On my way to "House of Docs" a large hirsute man w/a Costco employee tag, which reads "SPIKE" hands me more promo-stuff and I realize he is Spike (of Spike and Mike-Mike is dead, don't ask how we found out). We don't spend long in "House of Docs" since rumour has it Nicole Guillaume will be taking it on the road. Sundance is making a real push this year, to help documentaries get attention.

We make a quick stop in Sundance Music Lounge; keep hearing rumours, "The Roots" and "They Might Be Giants" will be performing there. Michael Stipe seems to have started a movement connecting Indywood and the music industry. Knowing that the music industry and Thailand are the only places that make the film industry look clean, I'm not sure I like this arrangement...

3:00pm Shuttle bus to ShadowRidge. The best place to spot anyone, because everyone has to check in here! I pick up the traditional bag of flyers and wonderful chapstick-on-a-rope. Spoiled staffers complain there are no coffee mugs and also no more little ice coffees in the hospitality suite. It seems they lost a certain sponsor. Interesting note, no matter how much/little a sponsor gives-they still get the same ad placement.

4:00pm I make it to the programming office and am hailed as the "queen of swag" this is a small but fun honor, considering I am the only person not employed by the festival! On the way, I get into a funny debacle with LAFF's Thomas Harris, "how could you love 'the King is Alive?" "There's a certain filmmaker's daughter who's not very happy with the Spirit Awards..." The Press Office boys keep me in stitches.

7:00pm Go to "My First Mister" private house party with pal, Mary Kerr. They have a great buffet and free Steve Madden slippers at the door-why did I even bring a bag? We chat with photojournalist John Bernstein behind Al Brooks. Since, I'd like one day to be the little sister of the Dogme95 Brotherhood, Mary introduces me to Shari Roman, the director of last year's "Lars 1-10." She is a little spitfire and I like her immediately. After being forced to pretend she can play pool for a photo op, a tall slim Leelee Sobieski hops in and out of my conversation with Shari in perfect French!

12:00am Everyone leaves the "Mister" soiree and heads over to the Hugo Boss afterparty. Hugo Boss has rented a house for a week, but we get there and it is full of scenesters- people who could care less about film yet they seem to make it to all the parties? They're like grown-up clubkids without the entertaining clothes or idealism... We are told at the door, "the party is closed" Shari walks right past this faux high school "wait in line" scenario. Inside, there is a great D.J., but indeed it's mostly scenesters.... we leave before getting our "complimentary" down coats, since the coats seem to come only in pastel-neon lime green. (On whom is that combo complimentary?).


Saturday, January 20, 2001
8:15am Good Morning Merry Sunshine! My friend Mary should be calling to wake me, but I am so wired I awaken and call her for today's first screening. Miraculously, we both make it to Jose Luis Marques' "Fuckland". One of the first non-Dane Dogme'95 films, made by an Argentine--we are both scared we'll fall asleep. The film is entertaining but the end isn't followed through very well...it is a funny movie, if you've been to Argentina-but I guess no one else in the audience has... Hmmmm.

11:00am Walk around Shadow Ridge, try to bum free hot cookies out of USA films and visit Magic Lantern. Ahh, breakfast...cheese and an Odwala bar from the hospitality suite. The guy in the hospitality suite now practically knows my name -but for him, I only use my Indian name, "noshes a lot."

1:00pm Ice Rink Party...bogus, just a photo-op for Entertainment Tonight and Xtra. OK, by now I've seen John Bernstein at 15 different places in two days. I'm becoming convinced he has cloned himself to cover the festival. Lunch-hot cocoa and free Balance bars. Unfortunately, bars seem to taste similar to glazed sand -so will pass them to more appreciative volunteers along the way!

4:00pm Party time. We do a quick walk through of the Sundance "Hawaiian" theme party at Zoom-what NO gift bags!! This is one of the parties known for good gift bags...instead we are given a CD sampler of a fat dead Samoan named IZ and a complimentary bag of greasy chips! Our group however, has doubled...

5:00pm We hit the FilmFour party...this is a good one...not many people, but this is typical of Sundance-I run into all the people I've been trying to meet in NY/LA all year. An anonymous juror talks film with us, mainly because he can't talk film with any one else in the room for fear of being misused and maligned by one of these shark agents! As we speak, we actually turn and find someone hiding behind us trying to eavesdrop!!! The Greene Street film guys are here and we speak of their film, "In the Bedroom" which seems to be picking up speed. I make my new friend, Wade (producer of last year's "George B") play the card trading game with every single person I halfway recognize! On our way out we jokingly call the guy in front of us, "NSYNC."

