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Show January will overflow with films Editorial Here's the remedy for post-Christmas depression. Host a film festival! The United States Film Festival has become the January event for citizens along the Wasatch Front. For Park City, it is even more important. We can brag of having two major cultural feasts the Park City Art Festival in the summer and the film festival in the winter. It seems a century ago that the first festival opened in Salt Lake in 1978. At the time, it was mostly devoted to showing old films but also featured a modest competition competi-tion for independent films. Eight years later, the festival has become the premier showcase for independent films in the world: When Film Comment magazine surveyed festivals in terms of their use oi independent film. Park City's was the only event to receive four stars. The festival has even begun to look abroad to foreign independents, under program director Tony Safford. There are 25 films in the Australian Independent program, pro-gram, many shown in the U.Si for the first time or maybe the only time. The Sundance Institute is coordinating the festival for the second year. In its 1985 debut, the Institute helped the festival bring in record crowds. In turn, the festival seems to be a natural partner for the Institute's summer program, which works with independent in-dependent filmmakers and helps them develop their work. This year, two films shown at the festival are works that were developed at Sundance. The opening-night movie, the nationally-acclaimed "Trip to Bountiful," was directed by a Sundance Institute artist and produced produc-ed by Sterling Van Wagenen. the Institute's former executive ex-ecutive director. Van Wagenen also was one of the original founders of the festival. Noticejiow- neatly all these connections come together? " Sundance's more recent contributions are added to the talents of other people who have long bolstered the festival. It's not a comprehensive list, but we're talking about people like independent film programmer Lory Smith, publicity head Saundra Saperslein, and the late .John Earle, the head of the Utah Film Development Office Of-fice and a festival founder. The state people, in turn, point to 'lie help they've received from Parkites. This includes but is not limited to-such people as Marilyn Nelson, Dave Hanna and Bill Coleman. In 1986, as in any other festival year, little improvements im-provements have been added to the plan. For instance, iilin screenings 'Ins year are scheduled in blocks three hours apart (as in 1 p.m.. 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.). This allows better audience circulation in and out of the Holiday Village Cinemas-and allows the viewer more time to jump from a film at the Holiday Village to the Egyptian Theatre on Main Street. In addition, there a e more major American premieres than ever before. The festival is even featuring, featur-ing, for the second year in a row, the world premiere of a Woody Allen film. Add it all to the seminars, the celebrities and the ceremonies, and the film festival has more than enough kci 'p t hings hopping at this n u nially dull ime of year. As the man said - ready when you are, C.B |
