PARK CITY -- The world premiere of "Cookie's Fortune," a comic murder mystery by veteran filmmaker Robert Altman, will kick off the 1999 Sundance Film Festival.
Altman's newest, which stars Laura Dern, Liv Tyler, Glenn Close, Lyle Lovett and Patricia Neal, will be the opening night premiere for the festival and will be screened Jan. 21 at Abravanel Hall in Salt Lake City. Next year's festival runs Jan. 21-31, with screenings of more than 100 feature films at a variety of sites between Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and the Sundance Resort in Provo Canyon.Altman, a fiercely independent director whose last work was the embattled mystery "The Gingerbread Man," was honored by the Sundance in 1990 with a career retrospective.
Other films to be screened during the festival include:
-- "The Minus Man," a drama about a mysterious stranger who disrupts the lives of small-town residents. Musician Sheryl Crow stars. (Dramatic competition)
-- "The Item," a science-fiction film (shot digitally) about scientists studying a 40-foot telepathic worm. (Dramatic Competition)
-- "Joe the King," the directorial debut by actor Frank Whaley, which stars Val Kilmer as an alcoholic. (Dramatic competition)
-- "American Pimp," a frank look at prostitution by the filmmaking Hughes brothers ("Dead Presidents"). (Documentary competition)
-- "Hitchcock, Selznick and the End of Hollywood," which takes a look at the working relationship between legendary director Alfred Hitchcock and studio mogul David O. Selznick. (Documentary competition)
-- "The Living Museum," Academy Award-winner Jessica Yu's take on an art exhibition by psychiatric patients. (Documentary competition)
-- "Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fread A. Leuchter Jr.," the newest documentary by Errol Morris ("Fast, Cheap and Out of Control"). (Premiere)
-- "SLC Punk!," a fictionalized look at the local punk-rock scene during the mid-'80s, starring Matthew Lillard ("Senseless"). Filmed in Utah. (Premiere)
-- "Thick as Thieves," a crime drama starring former "Homicide: Life on the Streets" star Andre Braugher, and Alec Baldwin. (Premiere)
Other categories for screenings include American Spectrum, World Cinema, Park City at Midnight, Frontier and Native Visions.
Local ticket packages, available only to Utah residents, are still on sale. They include the Film Lovers Package ($175), with tickets for 12 regular screenings, two premiere screenings and two panel discussion; the Party Enthusiast Package ($300), with tickets for the opening night screenings and gala, two awards party and evening party tickets, two premiere screenings and 10 regular screenings tickets; and the Locals Quick Pass ($200), with tickets for all festival screenings in Salt Lake City and Ogden.
To order a package, or for more information on ticket availability, call 322-4033 between 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Limit one package per person, two packages per phone call.