SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL STARTS TOMMOROW!!!
Come see us and the movie stars this week during Sundance Film Festival!!
Like a Hollywood starlet, the Sundance Film Festival fudges about its age.
Sundance 2009 is being touted as the 25th annual edition. This is partly true -- it is the 25th festival since Robert Redford's Sundance Institute took over operations of what was then called the United States Film Festival. It's also true that this year's Sundance is the 31st event, going back to the inaugural Utah/U.S. Film Festival in September 1978.
But whether it's the 25th or the 31st festival, the glory of Sundance is not looking back, but looking ahead -- to new stories from the next generation of independent filmmakers.
As the festival has grown, so has the myth that it's inaccessible to regular folks.
Many of the parties and ancillary events in Park City are only for celebrities and the well-connected. But for those who want to see the films, there are ways to beat the crowds and enter movie heaven.
What's new
Party in the streets » Park City's Lower Main Street will have a new look this year. Vehicle traffic will be closed between Heber Avenue and the traffic circle at 9th Street to allow for a pedestrian-only area. Within that area will be the Sundance House hospitality center (in the Kimball Art Center), the festival's merchandise store and the Music Cafe (moved into a roomy tent from its old cramped quarters at the top of Main Street).
Also within the pedistrian path lies
the Sundance Lift, at the base of the Town Lift. This site has been a popular party and swag area for the past few years, and will still be one. But while in past years, the Lift was a location for so-called "ambush marketers" -- companies living parasitically off of the publicity Sundance generates -- this year the Lift is an official part of the festival and will represent the festival's sponsors.
"We think it will be a really nice festive atmosphere down there," said Jill Miller, the institute's general manager.
A movie Temple » There's a new theater in play at Sundance '09: The Temple Theatre, a 267-seat auditorium within Park City's Temple Har Shalom synagogue (3700 N. Brookside Court). Institute founder Robert Redford is excited about the new theater, because it's dedicated to documentary films. "Now we have a whole building dedicated to [documentaries], which says how important this is to us," Redford said.
But there is a trade-off: Now only two of the four micro-size theaters at the Holiday Village Cinemas will have public screenings (the other two will host press-and-industry screenings). .
Parking is tougher » This year, Park City's city council has ordered a complete parking ban on Old Main Street (last year, the ban was only on one side of the street). Also, there is no public parking at the many of the festival venues -- including the new Temple Theatre, the Eccles Theatre or the Park City Racquet Club -- so riding the shuttle buses and walking are the only ways to get to some screenings.
Survival tips
Buying tickets » Yes, it's still possible to buy tickets to festival screenings. Check the festival box offices -- Trolley Square, at 700 East and 600 South, Salt Lake City; and the Gateway Center, 138 Heber Ave., Park City -- for availability. Tickets are usually released on the day of a screening, so if it's sold out now, check back at the box offices at 8 a.m. the day of the show (or 8 a.m. the day before for early-morning screenings).
Get on the list » The wait list, that is. Get to the theater at least two hours before the screening you want (one hour for the early-morning shows) and get in line. About an hour before showtime, you will receive a wait-list number (sometimes called a Q number) -- one to a person, no saving spots for your friends. You're free to leave, take a walk, grab a snack -- just be back 30 minutes before show time, and line up according to your wait-list number. If there's room in the theater, you're in.
Timing is everything » The first weekend evenings are packed, but the celebrities and hangers-on usually leave by Monday. Traffic (and ticket demand) is lighter in the daytime and at midweek. Also, avoid driving around 5 p.m. -- the notorious "ski o'clock," when the skiers leave the slopes and cram the road back to I-80.
Get on the bus » Parking is extremely limited in Park City, and tow-truck drivers are poised to nab unwary drivers parking where they shouldn't (such as the Albertson's parking lot). There's a new park-and-ride lot at the Yard (on Kearns Boulevard, behind the Holiday Village Cinemas), as well as the old reliables (the lots at Prospector Square and the China Bridge garage behind Main Street). Once you find your parking space and pay your fee, leave the car and take advantage of the shuttle buses, which run from 7 a.m. to 2:30 a.m.
Take a hike » Zip up the parka and start walking. Pedestrian paths between the major venues are marked and lighted. Besides, you've been itching to break in those new snow boots.
Get out of the theaters » The carnival atmosphere of Park City is worth the trip. Get up to Main Street -- from the New Frontier on Main exhibits to the Filmmaker Lodge to the Music Cafe -- and enjoy the freak show.
Found this information on Salt Lake Tribune's website:
Celebrity mixing time at Burns Cowboy Shop!
Cheers,
Danna
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