An Idiot's Guide to Sundance

The Sundance Film Festival was started by Robert Redford in 1978 in Utah and is the largest independent cinema festival in the States, promoting both American and international indie films. If you have a few hundred dollars for airfare, a few thousand dollars for hotel accommodations, and a week off in late January, then here's what else you have to do:

1. Spend some time with the online film catalogue and make a list of what you want to see. It is stupendously international and topically diverse. More than you can possibly take in, even if you watched movies all day all night for 10 days. For you blockbuster junkies, this is the kind of indie arty thinky film you don't want to watch, but then you watch and realise it's the best thing you've seen in years. Your list should include where the films are showing (more on this later), and it should be a long list because you might not get your first or even your fifth choices. Luckily, it's an all star list.

The Orator: the first feature length Samoan film (ever!), and New Zealand's nomination for best foreign film in the 2012 Academy Awards. A richly shot depiction of village life in Samoa, with a cast of unusual and nuanced characters (all untrained actors from the village), and a satisfying plot. A little long and slow, but nice. 

2. Register in the fall (ticket package registration starts in September and individual ticket registration in November), and get everyone in your party to register too, even those who aren't sure they're coming. It's free to register. Everyone who does gets randomly assigned a three day slot (it's not first come first serve). Within this three day slot (hopefully someone in your group will get lucky with an early slot), you get one and ONLY ONE SHOT to buy tickets for the movies you want to see. Individual tickets cost $15/each. The package or festival pass options give you earlier ticket selections and some other benefits (like awards night party tickets), but cost double or more.

Father's Chair: A Brazilian film about a family falling apart, a gorgeous (natch) wife who wants a divorce from her husband, and a teenage son who flees this discord. His father takes up chase and their asynchronous journey through the countryside outside Sao Paolo is the heart of the film. It's a little heavy handed with the father-son remonstrations, but totally moving and worth watching. 

3. Book your Park City accommodations early. Since you might not know til just before the festival starts where your films are being shown, I suggest booking your place in downtown Park City (several months in advance), and when the time comes, either choosing films being shown in Park City, or accounting for travel time from there. At least this way, you'll be in the heart of the festival, near the quaint and cute Main Street pubs and restaurants and lounges, and close to great skiing spots.

Note that if you do your research and book early enough, then your downtown Park City vacation home with 3+ bedrooms and a hot tub will cost the same as a cookie cutter hotel suite sans private luxury amenities 20 miles outside Park City (doh). Be prepared to shell out $400-$1000/night. However, these condos and town houses sleep 8-12 people more than comfortably. So get your posse in gear.

This Must Be The Place: The always brilliant and mutable Sean Penn gives a bizarre and endearing performance as an ageing goth rocker who embarks on a hunt through middle America for his father's Nazi tormentor. The film had the potential to be great - some fabulous cinematography, strong acting, and able direction (by Italian director Paolo Sorrentino), but the plot didn't hold together enough. Still worth a look on Netflix when it gets there. 

4. Rent a car, preferably a four wheel drive SUV. It is nowhere clearly stated on the Sundance website that the films are being shown in four different cities in Utah, some of which are over an hour from each other, driving at full speed. Most of the films are in 2 locations: Park City and Salt Lake City (45 minutes apart - given no traffic and good weather). But quite a few films are also shown in Ogden, an hour and half from Park City, and another city I don't remember.

Arbitrage: a high tension high finance thriller starring Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon that we were all looking forward to seeing but missed, despite a valiant 2 hour effort, because of rush hour traffic and blinding snow on the road to Ogden. 

You'll also want the car because it's highly unlikely you'll manage to book all your films in Park City, and even if so, you'll still need to get from Salt Lake City airport to Park City (an $80-$150 taxi ride each way). The aforementioned posse would make a taxi or rental car split much more affordable.

Even more critically, transportation wise, Sundance takes place in the heart of winter. In the four days that Tayo, Natalia, and I spent in Utah, over 20 inches of snow fell (boarders' wet dream and Japanese painter's inspiration). Highway 40 shut down because so many accidents occurred, cars slid off the road by the dozen even after the storm was done, and tire chains were required on certain roads at certain times. I've never been so happy to drive a gas guzzling monstrosity as in Utah in January.

Marina Abramović The Artist is Present: "Seductive, fearless, and outrageous, Marina Abramović has been redefining performance art for nearly 40 years." i.e. she's my new hero in the world. I gave up the ticket for this film showing in Park City to try watch "Arbitrage" in Ogden. Fail on both counts, but I'll keep watch for both to hit the theatres. 

5. Make friends, or put your friendly friends to use. You will need them to hobnob and find out where the much vaunted celeb studded afterparties are (if that's your bag). Some of these events are hosted by big corporations, although Sundance is trying to limit the elite/corporate element and focus on the films. Other parties are private do's. These parties will probably be well attended and feature gorgeous skinny actors and models and those who love them.

Wuthering Heights: this updated version of the Emily Bronte classic features a black Heathcliff (!) and promised fine performances and arty cinematography. Timing/location idiocies on our part prevented us from seeing it, but my list of movies to see grows. 

6. Set aside time to wander. There are numerous installations and exhibits and music events and panels and workshops and performances and so on, all around town, most of them free. New Frontier is an organisation supporting innovative storytelling, and how new media folds into these efforts. One of their featured installations in 2012 was Ho Tzu Nyen's "The Cloud of Unknowing" - a surreal atmospheric experience that uses sound and steam to blur the lines between film and audience. Another was "Question Bridge: Black Males" a multimedia project that attempts to build a dialogue and a new kind of social network among black men nationwide.

Where Do We Go Now: Lebanese director Nadine Labaki (who made the fantastic 2007 international hit film, Caramel) tackles religious conflict in Lebanon with her whimsical lyrical edge. I was dying to see this film but couldn't get tickets before it sold out.  

Lastly, pull on your boots and go for a walk in a snowstorm. Stand in knee deep powder by the edge of the icy pond under the black and white mountains. Press your camera to your frozen face. Click.