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Show Alo The Salt Lake Tribune SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL Film ‘Suits’ Sunday, January 16, 2000 Sundance — on it,” Fine Line's said. “It's a very American indie spirit. There's a Need Sixth Sense At Sundance ence, which unfortunately is what makes them smaller — but more interesting as well.” For a comparison, look at two movies about a mother and The real blame for “festival fever” may be the hothouse atmo“Wheh you all of a sudden have 25, 30 films that you've never seen before that are completed, and they're all screening within five days of each other, that’s an amazing opportunity — and also ‘amazingly pressure-filled,”. said Stephen Raphael, head of acquisitions for USA Films, the company formed last year by mogul Barry Diller by combining three estab- lished distributors: October ilms, Gramercy Pictures and Polygram Films. “Te seen movies that never played as well as they did that night in a festival screening,” said. “And I've seen films like ‘Blair Witch,’ which get a very mixed response, and yet goes on and has an unbelievable per- formance atthe boxoffice.” Buying Headlines: But even recognition on thattitle... . When you spend that kind of money, everybody knowsaboutit. invariably call a filmmaker . . . andset up a meeting, and perhaps even see their film before Sundance. Now they're all too smart to dothat.” For example, the producers of “The Blair Witch Project” had limited screenings before debut- ing in Park City — andtheir first Sundance screening drewall the major distributors. That screen- ing, recalled Artisan Entertainment president Amir Malin, itz, president of the upstart Why? Because it’s the biggest buy at the biggest festival, so it’s immediately on ‘Entertainment Tonight.’” Exposure is a prime commod- ity at Sundance, with entertainmentreporters and camera crews around every corner. “We comethere to promote our movies — that’s the goal,” Bernard said flatly. “It's a great launching pad to market our films.” In past years, Bernard’s Sony Classics has premiered suchcritically acclaimed movies as deal paid off, as “The Blair Witch Project” became a national phe- Ellis novel about a yuppieserial killer. The Friday night premiere “is going to be a zoo, an absolute madhouse,” Ortenberg promised. nomenon and made$140 million at the box office. Sometimesit helps to wait out the bidding warsto see what'sleft. “Our most successful releases camefrom acquiring pictures that everybody passed on,” said Tom Ortenberg, president of Lions Gate Films (which recently released the controversial “Dogma”). Ortenberg cites “Gods and Monsters” and “Affliction”. — movies that won Oscars, respectively, for Bill Condon's adapted screenplay and James Coburn’s supporting performance — as movies Lions Gate bought with little competition. that we've seen and not been too Audience Award winner,the farce beauty. tives debate whetherthefilm festival should change with the look deal on your second one.” Federbush said. “They're not at all polished, but what's on the jackpot of “The Blair Witch rounding it grows, movie execu- “You look at “Tumbleweeds,’ and that’s a Sundance movie,” screen is very muchthe filmmaker’s spirit and energy.” Thatearnestness can be a mov- Project,” executives know that most Sundance films aren’t so commercially accessible. . ie’s undoing. “I shouldn't doit, but sometimes I read a script and go, “Sometimes you just see a film,’ andit’s not a Seen ” Law said. movie, and it almost has the As Sundance and the hype sur- formance as a brash Southern ‘Oh, dear, there’s a Sundance what they wantit to be,” he said. “It's still all about film. When we might reconsider something crazy about.” (Last year, Fine Line picked up the Slamdance [‘Magnolia’]. That's much more exciting to me. I'll take on your ®Soderbergh [‘Out of Sight’), the next Paui Thomas Anderson and they should and can make it times. “The great disappointment at Sundance is that they refuse to acknowledge that there should be a market,” Sony’s Bernard said. Other festivals, like Cannes or Toronto, set up a place for pro- ducers and distributors to meet and negotiate. “There's an office space,” Bernard