Hello from Park City, Utah. I am at the Sundance Film Festival with Flashpoint Academy Academic Dean Paula Froehle. It’s my first Sundance experience and so far it has been a lot of fun, very informative, and we even got some business done.
Details and pictures will follow- the dumb filmmaker can’t get his pictures off his camera until he returns to Chicago. Here is a quick rundown of our first 36 hours.
- Two film screenings- a bad collection of shorts, and great Korean documentary called Old Partner about a farmer and his 40 year old ox.
- Two very interesting panels- one on new ways independent filmmakers can self-distribute their films, the other hosted by Variety and the Illinois Film Office- 30% tax breaks to shoot in Illinois!- about 10 directors to watch.
- Lots of hanging out talking film, talking film business.
- A great debate, about the film Doubt, though I think it was determined (I determined) that Betsy Steinberg, head of the Illinois Film Office, and I were right about what happened to Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s character and everyone else is completely wrong.
- Celebrity sightings: Pierce Brosnan, Susan Sarandon, Perry Farrell, Paris Hilton, Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
More later, more specifics and pics.
PeterH
Sundance Film Festival
yay for the update, looking forward to more!
I am just getting acquainted with the independent film industry and have found some of the details to be fascinating so far. “Clearance and Copyright ” written by Michael C. Donaldson, has been my favorite book so far- it is a must read for anyone interested in making an independent film- a great reference book.
I look forward to reading more of your updates on the Sundance film festival- It all sounds so exciting!