7:00pm Finally, a little down time...dinner with a festival buddy and her "civilian" acquaintances... Unfortunately, the acquaintances symbolize everything I fear will happen to Park City. They seem to be on "Fraternity Vacation: Sundance"--it seems very ironic as we sit and discuss the annoying cast of "Real World" and their film, and the very humourous Dan Minahan film, "Series 7", which mocks reality T.V.

10:00pm OH NO, it really is NSYNC! We actually spotted "Lance" and they are also throwing a bash, too. Woa! An MPRM publicist has actually put her hand on my chest to stop me from entering a party, "Danielle, help" Danielle Neuwerthe knows everyone and I squeak out in shock! I think I have just been sexually harassed by another woman, not to mention the assault to my dignity...luckily I repress this memory in minutes as I am defrosting. Once we've sat down and are enjoying our imitation-crab filled sushi (hey, it's Utah) I say, "look, there's Dennis Leary"-my friend responds, " It should be this is HIS party (Double Whammy premiere), "oh, are we there already?" No sight of Elizabeth Hurley, but I later here the party was better than the film, (imitation crab et al). No giftbags, but the "Series 7" folks have given us cool trailer CD-ROMs and I tell them about how Casio has been giving certain directors handhelds containing their trailers to show on the streets of Park City!

1:30am One more party, the DVTV.com guys are having a party at Cicero's. They have a handful of filmmakers who have won the opportunity to come to Park City and Digi-shoot their own experience. The DVTV guys are very nice but everyone else at the party seems uninteresting and if they were interesting I'd be too tired to keep up with them. By 3a.m., I am sitting next to a lanky skinhead, who seems to be from England and is touting the fact that his movie has lots of nudity...that he's testing America's boundaries.... and I think wouldn't you be testing our boundaries in a more beneficial way by having a script worth pitching...not just nudity????? Maybe, I am getting snippy and need bed...and a space heater for that matter.


Sunday, January 21, 2001
11:00am Screening, Timothy Linh Bui's "Green Dragon." Both Tim and Tony come out to warn us there have been three tears made in the third reel. It was a perfect print when they got here but (every filmmakers nightmare)... The projectionist looks like he could be one of the escaped Texas seven and I am not surprised.... Yes, there are a lot of Utah locals who work the festival...back to the movie... I loved Tony's "3 Seasons" and so I really enjoyed this film too...it isn't as cinematic as Tony's film was, but it is a captivating sentimental story. Forrest Whitaker's performance is wonderful and I kick myself for not asking him for an interview at the FilmFour party.

1:00pm My friend Michelle is working the door and invites me to the "gay.com" luncheon- I'm starving and dying to meet Christine Vachon.... so, I go. I guess I didn't realize this party was more for people who are gay, than pro-gay...all the food is healthy but there's none left. I see the last melon sliver go down the throat of an overly rippled West Hollywood actor. The gift bags are gone too...although I see an anonymous IFP East staffer walking out with a bundle. Hmmm, maybe it's time to see what the "OTHER" festival has.

2:00pm Have been waiting for a bus FOREVER NOW! Would complain but my lips are frozen together! Finally have to catch 3 buses and walk down SCARIEST slope of my life, ...to arrive at Slamdance's new headquarters at the Silver Mine, literally a converted silver mine. Strangely, the whole building is a light yellow--hmmm, I never really thought the color of Indy-film would be pastel yellow...but I usually really enjoy Slamdance...

3:00pm OK, there is a cute guy standing behind me and he speaks German. I turn around and make a wise crack in vernacular Viennese... It seems he is from Berlin- this essentially, ended our conversation but not before he could pitch his film, "Paul Is Dead." It's a story about a 12 year old German boy who uncovers the scandal behind the "Paul Is Dead" Beatles controversy. I hear it is good but choose to see "the Trouble with Larry," which is a comic although slightly redundant mock educational film made by a bunch of Pixar employees.

3:15pm I ATTEMPT to get my press credentials from the press office...the woman running the office is so rude to me, I contemplate walking out and writing Dan Mirvish a note! Once, I've finally offered my blood tests...she then turns and ignores me without even giving me a press packet --looks up and switches from aggressive to more passive aggressive, "umm... Is there something else" Yes, how about credentials, a press packet, screening info...

