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Special Report
My Week at Sundance
Was there anyone here who was not a budding filmmaker?
I literally crawled off the airport shuttle van at Park City, Utah, on Day One of the Sundance Film Festival, rested one knee on the snow-blanketed terra firma to regain equilibrium and thanked God I had not spilled my cookies during the driver’s thirty minute re-creation of Jackie Stewart’s run at the 1967 Monte Carlo Grand Prix. I was that close. Fortunately the journey was the nadir of my excursion; the next seven days at Sundance were equally dizzying, but delightfully so.
What brought me to the Festival (which wrapped last Sunday), and what has been the reason for my absence from The American Spectator’s pages these last few years (you’ve missed me, right? right? hello?), is a feature narrative film I have produced, written, and directed: Moonhair. (More of which in due course).
No, Moonhair was not in the 2011 Festival lineup. In fact, it requires a few more months of editing to finish. But as we near completion I thought it was time to venture into the marketing of the film, the exercise of which I admit I am a babe in woods. But one must start somewhere, and why settle for the Cleveland Film Festival when one can visit Sundance? With luck, I thought I might even bump into Robert Redford, the Festival’s founder.
Along with Moonhair’s primary investor, his wife, his two secretaries, and my Director of Photography, we descended each day from our multi-room condo on the hill armed with DVDs and iPads and iPhones to present our 30-second teaser to anyone and everyone we could corner. Call it the blind shotgun networking approach. Keep firing and eventually you’ll hit something.
The four or five block stretch of Main Street that is the historic part of Park City that you see in photos lies at the southern top of a slow rising gulch. This gulch grows mysteriously steeper and steeper in relation to the minutes left to the start of shows at theatres at the top of the hill. Main Street is filled with swank fur shops, art galleries, ritzy clubs ($150 entrance fees), and restaurants ranging from the posh to the casual. Not that casual implies inexpensive: I paid $40 for two gyros sandwiches at an order-at-the-counter, clean-your-own-table joint. Call me tight, but ouch! Park City descends to the north and west, melding into modern subdivisions and malls and massive buildings until, thirty miles later, it blends seamlessly into Salt Lake City. It is not an isolated mountain retreat, but an expensive suburb.
Actually, it proved more difficult to miss a budding filmmaker than to hit one. Turns out that darn near everyone at Sundance is a filmmaker. I kid you not. I soon discovered that I could stand in any line, sit in any movie theater, eat at any restaurant, and the person next to me was not a mere movie-goer, but either had a film in Sundance or was presently producing a film he or she hoped to have in next year’s lineup. This is not hyperbole, but God’s Truth. The Festival would more appropriately be called the Sundance Young Filmmaker’s Convention.
Emphasis on young. I felt very very old (I’m not saying exactly how old) for a guy making his first independent feature film. I look more like a middle-aged Alfred Hitchcock; the surrounding hordes looked more like 26-year-old Federico Fellini clones, sans smoldering cigarettes. Trim black coats, stylish haircuts, black rectangular glasses, tidy little configurations of facial hair. Even some of the women filmmakers.
But, surprise and joy to me, everyone was amazingly friendly and eager to offer assistance and advice. And I mean everyone! There was no sense of competitiveness. Egalitarianism ran rampant, and I was inspired and rejuvenated beyond belief. (Struggling for years to put together a low-budget film will take it out of you, believe me.)
Here’s how it worked.
I’d spot someone on the sidewalk, or in a movie line, or maybe the guy sitting next me before the film started. The filmmakers officially part of Sundance wore name badges.
“Are you a filmmaker? Do you have a film here?”
“Yes!” Being young, they were excited to be there and happy to share that excitement.
“I’m in post on Moonhair, a micro-budget action/adventure/historical/fantasy with an all Native American cast, the first in U.S. cinema history. Possibly the first micro-budget epic film ever produced. Set in the Dog Days, before the white man and horses. A girl with white hair and magical powers fights off the Dung Eaters — the bad Indians — and tries to save her people from extinction at their hands. Along the way she interacts with mythological figures like Whirlwind Girl, who flies through sky. Falls in love. Our motto is “NO WOODEN INDIANS.” We use contemporary cinematic language to tell the story. We appeal to young Indians who are embracing the Internet and pop culture. We use TECHNO-POWWOW music. We think the film has universal appeal. Want to see the teaser on my nifty new iPad?”
“Whoa! I’d love to!”
And they really do love to!
Letter to the Editor View all comments (25) | Leave a comment
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Tina B| 2.2.11 @ 6:56AM
Very interesting view of an event I pictured totally differently. Maybe indy films will be the norm someday, and the cause celeb will not always be those of liberal Hollyweird. Most of what makes it to the theaters and tv movie trailers is just that, whether blatant or subliminal.
Tomas| 2.2.11 @ 10:10AM
I think you'll find more and more conservative filmmakers occupying the film corridors, and receiving grudging, if not effusive, appreciation by the Hollywood left.
When I was in film school I learned that there are at least ten times more short films made each year then long films. As sexy as the full-length films are, the short films are the ones to keep your eyes on. They have far more influence in the film community than they ever let on. And many of these filmmakers will move into full-length films.
Stanley Kubrick's famous statement applies more now than ever: "The best thing a young filmmaker can do is get his hands on a camera and make a film. Any kind of film." The advent of the cheap video camera (on phones, even!) makes that so much easier to do!
