One of my favorite places to seek refuge in Park City to catch up on emails, or even just to catch my breath, is the New Frontier on Main. This digital dungeon is a great place to hang out but it’s also a place to discover new work at the convergence of film and art. I attended a day-long Digital Dive workshop at New Frontier this year. More on this in the Tools Blog soon.

New Frontier artists with Shari Frilot who is behind much of the development of New Frontier. That’s the fantastic Pipilotti Rist in the front in the orange jumpsuit and red hat. She was at New Frontier with the equally fantastically named: Lobe Lung (The Saliva Ooze Away to the Underground)

These are just a few of the projects:

Joseph Gordon-Levitt explains his hitRECord.org project. Joseph spoke to some interviewers in fairly fluent French which impressed me slightly more than his project (but I’d love to be proved wrong so if anyone has participated in it please leave comments)

Tracey Snelling’s Bordertown – exploring the Mexican/American border in miniature

Eric Gradman’s Cloud Mirror which displays information from your Facebook, Twitter and other social media accounts – the registration system wasn’t working the couple of times I tried to use this but I was secretly relieved. I’m not sure I want to see my online identity pop up on a mirror!

A visitor explores Jens Franke and Thomas Gläser’s Earthwalk

Ragnar Kjartansson’s , The End, a hauntingly beautiful, multiple screen concert from the Canadian rocky Mountains

Matthew Moore’s Lifecycles, using installations to reconnect consumers to the actual histories of the produce they buy

Grand Jury Prize, Dramatic:
WINTER’S BONE, directed by Debra Granik

Grand Jury Prize, Documentary:
RESTREPO, directed by Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington

World Cinema Jury Prize, Dramatic:
ANIMAL KINGDOM, written and directed by David Michôd.

World Cinema Jury Prize, Documentary:
THE RED CHAPEL (Det Røde Kapel), directed by Mads Brügger

Dramatic Audience Award:
HAPPYTHANKYOUMOREPLEASE, written and directed by Josh Radnor

Documentary Audience Award:
WAITING FOR SUPERMAN, directed by Davis Guggenheim

World Cinema Dramatic Audience Award:
CONTRACORRIENTE (Undertow), written and directed by Javier Fuentes-Leõn

World Cinema Documentary Audience Award:
WASTELAND, directed by Lucy Walker

The Best of NEXT:
HOMEWRECKER, directed by Todd Barnes and Brad Barnes

Directing Award, Dramatic:
3 BACKYARDS, directed and written by Eric Mendelsohn

Directing Award, Documentary:
SMASH HIS CAMERA, directed by Leon Gast

World Cinema Directing Award, Dramatic:
SOUTHERN DISTRICT directed and written by Juan Carlos Valdivia

World Cinema Directing Award, Documentary:
SPACE TOURISTS, directed by Christian Frei

Waldo Scott Screenwriting Award:
WINTER’S BONE, written by Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini

World Cinema Screenwriting Award:
SOUTHERN DISTRICT, written and directed by Juan Carlos Valdivia

Documentary Editing Award:
JOAN RIVERS – A PIECE OF WORK, edited by Penelope Falk

World Cinema Documentary Editing Award:
A FILM UNFINISHED, edited by Joëlle Alexis

Excellence in Cinematography Award, Dramatic:
OBSELEDIA Cinematographer: Zak Mulligan

Excellence in Cinematography Award, Documentary:
THE OATH Cinematographers: Kirsten Johnson and Laura Poitras

World Cinema Cinematography Award, Dramatic:
THE MAN NEXT DOOR (El Hombre de al Lado) Directors and cinematographers Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat

World Cinema Cinematography Award, Documentary:
HIS & HERS Cinematographers: Kate McCullough and Michael Lavelle

Special Jury Prize: Dramatic:
SYMPATHY FOR DELICIOUS, directed by Mark Ruffalo

Special Jury Prize: Documentary:
GASLAND, directed by Josh Fox

World Cinema Special Jury Prize: Documentary
ENEMIES OF THE PEOPLE, directed by Rob Lemkin and Thet Sambath

Jury Prize in Short Filmmaking:
DRUNK HISTORY: DOUGLASS AND LINCOLN, directed by Jeremy Konner

Jury Prize in International Short Filmmaking:
THE SIX DOLLAR FIFTY MAN, directed by Mark Albiston and Louis Sutherland (New Zealand)

World Cinema Special Jury Prize: Dramatic for Breakout Performance:
Tatiana Maslany, for her role as a starry-eyed teenager in GROWN UP MOVIE STAR

