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Show AL n) ___TheSaltLake Tribune BOOKS Sunday, January23, 2000 Throwing the Book at Sundance: Authors Examine IndependentFilms Films SEAN P. MEANS ‘THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE difficulties and a tight-knit com. @ Sundance Between the Lines munity, Smith said. “There was a palpable sense of discovery, and a real camaraderie among the people who were all @ Emanuel Levywill sign Cinema ofOutsiders: The Rise of American IndependentFilm, from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday at Dolly’s ‘The movie posters used to proclaim, “You've read the book Books, 510 Main St., Park City nowsee the movie!” Amid the brought together,” tening In at America’s Most Important Film Festival, Tuesday from to 5 p.m. at Dolly’s, 510 Main St., Park City. “You've seen the film festival nowread the book!” @ LorySmith will sign Partyin a Box: The Storyof the Sun dance Film Festival, at 3 p.m. today at the Marriott Library, Uni. Three authors are weighing in with books that examine Sun U.S. Film Festival's growth, the Sundance Institute's founding in 1981 andits taking over of thefes. versity of Utah; and Thursdayat4 p.m. at Barnes & Noble, 1102 E. 2100 South, Salt LakeCity. dance and the independent film movement from different view The biggest book — in termsof tance — is Cinema of Outsiders: The Rise of American Independent Film (NYU Press; hardcover, 565 pages; $34.95). Author Emanuel Levy,a film scholarandcritic for has become a movement.” And the Sundance Film Festi- bution venues and the boom in film schools, is one of the factors in creating that movement. “[Sundance] elevated the visibil- “queer cinema,” and traces the said. tival in the United States. ... It lineages andinfluences of dozens of filmmakers (such as Quentin Tarantino's roots going back to Martin Scorsese, who was influenced by John Cassavetes). “I lized in the mid-'90s that The history of the Sundance Film Festival's growth is chronicled by someone whowasthere at there was no book, nosingle vol- the beginning: Lory Smith, a ume, that focused on the. new In- dependent American cinema,” Smith Publishers; hardcover, 256 Pages,$24.95). “I really wanted to celebrateall val, along with expanded distri- from the 1970s to now. The book also categorizes such genres as African-American films and in Partyin a Box: The Storyof the Sundance Film Festival (Gibbs “Independent cinema is here to stay. It's no longera trend. . It the trade paper Variety, catalogs the independent-film movement predecessor, the United States Film Festival. Smith tells his story University, where he teaches. son's breezy Sundancing: Hang: ing Out and Listening In at Amer- founding programmerof the Sundance Film Festival’s Utah Online Offers Peek At New Grisham Novel said from his current home in NewYork. Smith, the former headof pro- story of three imprisoned judges and their dramatic involvement with aa mail scam gone wrong. Stop by www.sitrib.com on Jan. 25 and geta taste of things to ON SALE TO DAY! 5 Ieeereplace all Smith's Tix OCMC card and NOME Cyd FREE! On Tuesdays Newsday, captures the talk buzzing aroundlast year’sfestival. refused to take part. Anderson's publisher gave him new marching orders;“If Sundanceisn’t going to cooperate, just go in like you're a in some ways it’s just been consumed by the industry itself,” Anderson’s book quotes Hollywood executives, Park City cops, festival volunteers, plugged-in publicists and even Robert Redford (from his opening-night remarks at Abravanel Hall) to get a flavor of the merry chaos that inside of the movie industry, and 1978 as a groupof Utah film buffs led by Sterling Van Wagenen- Smith said. His k ends with Smith himself on the outside — early days were noted for challenging films, financial disillusioned by the insular atmosphere, cut loose as a Sundance programmer and shut out by a formed the U.S.Film Festival. The Anderson’s plan was to write an oral history of Sundance, but officials at the SundanceInstitute festival, hoping to influence the one-man documentaryteam.” Andersonsaid. “Riker’s kindofanintellectual, while Gavin's kind of a go-getter, and Doug Block’s the guy who's been aroundthe block,” he said. “Sundance is a heady kind of place,” Anderson said. “It’s a joke to say that there’s less oxygen than these people are used to. But theyare in a kind ofelated state, a euphoria, that is reflected sometimes in the reactionto the films. . Most of the time, people are in a pretty good mood. It is a struggle to work that festival, but there also is a fairly strong sense of camaraderie, at least among the press and amongthefilmmakers.” WORKSHOP Feb. 26, 2000 - 7:30PM E Center of WVC come. Kids Fat duction services for the Utah Film Commission, begins his story in machinery. They also offered a contrast of experiences and personalities, es; $12.50). Anderson, moviecritic for the Long Island newspaper the ideas that Sundance was founded on.. . “Tt really started as an outsider rected the Internet-based film “Home Page.” The three offered an insight into the process of showinga film at Sundance, the dealmaking and publicity (Spike Books; paperback, 288 pag: plete oblivion, and I don’t think tival predated the SundanceInsti. tute, and in fact triggered manyof work played Sundance last year: David Riker with “La Ciudad (The City),” “Tumbleweeds” writerdirector Gavin O'Connor and documentarian Doug Block, who di- ica’s Most Important Film Festival you really get down into the de- that wasaccurate,” Smith said. “If Anderson also conducted interviews — before, during and af. ter the festival — with three New York-based filmmakers whose KORN Join Utah Onlinefor an exclu- before the book hits stores. Set at Trumble, a minimum-security federal prison, The Brethren is the wayward film festival from com visits Utah every year. Special Attraction: sive Web-only sneak peek at John Grisham's new novel The Brethren — before its release. On Jan. 25, the Web Edition of The Salt Lake Tribune will present an excerpt from the eagerly anticipated title a full week camealong and rescued this little tails ofit, that little wayward fes- thing, so I felt like I should,” institutionalized independent cinema, and madeit legit.” staff members, that Sundance sense that Sundance was going to commemorate any 20-year sort of ing over and dominating the film festival. In a funny way, the film many people, including Sundance the people who had contributed through the years, and I didn’t festival and its history. Thefestival's founders always had, Smith said, “the fear of Hollywood tak: commercial success that followed. “There is the perception among Levy said from Arizona State in his capacity with the Utah Film Commission). But Smith remains proud of the festival has really taken over and dominated the industry.” For a chatty view of that domi. nation, check out John Ander- tival in 1985, and the critical and points — those of the scholar, the insider and the eavesdropper. gross weight and potential impor- Smith said. “It’s just naturally more revolu. tionary when you owe a lot of money.” Smith's book chronicles the @ John Andersonwill sign Sundancing: Hanging Out and Lis hubbub of the 2000 Sundance Film Festival, the pitch might be, Sundance press officer from last year’s premiere party for “SLC Punk!” (a movie Smith worked on, Ale) atom ile cag Hotline: .800.888.TIXX All Smith's Tix Pca ary CG VENUE DATE OF SHOW 2ephyr Cb an wane ‘Winter Formal Dance a ‘Capito! Rotunda = Grtzafes vs Chicago Ecenter BiB ephiyrCd Febaas, aes. teaw Zephyrch Fenway UtahstateFlank Cavanaugh's Marti a1? wart? 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