LOS ANGELES — Can Sundance’s new director redefine not just the festival but also the entire independent film industry?
The Sundance Film Festival kicks off its 26th installment on Thursday, and people are chattering about all the usual things, from which films are hot acquisition targets (“Blue Valentine” is a good bet) to whether this would finally be the year that the celebrity sideshow dies down (unlikely).
But veteran festivalgoers are also chewing over something more meta: this might very well be the most important Sundance in years.
For the first time in two decades, America’s premiere film festival has a new director, John Cooper, and his primary goal has been to shift Sundance sharply back toward its arty roots. “Less commercial, more independent” is how he sums up this year’s selections. While the roster is still stuffed with stars, Mr. Cooper may have accomplished his goal. Movies on the whole are tougher and smaller. There are fewer studio premieres. In a move many call long overdue, Sundance will introduce a section called Next, focused on “low- or no-budget” films.
With the struts kicked out from under independent film — a parade of studios have shuttered their indie divisions — Sundance’s decisions have more potential than ever to have an impact on the genre, industry veterans say. This enormous, unexpected responsibility comes partly from a power vacuum. Harvey Weinstein no longer leads the independent film pack; the big buyers that remain, like Fox Searchlight, have been hammered in recent months.
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