Park City preps for throngs of stars, film buffs
The annual Sundance Film Festival kicks off its 26th year in Park City today, and 123 feature films selected from 3,287 submissions have been picked to screen at the festival. That includes 82 world premieres, 23 North American premieres and 11 U.S. premieres, representing 25 countries.
Thousands of filmmakers, celebrities, stargazers, moviegoers and industry hopefuls will descend on the small resort town for Robert Redford's world-renowned independent film festival. Some of that crowd will also travel to Salt Lake City, Ogden and Provo for additional screenings. A total of 13 movie theaters across northern Utah will show the independent films.
Last year, 53,000 people came to Utah for the January festival, generating $61.5 million in economic activity for the state — a 44 percent increase from 2005. State leaders expect a similar windfall for 2007.
The festival is a tourism cash cow for the state and puts Park City in the international spotlight. Some 1,200 journalists from all over the world covered Sundance last year, reaching an estimated audience of 850 million people.
Tonight's world premiere of the documentary "Chicago 10" at the Egyptian Theater in Park City is expected to bring stars Hank Azaria, Nick Nolte, Mark Ruffalo and Liev Schreiber to the Beehive State for the film about the 1960's Chicago Seven trial.
Other stars who may attend this year's festival include: Daryl Hannah, Sienna Miller, Lindsay Lohan, Michael Douglas, Tara Reid, Sharon Stone, Steve Buscemi, Kate Beckinsale, Anthony Hopkins, Queen Latifah, MC Hammer, Antonio Banderas and Samuel L. Jackson.
But if Redford had his way, people would come for the love of independent film and not for the Hollywood hotshots.
Geoffrey Gilmore, the festival's director, praised the quality of this year's lineup.
"We are struck by the sheer diversity of independent film in this year's festival, particularly in the Premieres and Spectrum sections," he said of the screening competition categories.
"The range of artistic expression this year — both directorial and in performances — gives a special quality to the films presented in Premieres," he added. "The Spectrum section truly uncovers the aesthetic experimentation and complex storytelling that is at the heart of emerging independent filmmaking at this moment."
New to the festival this year is the addition of Redstone Cinemas in Kimball Junction as a screening location. Most festival events center around Park City's narrow streets, but this year, the addition of Redstone will mean more screenings, at a venue with less road traffic.
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