The Poor Man’s Sundance
angela
For the past few years, I have found a way to enjoy the benefits of The Sundance Film Festival without leaving the comforts of my Brooklyn home. If you, like me, are not fortunate enough to be amongst the parka wearers in Park City, you can still enjoy many of the benefits of being there. Here are my five tips:
1. Follow people who are there on Twitter or Facebook. By hearing their adventures, you can get a good sense of what films are getting buzz and what events seemed meaningful. Pick people who have a similar sensibility to yours. Otherwise, their adventures will start to annoy you. My favorites on Twitter have been @1basil1, @ebertchicago, @fromthehip and @wendynuale (Note: Some of these people are no longer there but you can read their archives.).
2. Read news sites and blogs that are reporting on the festival. Some good suggestions are Indiewire, Hammer to Nail, Thompson on Hollywood, LA Weekly and the good old fashioned New York Times. I am not a big fan of reading reviews per say but their discussions on trends are top notch.
3. Watch panels online. I subscribe to The Sundance Channel and The Sundance Film Festival on YouTube. I have really enjoyed watching condensed versions of meaningful conversations. My favorite so far was The Producer’s Round Table with producing legends Ted Hope, Christine Vachon, Jonathon Schwartz, Thomas Woodrow and Liz Watts. It made me feel like I was eavesdropping on a great conversation. These stream all year round so you watch them anytime.
4. Watch movies. This year you can actually see a few of the films screening at the festival outside of Park City. YouTube is offering rentals through January 31st of films that screened in 2009 as well as films in the 2010 festival. You Tube is also streaming shorts from the festivals as well. Or you can participate in Sundance Film Fest USA and attend a screening in an actual movie theater near you (This option is available if your city is one of the chosen few. The event is January 28th so you better get on it!). For the films that are not available through either of these means, you can—
5. Keep a list of films that you want to see. That way, when they come to your local film festival, theater or online outlet, you can be sure to catch them. It makes navigating the cinema world a bit easier.
No, these tips don’t replace the experience of running into Ryan Gosling at a party… but they do soften the blow.
|
| Posted on January 28, 2010
Comments
@1basil? that looks like it’s someone else.
Posted on 2010 01 29 by Maggie
I fixed it. It’s @1basil1. Thanks Maggie for the correction.
Posted on 2010 01 29 by angela