Honorable Mentions in Short Filmmaking:
BORN SWEET, directed by Cynthia Wade (USA, Cambodia)
CAN WE TALK?, directed by Jim Owen (United Kingdom)
DOCK ELLIS & THE LSD NO-NO, directed by James Blagden (USA)
HOW I MET YOUR FATHER, directed by Álex Montoya (Spain)
QUADRANGLE, directed by Amy Grappell (USA)
ROB AND VALENTYNA IN SCOTLAND, directed by Eric Lynne (USA, United Kingdom)
YOUNG LOVE, directed by Ariel Kleiman (Australia)

Alfred P. Sloan Prize
OBSELEDIA, directed by Diane Bell

When I was teaching Reel Stories (Sundance’s Youth Documentary Program), we worked out of the office in Salt Lake city, and they had posters up spanning a the years. I thought it would be interesting to line them up and see what the messages have looked like since the beginning. What can the graphics tell us about the development of the festival and plans for this year?

Scroll down to earlier posts to see previous decades.

If you’re interested in Vintage posters and a retrospecive magazine they available from the Sundance store.

2009:

2008:

2007:

2006:

2005:

2004:

2003:

2002:

2001:

2000:

1999:

1998:

1997:

1996:

1995:

1994:

1993:

1992:

1991:

1990:

1989:

1988 (at least we think this is 1988, can anyone confirm this?):

1987:

1986:

1985:

Chicken & Egg Pictures presented Dan Cogan of Impact Partners with a Rooster Award at their party during Sundance on Tuesday.  They also celebrated three Sundance films partly funded by Chicken & Egg: A Small Act, The Oath and My Perestroika.

Dan Cogan receives his Rooster award.

Dan Cogan with Wendy Ettinger and Julie Parker Benello from Chicken & Egg.

Laura Poitras (The Oath), Jennifer Arnold (A Small Act), Robin Hessman (My Perestroika) and Patti Lee (A Small Act)

Awesome documentary women!

Filmmaker Lisa Collins

Stanley Nelson (at Sundance with Freedom Riders)

Malcolm Pullinger and Todd Griffin (who was part of the musical team accompanying Sam Green’s terrific live documentary Utopia in Four Movements)

Michelle Byrd (who recently left her longtime job as head of IFP) and Reva Goldberg (Cinereach)

Peter Broderick and Katie Chevigny (Arts Engine)

Sandra Whipham (Exec Producer: Enemies of the People), Sky Sitney (Silverdocs) and Sadie Tillery (Full Frame) – with Mark Rosenberg from Rooftop Films’ tie in the foreground. Can’t remember why it’s there but it’s a very nice tie.

Lesli Klainberg and Jennifer Arnold

Esther Robinson

Telefilm Canada hosted a party to promote Canadian films in the festival, and some funding for opportunities for Canadian co-productions.
Likely the only party where you could find tuna tar-tar paired with Molson Golden.
Find out more about possible options: official co-production, co-venture and film production services here.

Adam Roffman– of the very wonderful International Film Festival of Boston, Filmmaker Hannah Rosenzweig

The Gang — Adam Roffman, Sean Flynn (Principle Pictures), David Nugent (Hamptons International Film Festival), Bryan Stamp

Nice pin!

View out the window.

Actor James Franco answers some questions about playing Allen Ginsberg

Holy something. Just saw Howl and was pretty blown away. The title sequence itself is gorgeous. Although pretty different, it made me think of the brilliant graphic design of Terminal Bar.

Directed by 2-time Oscar winner Rob Epstein, Howl is built around Allen Ginsberg’s poem. It’s his first time directing a narrative, and he sprinkles actual “beat generation” footage throughout, and frames the film with a documentary style interview that gives insight into Ginsberg’s creative process.
Rob Epstein also made the incredible Life and Times of Harvey Milk — which you can actually watch for free on SnagFilms.

Late night’s at the Fimmaker’s Lodge is one of the best things this year – and last. A relaxed way to hang out and talk with fellow filmmakers. The new frontier exhibits inspired a lot of really interesting conversation – thinking about alternative formats for showcasing projects. There were great ideas about how footage can be turned into exhibits, and ways to interact more with storytelling online. The tools to “break the 4th wall” with films are here, and it was exciting to brainstorm about this.

Filmmaker Aaron Raskin is ready!

Sundance Volunteers keeping it all running.

Esther Robinson and co.

Basil Tsiokos (Sundance Programming), Eugene Hernandez (indieWire), Malcolm Pullinger, Brian Brooks (indieWire)

Natalie Difford (Chicken & Egg Pictures), Emily Doe (Wolphin), Malcolm Pullinger (Following Sean, Winnebago Man)

Win-sie Tow (Sundance Documentary Film Program Coordinator), Charles Vogl (Producer/ Writer, New Year Baby)

Heather Courtney (Filmmaker, New Day Films), Melissa Reagan (No Dumb Questions, New Day Films)