"Fool's Fire," an offbeat adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's "Hopfrog" by theater director Julie Taymor, using actors and puppets, will be a premiere event at the Sundance Film Festival Tuesday, Jan. 21, at 9 p.m. in the Prospector Square Theater.
On Wednesday, Jan. 22, British artist/filmmaker Derek Jarman will present his latest work, "Edward II," as a premiere film at the Egyptian Theater at 7 p.m. And at 9 p.m., in the Prospector Square Theater, another premiere film will be presented: "Storyville," by first-time director (and longtime collaborator with David Lynch) Mark Frost."We look at independent films both inside and outside the industry," said festival program director Geoffrey Gilmore, "including work that can be extremely challenging.
"It's a very broad spectrum of work and that's very much the philosophy that fuels the selection process here - for us to really look at a broad range of quality and type, in terms of work. Some is very slick and some is rather primitive, in terms of production values. Some have a strong narrative and some are much more avant-garde."
Gilmore said one thing he hopes will be noticed this year is the work of actors in various movies. "In a number of films in the festival this year, the performances - the acting - is the major contribution to the excellence of those works."
Among films to be shown Tuesday and Wednesday, Gilmore singled out "Tim Roth in `Jumpin at the Bone Yard,' `Waterdance,' the five performances in `Reservoir Dogs' - we're really going to see a lot of actors at the festival this year whose performances are remarkable.
"(This is) not a star system, (but) young actors working with young directors, and doing work that's really gripping."
He noted Cheryl Ladd's performance in "Poison Ivy" as one that may surprise audiences. "Also in the premieres, Willem Dafoe is unbelievably good in `Light Sleeper.' In `Storyville,' James Spader is the best he's ever been."- For festival information, phone 328-FILM (3456); for ticket information, phone 322-1700. All theaters are in Park City except the Sundance Screening Room, at the Sundance Resort in Provo Canyon. TUESDAY
Egyptian: "The Inland Sea" 10 a.m.; "Techqua Ikachi" 1 p.m.; "In Search of Our Fathers" 4 p.m.; "Danzon" 7 p.m.; "The Waterdance" 10 p.m.
Holiday I: "Eames Retrospective" 10 a.m.; "Last Images of War" 1 p.m.; "Color Adjustment" 4 p.m.; "Where Are We?" 7 p.m.; "The Living End" 10 p.m.
Holiday II: (Unscheduled at press time.) 10:15 a.m.; "Old Well" 1:15 p.m.; "Reservoir Dogs" 4:15 p.m.; "Masala" 7:15 p.m.; "Discovery Program I" 10:15 p.m.
Holiday III: "Hallelujah Anyhow" 10:30 a.m.; "Midnight Shorts" 1:30 p.m.; "In the Soup" 4:30 p.m.; "Jo-Jo at the Gate of Lions" 7:30 p.m.; "My Crasy Life" 10:30 p.m.
Prospector: "The Cabinet of Dr. Ramirez" 9:30 a.m.; "Latin American Cinema Today" noon; "Caravaggio" 3 p.m.; "Poison Ivy" 6 p.m.; "Fool's Fire" 9 p.m.
Sundance: "Star Time" 7:30 p.m.Egyptian: "A Brief History of Time" 10 a.m.; "Shorts Program III: Women Directors" 1 p.m.; "In the Soup" 4 p.m.
Holiday I: "Asylum" 10 a.m.; "In Search of Our Fathers" 1 p.m.; "Desperate" 4 p.m.; "Finding Christa" 7 p.m.; "Innocents Abroad" 10 p.m.
Holiday II: "Lolita" 10:15 a.m.; "Symbiopsychotaxiplasm" 1:15 p.m.; "Clearcut" 4:15 p.m.; "Poison Ivy" 7:15 p.m.; "Venus Peter" 10:15 p.m. Holiday III: "Some Divine Wind" 10:30 a.m.; "Color Adjustment" 11:30 p.m.; "Rock Soup" 4:30 p.m.; "Jumpin at the Boneyard" 7:30 p.m.; "Black and White" 10:30 p.m.
Prospector: "Fool's Fire" 9:30 a.m.; "Art and Film" noon; "Danzon" 3 p.m.; "Fathers and Sons" 6 p.m.; "Storyville" 9 p.m.
Sundance: "Proof" 7:30 p.m.