The First Timer: Impressions of the Sundance Film Festival

I've been here for two days and it feels like a week. Despite any lore I've picked up about this festival, nothing could have prepared me for the whirlwind of Sundance. It is that much of a circus; it is that overwhelming; there are that many people here; it is that impossible to park. I'm a New Yorker who forgot what winter was, and it's that damn cold. And yet -- this is what I've worked my entire adult life for. There is no place I'd rather be.

I graduated from Columbia University film school this October. In November, I learned that "MAN," the short film I produced as my thesis, was accepted into the shorts competition at Sundance. The elation that immediately ensued was followed by panic, as my director and I had to remix our sound, transfer to HDCam, court a publicist (kampfirefilmspr), create press kits, screeners, and postcards. Then, I had to renegotiate our actor's contracts with SAG and secure music rights for internet distribution. When you make a student film, you hope it will screen at festivals, and you structure your deals and budget to incorporate festival rights -- basically deferred pay and modest fees. When that festival is Sundance, however, your little film becomes a commodity and all of that changes. The festival now releases its short films online via Itunes and Netflix. This means that not only our friends and loved ones, but film fans all over the globe can see our movie for $1.99. An amazing, thrilling, wonderful opportunity -- but one that bears unforeseen responsibilities.

THURSDAY: We (my fiancé, Jaime, and my friend from film school, Geoff, who also produced a short film in the festival, "The Second Line") arrived in SLC (Salt Lake City) on a fully packed flight in the late afternoon. Despite traffic warnings, we had to rent a car because we're staying with my cousin who lives 15 minutes away from the main drag of town. We found our way to the filmmaker's lounge, dropped off armfuls of materials, picked up our credentials, swarmed in between hundreds of press and filmmakers, got lost and/or vaguely oriented with Park City, dropped off our bags and quickly changed at before grabbing a quick dinner and heading to the Opening Night Party.

FRIDAY: Our first screening! Despite it's early time -- 8:30 AM, our venue, the Library (literally a library equipped with a formidable screening room) was packed. It probably didn't hurt that Kirsten Dunst's directing debut starring Winona Ryder is in our program. Still, we had a huge and alert crowd. Feedback was great, and we've been invited to screen at two other festivals.

The rest of the day was filled with more orienting, dropping by the various film lounges around town, meeting other filmmakers, programmers and filmgoers, passing out postcards, reading the festival guide like a bible in order to figure out what to see. In the afternoon we dropped by the New York Film Lounge and met NY film commissioner Pat Sweeney Kaufman. In the evening we went to a PBS party at the Kimball house and before heading home we took another lap up the infamous Main Street, past some jam-packed premiere parties over-spilling with lines of scantily clad onlookers. If I hear one more drunkard yell "Victory!" I'm going to hurl snowballs.

SATURDAY: Jaime and I decided to "sleep in" waking at 8:00 and running out to pick up day of newly released festival tickets at the Main Box Office. We arrived at about 8:30 and there was a line snaking three times around the sizable lobby. The box office opened at 8 AM. By the time we were at the front of the line, all of our first choices were sold out, duh. Luckily, however, you can purchase tickets to the early screenings of the following day (i.e. Sunday) and we picked up two for Perro Come Perro. Then, as our volunteer attendant was running the charge she screamed, "Oh! It looks like two tickets just popped up for 'Kicking It.' It's been sold out for days!" The volunteer next to her looked over, "This never happens. Go for it!" We had heard good feedback about the Homeless World Cup Documentary -- and this was the premiere. Just like NYSE traders we looked at each other and screamed, "We'll take em!"

The rest of the day was busy -- we happened upon an incredibly informative film financing panel at the New Yorker Lounge where I was interviewed by a writer from Bitch magazine. I went to the "Savage Grace" panel at the Queer Lounge featuring Tom Kalin and Christine Vachon before hitting up our very own Columbia University sponsored party. The turnout was huge -- three hundred alumni, professors, filmmakers and friends. Finally, we were back at the Library for the star-filled premiere of Kicking It, an inspirational doc that we learned from director Susan Koch after the screening, only a couple hours ago, secured worldwide distribution by ESPN.

I should have sucked it up and made it to another event or party, but I am beat and have an early screening and 5 more days to go. I am learning. That is for sure.