18/01/2008

Sundance 2008



The 2008 edition of the Sundance festival kicked off yesterday with a presentation by its founder Robert Redford. Widely considered the premier showcase of U.S. and international independent film, the festival began in 1978 as part of the Utah/U.S. film festival when it focused primarily on the presentation of retrospective films and filmmaker seminars. However, it also featured a national competition aimed at drawing attention to emerging American films made outside the Hollywood system. In 1981, the Festival moved to Park City, Utah, and grew to include documentaries and short films along with its programme of dramatic features.

In 1985, the event added international films to its programmes and became a part of Sundance Institute, a not-for-profit organisation founded in 1981 by Redford to cultivate new work in film and theatre. The move provided the Festival with year-round administration, financial backing, and a network of contacts, and Sundance Institute gained a powerful vehicle for the presentation of new work by U.S. and international independent filmmakers. In 1991, the Festival was officially renamed Sundance Film Festival.


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