said, “and you know where tofind people.It’s not the movie executives — who all profess to love movies, no matter how much money they make — try to have fun while at Sundance. “It's fun to go somewhere and see six movies a day,” Abramowitz said. “You can’t do that [in New York or Los Angeles] — we all haveto go backto our families.” ~ ‘Fun’is not the word I would use,” said Raphael. “But I couldn't think ofanother job where I would have to be upfor 18, 20 hours in a row, discussing things with péo- ple—someofwhom I consider my, bestfriends in the world—talking about a film that you're excited about. DUDECEARANCE CENTER IN WEST JORDAN * 9010 SOUTH REDWOOD ROAD SHUNDREDS OF NEW tral Station” at Sundance. Law's 2000 to draw maximum attention to its controversial “American Psycho,” based on the Bret Easton san Entertainmentclosed thedistribution deal for $1.1 million. The tion “Tumbleweeds,” which won the Filmmakers’ Trophy at Sun- house,” “The Spanish Prisoner,” “The Opposite of Sex” and “Cen- scary’or ‘It's a midnight film; it'll neverplay theatrically.’” Early the next morning, Arti- “It's not like everybody loved headsandsaid, ‘Whatthe hell was that all about?’ or ‘That wasn’t Portman, and Fine Line's acquisi- “we certainly listen for buzz to see how certain movies are doing with audiences,relative to all the other movies in the festival, and Ortenberg at Lions Gate dis- agreed. “It’s not my film festival, “Crumb,” “Welcome to the Doll- people walked out, scratched their wasn’t a universal success. guy with a cell phone at a gas that $6 million, they got name Fox Searchlight introduced the world to “The Full Monty” at Sundance, on its way to mass appeal and multiple Oscar the film,” Malin said. “A lot of big-budget “Anywhere But Here” with Susan Sarandon and Natalie City. Manyof Slamdance’s movies have been seen and passed over by distributors, Federbush said, but “Man ofthe Century.”) But while young filmmakers sometimes look at Sundance like it’s the lottery,especiallyafter the movie,” said Richard Abramow- daughter driving cross-country to find a new life in California: Fox's Film Festival, which runs concurrently with Sundance in Park dance last year and is getting Oscar talk for Janet McTeer’s per- the start of the marketing on that That’s becoming harderto do, Smart Filmmakers: “A lot of filmmakers have gotten increasingly sophisticated,” Law said. “A number of years ago, you could (‘Rushmore’}, the next Steven first movie, and I'll makea first Stratosphere Entertainment. “Immediately, that was in USA Today andall the magazines that cover the festival. Right off the bat, for according to Lindsay Law,the outgoing president of Fox Searchlight Pictures, the low-budget arm of20th Century Fox. “I would love it if there was a really commercial movie up there,” Raphael at USA Films said. “What I'd like better is to find the next Wes Anderson those seemingly overpriced deals, like Miramax’s $6 million for “The Castle,” have their own value. “Thatalleged $6 million price was “Fine Line, Miramax, all the usual suspects — we're all looking at ‘the samestuff,” Raphaelsaid. “The trick is to know something about these films beforehand, by either seeing them previously or meeting with the filmmakers.” like doing a drug deal on a street corner, where you've got to meet a year-old for a little bit more from the audi- @ Continued from A-1 sphere of Park City. Rebel Without a Pause: Executives also take note of Sun- nominations. PriceseffectivetooghTesdey,Jnaary 18,2000 eEscRATCH 2&2 Lions Gate is using Sundance The mepie will be released nationally on April 7 — a prime date to take advantage of monthly movie magazines, like Premiere and Movieline, that publish their Sundance coveragein their April DENTS SA CLOSE-OUWTS, ETC.’ COTTAGE STYLE SOFA 3992. HOT DOGS & SOFT DRINKS| 11:00AM - 4:00PM |SAT & MON. JAN. Whi 15TH &17TH ‘SKU#3825027 2379" issues. Films and publicity aren’t the only things for sale at Sundance. Talentis also on the block. “It's the highest concentration of new talented artists, all in one place for a 10-day period — whether it be actors, cinematographers or specifically directors and writers,” Law said. 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