Film fest has spawned many other 'dances'
Or with TromaDance for that matter.
Or with SchmoozeDance.
Or with X-Dance.
You get the picture.
Through the end of the month, both Park City and Salt Lake City have full "dance" cards, and not just because of Sundance, which remains the premiere showcase for American independent film (and these days, around the world).
And despite Sundance officials' misgivings, the annual arrival of their festival also heralds the arrival of competing film events.
Many of these have come and gone over the years — including No Dance, Sleaze Dance, Scumdance, Undance and Fundance.
However, one constant companion to Sundance for more than a decade has been Slamdance, a festival described by its organizers as being "by filmmakers, for filmmakers."
Festival co-founders Peter Baxter and Dan Mirvish brainstormed Slamdance after having their films rejected by the Sundance programming committee. The idea was to add at least one other venue to screen independently made features that Sundance wouldn't take.
Slamdance success stories include "Batman Begins" filmmaker Christopher Nolan, who premiered his 1999 film "Following" at Slamdance, and Utahn Jared Hess, who used the success of his Slamdance short film "Peluca" in 2003 to make a longer version — which turned into the 2004 Sundance hit "Napoleon Dynamite."
Over the course of 13 years, Slamdance has begun to resemble what Sundance was in its genesis. This year, the festival will screen 29 movies, 20 of which are competing for narrative-feature and documentary-feature awards.
But like any teenager, the 13-year-old Slamdance event still "breaks rules," according festival president Baxter, adding that it has also "stayed true to its roots and embodies the spirit of independent creativity."
Slamdance has also set off the first festival controversy of the year, after officials pulled the role-playing game "Super Columbine Massacre RPG!" from its 3-year-old Guerrilla Gamemaker Competition.
Baxter and other festival officials pulled the game, which re-creates the 1999 Colorado high school shootings, due to legal concerns.
In retaliation, at least one sponsor — the University of Southern California's Interactive Media Division — pulled out. And half of the 14 entrants did as well, though at press time the festival was still planning to hold that competition and to award a $5,000 cash prize to the winning entry.
A less-controversial addition to this year's festival is a Horror Screenplay Competition, sponsored by Angel Baby Entertainment.
You can be the first to comment on this story.