THE SUNDANCE BID

The first rule of Sundance is that you talk about Sundance. A lot. More than 20 years have passed since Robert Redford’s institute for upstart filmmakers absorbed the annual responsibilities of the U.S. Film Festival in Park City, Utah, and incessant chatter of industry and media types continues to circulate around the intimate resort town, full of sound and fury. It started, arguably, when the scraggly 26-year-old director Steven Soderbergh skyrocketed to national acclaim after the success of sex, lies, and videotape at the festival in 1989. Echoing the revitalized American cinema of the early ’70s, small movies suddenly appealed to studios. As the legend goes, Sundance became a launch pad for aspiring craftsmen eager to dive into the whirlwind of fame.

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