The 10-day Sundance Film Festival is a little less than halfway over, running from January 17 to the 27, and so far has screened films in a number of different categories in its home in Park City, Utah.
Beginning in 1985 as a way for the Sundance Institute -a non-profit -to feature the work of independent filmmakers, the festival this year received over 4,000 submissions, according to the Columbian. In all, 119 films from 32 different countries will be screened around the town that’s located about a half hour from Salt Lake.
This year, feature films include “jOBS,” Ashton Kutcher’s portrayal of Steve Jobs, and “The Lifeguard,” starring Kristen Bell as a former New York journalist returning to her hometown to work at a pool. Both celebrities have already made an appearance at the festival, along with a number of others, including Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler and Amanda Seyfried.
The festival is often known as a place where many independent filmmakers get their start, and a place where the skiing town is overrun with famous faces and moviegoers. This year, of course, is no different. But in addition to the feature films with familiar names, there are also a number of both low budget independent films such as “Escape From Tomorrow,” about a father in Disney World, as well as documentaries, such as “We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks,” to appeal to all viewers.
Though Sundance is one of the biggest festivals in the world, others can also use the film festival’s ideas, which often uses any theater-like building to screen films when serving large volumes of viewers. While located in a colder climate, festivals looking to accommodate many audience members can use outdoor movie screens and their flexible advantages to screen films.