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Sundance Film Festval shines spotlight on film's mavericks, unknowns

By Alexandra Twin
Daily Arts Editor

Although rumored to have become more glamorized in recent years, the annual Sundance Film Festival still remains one of the most exciting testing grounds for the year's crop of new and independent film releases.

Founded by Robert Redford in 1981, the festival has swooped down upon Park City, Utah in late January every year since. While the bulk of independent films made in this country will never see a public screening, festivals like Sundance offer these films a chance to find a public reception as well as enabling their creators to make contacts, participate in writing and directing workshops and potentially find a company that will release their films.

Giving out a wide variety of prizes in the Dramatic Feature, Documentary and Screenwriting categories, the festival is judged by both critics from within the film industry and the viewers of the screenings alike.

Based upon the hope of preserving the spirit of independent cinema and deliberately set away from the money-making machine-like studios, the festival has always advertised a staunch anti-Hollywood sentiment. Of late, the festival has come under attack for catering too much to Hollywood's whims -- serving as a sounding board for new workers to be pulled into the Hollywood system -- instead of the upright bastion of new ideas that it once was.

This year's winners saw both a refuting and a confirmation of past concerns about the festival's potential for Hollywood exploitation. Heads were turned early in the festivities, when "Shine," an enjoyable though not exceptional film was haggled over by Fine Line Features and Miramax Films, who are two of the biggest indie distributors around. Fine Line ended up winning and paying a comparatively exorbitant sum of $2.5 million to release the film.

Yet, as surprising as this was, nothing shocked more people than when Rob Reiner's production company, Castle Rock Pictures acquired endearing, sentimental, audience-pleasing "Care of the Spitfire Grill." What was most alarming was the $10,000,000 price tag attached to the purchase. Apparently not aware of the standard, humble "I can't believe my film even got played in public" speech expected from Sundance winners, "Spitfire" director Lee David Zlotoff's thank you speech made generous reference to Castle Rock's after-the-fact support.

Other winner's included "Troublesome Creek: A Midwestern," for both best Documentary and Audience's favorite. The story is a true account of one family's struggle to keep hold of their mid-western farm.

Other interesting films included Jim McKay's "Girlstown," a kind of girls `n' the hood story, "Flirt," the latest from independent maverick Hal Hartley, "If Lucy Fell," from Eric Shaeffer, one of the creators of last year's hilarious "My Life's in Turnaround" and "I Shot Andy Warhol" with the always divine Lili Taylor, as well as a variety of others ranging from animated shorts to long-playing narratives.

The top prize went to a wry, sarcastic, black comedy that re-visited the woes of being a Junior-high school girl, called "Welcome to the Dollhouse." Directed by Todd Solondz, the film is dark and cryptic, featuring a droll 13-year old, Heather Matarazzo, who must face and transcend the teasing of her classmates in a small New Jersey town.

A number of these films have already found distributors and will be in theaters by early fall.