The Many Faces Of Sundance

The annual Sundance Film Festival begins tomorrow (it runs Jan 17-27). As a result, Park City will be a zoo, crowded, busy, people everywhere chasing celebrities and looking for parties. If you like that kind of atmosphere, this is a wonderful time to be in town. Even if you don't have tickets, because there are always ways to get involved at the last minute.

Don't try to drive into town. You won't even get close. Ride the shuttles.

If you don't have accommodations in Park City, look for lodging in Salt Lake City. (Many festival activities are available in Salt Lake, and it is an easy commute up to PC for others.)

If you aren't even in Utah, you can participate via the Internet. The Sundance website has details.

If you are coming into town, the Sundance site has great info to help you with your trip.

Sundance is always a unique experience, never the same from year to year. There is always something for everyone, as shown by the two news stories referenced below. We give the headlines and then a couple excerpts.

From the NY Times:

Forecast: More Sunshine at Sundance (at Least on Screen)

The Sundance Film Festival has long had a dual personality. The atmosphere is typically fun and fizzy — Stars! Swag! Hot tub hopping! — while the films are dark and depressing, sometimes to the point of self-parody.

Reflecting shifts in the independent film world — both in terms of how festivals are programmed and what kinds of movies budding directors are putting forth — Sundance, which begins Thursday in Park City, Utah, will play 14 comedies and comedic dramas in its three most prominent sections. That may not sound like many until you look back at the 2010 Sundance schedule, which featured just five comedic movies in those divisions.

From USA Today:

Sundance 2013 explores the gamut of sex

Sexual themes ranging from kinky to creepy spice up the slate of 119 feature films and documentaries at the annual Sundance Film Festival, which opens its 11-day run Thursday in Park City, Utah.

More than a dozen movies take on intimate human interaction, a number that's "part circumstance, part coincidence," says festival director John Cooper. "But it's an in-depth exploration of the subject of sexual relationships — how they are all part of our basic human need. This hasn't been explored as deeply as we seem to be exploring it now."

There is something for everyone. Come on up and join the fun.