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Kilgore Trout| 2.2.11 @ 7:12AM
I thot that was Imus' photo at the top o this article.
He aint Sundance no mo.
Kitty| 2.2.11 @ 7:15AM
Ed Burns has been making low-budget movies in NYC for 15 years. His first, "The Brothers McMullen," cost $25,000. On one of his DVDs he gives pointers on how to save a ton of money.
Good luck with yours.
Seek| 2.2.11 @ 11:25AM
I loved that film. Burns is also a fine actor -- see "15 Minutes" (2001), co-starring Robert DeNiro.
beebop| 2.2.11 @ 8:27AM
Find a city other than Cleveland to knock. Doesn't show any creativity ... so is there hope for the film?
Will| 2.2.11 @ 8:32AM
Dung eaters?
To quote Critical Bill "I ain't no fecal freak" but anyone who can use a Jackie Stewart Monaco '67 reference in an article about Sundance posted on the AmSpec webpage deserves a second look in my opinion. Let's hope we don't have to wait to long before Code Pink is protesting "right wing" films in Park City.
Best of luck!
Best of luck!
Croke| 2.2.11 @ 9:47AM
HJF, Wonderful piece. Why have you been away so long? Give us more.
mames| 2.2.11 @ 10:14AM
Having been around student film makers and indy folks I am not shocked that your experience was so invigorating. They are a enjoyable lot. It is not until they make it that arrogance sets in, but even then some of the nicest folks are at the top and yes they 9often are "generous" people. Their passion for the work keeps them going even after they no longer need money. They are passionate big kids which is infectious. BUT if they turn socialist they are the most obnoxious bastards you will ever meet.
Kitty| 2.2.11 @ 10:29AM
HJF, whatever happened with the movie of your book, "Shoot, Minnie, Shoot"? Was it ever distributed?
Ken (Old Texican)| 2.2.11 @ 11:01AM
Happy...
Nice digression from the real world events swirling around us.
geatjammer| 2.2.11 @ 11:19AM
Great. just the kind of vision and achievement that will launch us to greatness in the future-silly little movies on teeny little screens for our increasingly tiny little minds. What a Sputnik moment ! American greatness on display.
maryland| 2.2.11 @ 12:10PM
I realize you are trying to be sarcastic, but, actually, the independent filmmaker's energy and creativity IS greatness on display. Maybe not polished or sophisticated or expensive, but it is the drive of such individuals that fuels the arts.
mames| 2.2.11 @ 3:12PM
Film making ( I prefer the term movie making; the film is the stock it is put on) is a centrally American art a combination of high capital risk and art. I defy anyone to scoff at the 20% of great movies that stand out from the crap. Check out Burns' Civil War series, A Band of Brothers, Adams HBO series, Citizen Kane etc. Every industry is the same, 80% crap, 20% gold, but oh when they hit gold it is wonderful to see.
James Coburn was asked once why he continued to work into his old age, riddled with arthritis, he sure did not need the money and he said " its always been about the work and the joy of collaboration with the team on the set. God I just love it"! He did and died while working on a movie. Oh that we all could find such joy in our work.
the permanent newbie| 2.2.11 @ 4:58PM
You mean "gearjammer," don't you? Or is your screen name some weird allusion to Beowulf?
Steve in Pittsburgh| 2.2.11 @ 11:40AM
I need to get my film career going to.
Nice read and I like your article.
Clint| 2.2.11 @ 5:20PM
I had my new XXX Rated Documentary Film entered at Sundance, "Barky & Big Booty Do Washington".
The White House Bought Up All My Copies.
Kurt in S.L.C.| 2.2.11 @ 5:40PM
Happy Jack, Your take on P.C. and Sundance is pretty accurate. Used to live there and while it's true that P.C. is a "burb " of S.L. it's unfair to say it's development all the way,the first half the drive is all canyon. You should look me up the next time you're down here. Bring an airline bag. My personal best is a little under 15 minutes from the mouth of the canyon to the "No Name Saloon"(It'll always be the Alamo to oldtimers) I'm usually a little longer on my way back down for all the oblivious reasons. Good luck with the film.
Songbird| 2.2.11 @ 8:53PM
Yikes! What has Robert Redford done to his hair?! That's just about as bad a dye job as I've ever seen. So much better to let it gray naturally, as his erstwhile partner Newman did.
Good luck with your movie, Happy Jack.
FREE tea| 2.2.11 @ 10:20PM
--AS even the genuine talents of the Boomer era
(Scorsese, Coppola etc.) have effectively gone
nowhere in their respective part II's
--and as Hollywood in general is serving as the prime franchise slum enablers of culturally empty
techno-worship, relentless stealth predictive
programming of such things as ----'eugenics'
---and soft and not so soft pornography
-AND as they've lost whatever moral crredibility they ever had by maintaining TOTAL SILENCE
on such trifling issues as the RED Chinese mass genocide, BOTH historic (MAO TSE TUNG)
--and ongoing (Tibet, Inner Mongolia, North Korea)
-----UH, maybe it REALLY is time to go back to
books.
Jay D. Homnick| 2.3.11 @ 10:55AM
Trust our buddy Happy Jack to do a moonwalk on Sundance; now that is contrarianism.
carnot| 2.3.11 @ 10:55AM
art? yes. an inherently manipulative medium? yes...very much so.
العاب بنات | 4.11.12 @ 4:07PM
thank you