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Festival Updates Spotlight: 25 Years of Sundance

Present and past participants of the Sundance Film Festival reflect on and celebrate the festival’s 25 years and how it continues to help the independent artist.

Festival Updates My Premiere: James Toback’s TYSON

Writer/director James Toback’s TYSON, a film participating in the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and a reflective look about and into the life of legendary boxer Mike Tyson.

Meet Jeff Lipsky director of ONCE MORE WITH FEELING

Meet Jeff Lipsky director of ONCE MORE WITH FEELING, an official selection in the American Spectrum Competition at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.

Meet Nicholas Jasenovec director of PAPER HEART

Meet Nicholas Jasenovec director of PAPER HEART, an official selection in the Dramatic Competition at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.

Meet Gene Rosow & Bill Benenson directors of DIRT! THE MOVIE

Meet Gene Rosow & Bill Benenson directors of DIRT! THE MOVIE, an official selection in the Documentary Competition at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.

Meet Ry Russo-Young director of YOU WONT MISS ME

Meet Ry Russo-Young director of YOU WONT MISS ME, an official selection in the New Frontier Competition at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.

Boobs and Bonito Tartar

As every veteran knows, the Festival attracts all sorts–including genre of people who are not part of the film business but who thirst for a taste of Hollywood glamour. Such people seemed to be flocking to Chefdance, an annual series of dinners intended by founder Kenny Griswold to create “a dining experience that would match the film experience during the Festival.” Griswold imports a number of renowned chefs to create leisurely meals enjoyed by dozens of people seated along long, white-linen-draped tables

Festival Updates Interview: Lee Daniels’ PUSH

With sheer audacity and utter authenticity, director Lee Daniels tackles PUSH: BASED ON THE NOVEL BY SAPPHIRE and creates an unforgettable film that sets a new standard for cinema of its kind. Watch the Interview after the jump…

Festival Updates Interview: Tom DiCillo, WHEN YOU’RE STRANGE

Faith salie interviews WHEN YOU’RE STRANGE writer/director Tom DiCillo and The Doors members Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger in the Sundance Channel Studio. Presented by Honda, The Power of Dreams.

Court Halts Oil and Gas Leasing in Utah Wilderness

WASHINGTON, DC, January 19, 2009 (ENS) – At least 110,000 acres of pristine Utah wilderness is temporarily protected from oil and gas companies due to a ruling Saturday night by a federal judge in a case brought by conservationists. Judge Ricardo Urbina of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia granted a temporary [...]

Meet Ross Katz director of TAKING CHANCE

Meet Ross Katz director of TAKING CHANCE, an official selection in the Dramatic Competition at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.

Feds Put Positive Spin on Offshore Wind Farm, Critics Persist

BOSTON, Massachusetts, January 19, 2009 (ENS) – America’s first offshore wind farm has moved closer to the construction stage now that the federal government has released a favorable Final Environmental Impact Statement on the project. The Minerals Management Service Friday issued a 2,800-page FEIS on the Cape Wind project planned for Nantucket Sound off the [...]

From STARTUP Failure to Sundance Dealmaker

Kaleil Isaza Tuzman’s first trip to Sundance—or, at least, the first year he spent significant time here—was in 2001 for the release of STARTUP.COM. Anyone who has seen that movie, which chronicles Tuzman’s failed startup company (govWorks.com), can imagine his mixed feelings about coming to Park City that year. To his credit, though, he kept [...]

Open Salon Blog Challenge: Impact of Technology on Storytelling

Sundance Channel is excited to partner with Open Salon and Lexus as we solicit your ideas around sustainability and how technological innovation will shape our future. Each week a great post responding to the week’s big question will be picked by Open Salon editors, the author will win $200 and the post will be featured here on sundancechannel.com. So log on to Open Salon now and tell us your ideas!

Obama: The Best Film at Sundance

Park City Tunes into Barack Obama Some people huddled together for warmth. Others hugged steaming cups of overpriced coffee. Some people brought miniature—or, in one case, full-sized—American flags. Others brought their dogs, which come in only two sizes in Park City: bear or poodle. And some people pulled “HOPE” shirts over their jackets, while others [...]

Day of Service Touches Hearts Across America

WASHINGTON, DC, January 19, 2009 (ENS) – Hundreds of thousands of people participated in more than 11,000 service events across the country today to honor President-elect Barack Obama’s request to Americans of all ages to help fellow citizens in celebration of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday and of his inauguration as the 44th President [...]

Elvis Costello, American Idol

As luck would have it, this edition of SPECTACLE turns out to be the perfect episode for the week in which the United States installs a new President. Elvis Costello’s guests this time around share powerful ties to the roots and heritage of American music—country, most obviously, but also folk, blues, and jazz. Kris Kristofferson [...]

Alberta Tar Sands Development Deadly for Millions of Birds

EDMONTON, Alberta, Canada, January 19, 2009 (ENS) – Exploitation of Canada’s tar sands, the world’s largest proven oil reserves outside Saudi Arabia, is damaging forest and wetland habitats in Canada’s northern boreal forest, new research shows. The oil sands development could claim more than 160 million boreal birds, the peer-reviewed study predicts. The report is [...]

Canada’s Hidden Toxic Mining Data Sought in Court

TORONTO, Ontario, Canada, January 19, 2009 (ENS) – Canada’s Federal Court heard a lawsuit today brought against the Minister of the Environment for failing to ensure that Canada’s mining industry publicly reports the toxics in the two millions of tons of mine tailings it generates each day. The lawsuit was filed in late 2007 by [...]

Birdmonster Attacks the Music Café!

Peter Arcuni, lead singer of Birdmonster, was doing his best to rouse the middle-aged crowd at the Music Café this afternoon.

“I know those stools are really comfy,” he said to those seated up front, “but if you want to stand up you can.”

Festival Updates My Premiere: THE GREATEST

Writer/director Shana Feste’s THE GREATEST, a film participating in the 2009 Sundance Film Festival starring Susan Sarandon and Pierce Brosnan.

Festival Updates Interview: Anne Heche, Ashton Kutcher, Margarita Levieva

Faith Salie interviews SPREAD cast Anne Heche, Ashton Kutcher, and Margarita Levieva in the Sundance Channel Studio. Presented by Honda, The Power of Dreams.

The Revolution is Being Televised, But When Will it be Streamed?

Steven Soderbergh doesn’t care where people see his films—big screen, small screen—just as long as people have a chance to see (and, presumably, pay for) them. To that end, he has struck a deal with IFC Films, the distributor of his two-part biopic CHE, to release the film via video-on-demand. “We’re kind of blocked out [...]

Festival Updates Spotlight: Filmmakers

Robert Redford speaks to the filmmakers of this year’s festival about creating a sense of community of like-minded artists.

Festival Updates Interview: AMREEKA

Faith Salie interviews AMREEKA director Cherien Dabis and cast members Nisreen Faour, Melkar Muallem, and Alia Shawkat. Presented by Honda, The Power of Dreams. AMREEKA DIRECTOR/ SCREENWRITER: Cherien Dabis U.S.A./Canada/Kuwait, 2009, 96 min., color English and Arabic with English subtitles Director Cherien Dabis’s auspicious debut feature, AMREEKA, is a warm and lighthearted film about one [...]