Another year has come and gone for the Sundance Film Festival. There were some great moments and spectacular films, but there were also a few terrible films and some low points as well. As anyone who’s ever seen a Sundance film knows, you’re never quite sure what you’re going to get until it’s all over and you’ve had a chance to digest it.
The big winner this year (at least as far as awards go) was “Push: Based on the novel by Sapphire.” Director Lee Daniels and his cast took home both the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Prize in the U.S Dramatic Competition, and Mo’Nique won a Special Jury Prize for her role as the mother of an obese, illiterate girl growing up in Harlem.
The awards will have to do because after the festival was over, “Push” still wasn’t offered a distribution deal. “Sin Nombre,” a film about Central American immigrants, took the top directing and cinematography honors. The documentary “Afghan Star,” about Afghanistan’s American Idol-like competition won best director for a documentary. “Five Minutes of Heaven,” “The Maid,” and “We Live In Public” were also recognized.
“An Education,” directed by Lone Scherfig and written by High Fidelity author Nick Hornby, won the World Cinema Dramatic Audience Award and a prize for cinematography. Scherfig’s film was largely considered the best movie shown at the festival, and left town with a distribution deal from Sony Pictures Classic for a reported $3 million, just shy of this year’s high of $3.5 million for the Ashton Kutcher film, “Spread.”
About 10 films found deals during the festival that lasted a little more than a week, and a few8212;like “500 Days of Summer” and “Adventureland”8212;had already locked up deals before they even arrived in Park City. One of the funniest films at Sundance (and a personal favorite), “Humpday” also locked up a deal with Magnolia Pictures.
By contrast, a few of the higher-profile pieces that were sure to be a lock left town empty-handed. The Jim Carrey/Ewan McGregor drama “I Love You Phillip Morris,” Paul Giamatti’s “Cold Souls” and “The Greatest” starring Pierce Brosnan and Susan Sarandon all left Park City with their tails between their legs. That’s not to say you’ll never hear from these films again, but it just won’t be any time soon.
One of the lows of the festival (or maybe not, depending on your sense of humor) would have to be the fight that occurred in the Yarrow Resort Hotel restaurant one morning. Jeff Dowd8212;a film producer and the supposed inspiration for The Dude from “The Big Lebowski”8212;was pitching the movie he produced to film critic John Anderson,
which led to a debate. Dowd’s film, “Dirt! The Movie” is an environmentally friendly one, and Dowd was accusing Anderson of not caring about the state of the world because he didn’t like the film. The debate grew more intense and finally culminated with Anderson punching Dowd several times. No charges were filed but the fact remains that it might not be the best idea to try to pressure someone into liking a film, and an even worse idea for a critic to punch someone because he didn’t like it.
Even with the smaller crowds this year, which were probably the combined result of the downtrodden economy and the history-in-the-making President Barack Obama’s inaguration, Sundance managed to be a very successful festival. The streets of Park City are back to being reserved for skiers and snowboarders, and Utahns can go about their regular lives until next year, when Hollywood comes calling again.