More Festival Pics!

 Redstone!

 Cabin 260, plus some adoptees.

And the Award Goes to....

...okay well I would list them all but since there are many many awards given to some of the best films at the festival, I have attached the link to the Sundance Website that lists all of the awards given at the awards ceremony this year.  Top Winners included The Surrogate which was awarded the US Dramatic Competition Audience Award and Beasts of the Southern Wild was awarded the Grand Jury Prize-Dramatic.  Hopefully these films will be out soon so that everyone can enjoy them (ps, they were both picked up, so they will be out eventually!)

In the next week or so, we will be posting film reviews of some of the films that we were able to see.  Check back for them soon and decide what's on your must-see list from this years Sundance Film Festival!

Click here to see this years winners!

Award Winners

FYI if anyone is in the Bay Area this month, The Rheem Theater is hosting the California Independent Film Festival!  If you are interested, there is a film from the Sundance Film Festival that is playing called Monsieur Lazhar on Feb 10th at 7pm and Feb 14th at 6:30 pm!


To see what other films are playing at this festival, click below.


http://caiff.org/

The Last Few Days at Sundance

This week has been jam packed with film, food, and fun!  We saw many many many films this week including...

The Pact
The Bachelorette
Oslo, August 31st
Keep The Lights On
Pursuit of Loneliness
Room 237
Teddy Bear
Smashed
The Words
The Atomic States of America
Love Free of Die
Chasing Ice
California Solo
Gypsy Davy

....and we are seeing even more today, which is sadly our last day here at Sundance.  With the eclectic mix of films, we have been able to get an idea of what indie film is really about and how it differs from mainstream film.  Many of the films include big names actors like Kirsten Dunst (The Bachelorette) and Bradley Cooper (The Words), but that does not necessarily make a film mainstream.  The kinds of stories, budgets, and lesser known directors and actors can give a film a strong indie backbone.  The stories focus more on subjects that people generally don't like to talk about such as religion, politics, gay rights, poverty and the list goes on.  These films have unpredictable endings and although they may not be heartwarming, they definitely have heart.

We have enjoyed listening to the producers and directors discuss their films during the Q&As after the films, which has given us even more insight on how much work goes into making a film, many of which have been filmed in as little as 15 days (For A Good Time, Call)!!!  The pre-production and post production processes can sometimes be just as grueling as the actual filming and many of the filmmakers here have proven their hard work with such great films.

As the Sundance Film Festival comes to an end, we will squeeze in a few more films, one last group feast, and take in the awesome people and atmosphere that Park City has to offer during this time of year!

Here are some pictures from our week of films/fun/food:

Sundance Premiers

Directors of The Words, Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal

The Cast including Bradley Cooper,  Zoe Saldana, and Dennis Quaid

 At the Premier of The Words!

Mosquita Y Mari

MOSQUITA Y MARI is a beautifully crafted debut feature written and directed by Aurora Guerrero. Tender and evocative, this is a coming of age story about 15 year old Yolanda (aka Mosquita) and her first love Mari - literally the girl next door. In her introduction, Director Guerrero shared that the film is the story of her own awakening as a queer teen. Guerrero masterfully succeeds in crafting a narrative that invites viewers to experience the universal through the personal. She captures the sweet essence of first love simply and unsentimentally.

One of the hallmarks of Sundance is the nurturing and support of filmmakers who dare to tell stories about those who are least represented and most stereotyped in mainstream films. Mosquita y Mari is a gem of a film and one that will resonant for anyone who has experienced the trials and tribulations of first love.

Venecia Troncoso (Mari) co-stars with Fenessa Pineda (Mosquita) in MOSQUITA Y MARI.

Zachary Farley interviews director AURORA GUERRERO.

Monday January 23. Today we tried to get into Sleepwalk With Me, and Room 237. We successfully got into Sleepwalk With Me, and two of us got into Room 237 but one of our comrades could not get in, so instead of watching the movie, we went to the Sundance Channel HQ to get a free lunch--LEAVE NO MAN BEHIND!

Vinny and Stephanie waiting for our first free lunch at the Sundance Channel HQ.

Me, Ashley, and Vinny posing at the Acura Lounge post free lunch #2.

Stephanie, Virginia, and me at the Acura Lounge posing for the camera.

CELEBRITY ALERT--Dennis Haysbert!

24 star and voice of Allstate commercials

Me, Virginia, and Stephanie at the plush Yahoo! room, got some free Yahoo! mittens. Gotta love some swag!

Park City in the day time after the snow storm

Ashley, Vinny, Natalie, Kim Virginia, Masha enjoying the Giants vs. 49er game at one of our class dinners. We had tacos and it was delicious.

Ashley, Vinny, and Stephanie on our way to our first movie of the festival, The Raid. 

Park City during the blizzard of January 2012.

Entrance to the HP lounge.

HP Lounge thats some swanky stuff.

Civil unrest doesn't stop with Sundance, here are some dedicated Occupy Provoers.

The Premier of For A Good Time, Call...

Reading the film guide can be a bit overwhelming and figuring out which films to see out of the 117 feature films, 64 short films and 48 Documentaries.  We ran out to the Eccles Theater last night after dinner and saw the premier of For A Good Time, Call... starring Ari Graynor, Lauren Miller, Justin Long, Seth Rogen, and Mimi Rogers.  It was absolutely amazing!  The cast did an phenomenal job and the film kept everybody laughing.  Check out the pictures from last nights premier as well as a short video from the Q&A!

For A Good Time, Call... (Part of World Premier Competition)

 The Full Cast!

 Justin Long discussing his ability to improv

 Lauren Miller, star and writer of the film

 Caitlin asking a question during the Q&A

The Q&A from the film:

The Question was: How far off the script did the actors go?  How much improv was there?

Day 5 at Sundance

For the third straight day in a row, we have been up at 6am in an attempt to grab tickets to films that are completely sold out.  Luckily, we have been able to get into all of the films and survive the long waitlist lines! Todays films included About Face and Red Lights, both very interesting films. The crowds began to die down a bit today but the snow kept on coming down which made for a few slips and dips on the sidewalks.  We also found a local hotspot right on Park Avenue called Davanzas which is a fun bar and restaurant that is quick and easy for in between films or for some apres film fun!

About Face, Part of the Documentary Competition

 Two former supermodels from About Face with Director Timothy Greenfield-Sanders

 Allison, Ellen, Natalie, and Katy loving the shuttle rides

Red Lights, Part of World Premier Competition

 Allison and Kelly at the MARC for Red Lights

 The MARC Theater

 Erica and Caitlin also at Red Lights

 Director of Red Lights, Rodrigo Cortes

Our Post Film Activity: Dinner and Drinks at Davanzas on Park Ave.

Lay the Favorite Premier

After waiting in line for three hours, six of us girls were able to get into the premier of Lay the Favorite starring Bruce Willis, Catherine Zeta Jones, Vince Vaughn, Joshua Jackson, Laura Prepon and Rebecca Hall. It was so much fun and the movie was really good!  Here are some of the photos I was able to snatch during the Q&A after the film!

Laura Prepon, Director Stephen Frears, Rebecca Hall, Bruce Willis, and Joshua Jackson

The Cast of Lay the Favorite

The girl with the sequin skirt and cowboys boots is the write of the film, Beth Raymer.

Out and About in Park City

Enjoying some of the snow that has started to pile on in Park City.  It has made the shuttle rides a bit more packed and walking around a little more wet, but since we are such determined Sun Dancers, we braved the storm and ran around trying to pack in as much of this great town as possible!