OUR TOP 10 LISTS

10. THE FOOT FIST WAY (2006)

This dark comedy about an inappropriately cocky Taekwondo instructor earned less than a half a million dollars at the box office, but it caught the eye of Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, who helped put director Jody Hill and actor Danny McBride on the path to Hollywood stardom. They later reteamed for the hilarious television series i>Eastbound and Down.

Author: Matt Singer

9. SUPER SIZE ME (2004)

An all-McDonald's diet might have been bad for Morgan Spurlock's cholesterol, but it was great for his career. Spurlock's autobiographical film about his 30 day Mickey D's binge and the dangers of fast food established him as a witty documentarian willing to put himself in harm's way to prove an important point.

Author: Matt Singer

8. THIRTEEN (2003)

Catherine Hardwicke was already a successful production designer when she came to Sundance in 2003 with her directorial debut, THIRTEEN. After her controversial tale of teen angst became the talk of the festival, her young stars, Evan Rachel Wood and Nikki Reed, became Hollywood fixtures, and Hardwicke herself became a sought after director. She hasn't worked as a production designer since.

Author: Matt Singer

7. HUSTLE & FLOW (2005)

It might be hard out here for a pimp, but the rabid success of this film about a street hustler and his dreams of hip hop stardom, made life a little bit easier for its director, Craig Brewer (BLACK SNAKE MOAN, FOOTLOOSE), and star, Terrence Howard (IRON MAN). The film not only brought Brewer and Howard some much-deserved attention, it also won an Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Author: Matt Singer

6. NAPOLEON DYNAMITE (2004)

Audiences ate up this quirky story of a high school outsider like a big bowl of llama food. Director Jared Hess went on to make NACHO LIBRE and GENTLEMEN BRONCOS and Napoleon himself, Jon Heder, became a comedic leading man. Now they've reunited for Napoleon Dynamite, the cartoon series. Overall, a pretty sweet deal.

Author: Matt Singer

5. SAW (2004)

Sundance 2004 was also the site of a breakthrough on the opposite end of the tonal spectrum from NAPOLEON DYNAMITE: the grisly horror movie that helped launch the torture porn genre. As the story goes, Lionsgate planned to release the film straight-to-video until the movie went over like gangbusters at Sundance. Director James Wan and writer Leigh Whannell are still carving their way through the industry; their haunted house film INSIDIOUS was the most profitable movie of 2011.

Author: Matt Singer

4. CLERKS (1994)

It's one of the famous stories in independent film history. Kevin Smith sold his comic book collection, maxed out his credit cards, and spent $27,000 to make a movie in and about the Central New Jersey convenience store where he worked. The film not only introduced Smith's unique filmmaking voice, it gave hope to thousands of likeminded, underfunded geeks all over the world.

Author: Matt Singer

3. SLACKER (1991)

Sometimes breakthroughs require a little perseverance. Richard Linklater submitted a rambling, three hour cut of his iconic indie about his hometown of Austin, Texas to Sundance in 1990 -- and promptly got rejected. He edited the film down and resubmitted it, and when SLACKER caught fire in Park City one year later, Linklater became a legendary Sundance success story.

Author: Matt Singer

2. RESERVOIR DOGS (1992)

Before RESERVOIR DOGS exploded at the 1992 Sundance Film Festival like a bomb filled with blood, guns, profanity, and clever pop culture references, Quentin Tarantino was just a guy who'd worked in a video store and seen a ton of movies. Afterwards, he was Quentin Tarantino -- the guy who'd worked in a video store, seen a ton of movies, and used all that knowledge to make one of the coolest films ever. He never looked back.

Author: Matt Singer

1. SEX, LIES, AND VIDEOTAPE (1989)

The remarkable critical and financial success of this low-budget indie represented not just a breakthrough for its director, Steven Soderbergh, but also a breakthrough for the Sundance Film Festival itself. SEX, LIES, AND VIDEOTAPE premiered in Park City to widespread acclaim and then went on to conquer the world, helping build the festival's reputation as a place not just to see great films but to discover great filmmaking talent.

Author: Matt Singer