I decide to give the headquarters another walkthrough-I meet one filmmaker who shows me his film on the web. Slamdance is exhibiting quite a few of their shorts on the web-so, if they don't crash a festival near you (Cannes, Toronto)-check it out at www.slamdance.org. There are some great films this year (particularly Korean). However, his film seems to be in the genre of...umm, I guess vulgar Claymation pornography!?!

5:00pm Just as I'm thinking "ok, now I've seen it all." We go to see a movie called, "Sexy Beast". I want to see this film because it is made by a popular music-video director, Jonathan Glazer. My pals and I joke how certain video directors seem to think having a "style" means which colorization process you use and if there's an actual story during the "faceless hoochie hiprolling" shots. The opening is very funny -and the reason for the film's title--however, there is another shot which had it been seconds longer could have summarized the film renaming it, "Beastly Sex." Yes, it is a British gangster film, but it has two uncommon themes. The first is that the lead wants desperately NOT to go back to that business, and the second is the marital love story. As the lights come up. One friend asks what happened, because she couldn't understand a word through out the whole film! Buyer beware-all three of us thought it was in Australia for at least the first 15 minutes...

7:00pm House of Saigon. Wow. I can't believe I'm eating my first real meal since Thursday morning, and it's FANTASTIC. House of Saigon is probably the best secret in Park City...and it's not such a secret, I see Tim Bui and Peter Broderick are eating there, too.

9:00pm Between parties, I chat with another Indy filmmaker friend and complain about Slamdance-he responds with, "don't worry, I'm a programmer and they treated me that way! It just depends on who you get."--Hmmm, I think Slamdance might be getting too big for their britches or their silver mine- whatever.

11:00pm The much-anticipated "Dogtown and Zboys" party... This ski-chalet is a practically all glass Frank Lloyd Wright 4 or is it 5 story house, full of handmade wooden furniture-just for the party. We are taken outside to the Sky Vodka Ice Bar. Little droplet Evian bottles are sprinkled through the snow. The bar is actually one huge block of ice, with little blue and white ice blocks spread around it. I feel like I am in a Bond film. I try to enjoy FuManchu's performance on the second floor, but keep feeling my teeth will rattle out. Not having the energy to deal with all the "scenesters" I hide on the couch, only to meet one of the actresses from "Chopper" who's even more tired than me, having just arrived from Australia. This movie is actually getting a good buzz and I wish I had time to see it. It's a great slate this year. I am juggling two conversations: one with Dogtown's D.P. about how many production companies are moving to Canada and in the other ear a Digidance director is kvetching about the dilemmas of PCPro. I meet Agy Orsi, the film's producer-and she is a powerhouse. I want to take her brain home in my purse -but will settle for one of the gift shoulderbags filled with what is essentially an entire skate-rat dream wardrobe! Knowing that documentaries do not bring in lots of cash, I can't get over how Agy has been able to get this sort of backing. We drive down the 30 minute winding road to go home In the car, I verbally abuse myself for not talking to a good-looking English filmmaker I'd met at Slamdance in 98- Christopher Nolan, but I want to cry when my friend reminds me that he is the director of "Memento"...

1:30pm In the car ride home, somebody says they saw me in a short at the IFP, and I think-maybe all these little films I keep doing will become something after all...but wait, just one more party. It's John Sloss party at Zoom and since I keep NOT meeting him-we go. I see a lot of friendly faces...but still no John Sloss. How do I keep missing the elusive Sloss? Well, leave something for next year...


Monday, January 22, 2001
8:30am I know I can fit another movie in before I go...then again, maybe I should have slept in... I thought I was going to "Home Movie", (another classic from Chris Smith), but the screening I have entered is "Trembling Before God" a documentary about the Gay Hassidic movement (?), I find myself tempted but too tired to mock the screen and unable to leave-convinced that Isaac Mizrahi is actually sitting next to me.

11:00am Screening "Unfinished Symphony." Although I am oversaturated and disinterested in any form of Vietnam/WWII/Holocaust films...this film about 'nam is beautifully shot with a beautiful accompaniment - you can guess the composer...

1:00pm As I am driving away, Darren Aronofsky is pulling into town. Tonight he will meet with Bingham Ray, Joan Chen and the other jurors to discuss which films offer what--I wish I could be a fly on their wall...


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