With the threat of a writer's strike looming in Hollywood and the increasing likelihood of production shutdowns, the possibility exists that the 2001 Sundance Film Festival could turn into a seller's market.
Officials from most of the major U.S. film distributors are expected at the event, as they try to find something they can release next year, should existing product be scarce. And with many filmmakers coming for distribution deals, things could get hectic.
So what can they, as well as filmgoers, expect to find among possibly the most scrutinized movie lineup in the festival's history? Diversity, which seems to be the buzzword of choice for Sundance programmers.
"There are so many different films that got into the festival — you've got musicals, you've got science fiction, you've even got animated films," said John Cooper, Sundance's associate director of programming. "It's very encouraging that filmmakers are getting more daring about what they want to do."
In other words, the movies appear to be typically Sundance.
And you know what that means, don't you? It means that select films will feature:
BIG NAMES. Stars who appear in movies at the festival, and consequently may show up as well, include actors Patrick Swayze ("Green Dragon"), Jacqueline Bisset ("Sleepy Time Gal"), Samuel L. Jackson ("Caveman's Valentine") and Sissy Spacek ("In the Bedroom").
Real-life couple Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman appear together in "Tape," but onscreen couple Martin Sheen and Stockard Channing, from TV's "The West Wing," don't (he's in "After Image," while she stars in "The Business of Strangers").
BUILT-IN CONTROVERSY. Among the eyebrow-raisers scheduled for January's fest are "Raw Deal: A Question of Consent," a documentary about a Florida rape case; "The Believer," about a Jewish neo-Nazi; and "The Deep End," a drama about a woman who hides a dead body for her gay son.
The transgendered also seem to be a recurring theme, in such films as "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" and "Southern Comfort."
THE USUAL SUSPECTS. Sundance mainstay Marisa Tomei appears in yet another festival film ("In the Bedroom"), while filmmaker Richard Linklater returns to the festival that helped establish him — and with two films no less (the animated "Waking Life" and the equally experimental "Tape").
JUST PLAIN WEIRDNESS. "Scotland, Pa.," sets Shakespeare's "Macbeth" in a fast-food restaurant, circa 1970; "Donnie Darko" is a time-traveling, science-fiction piece produced by Drew Barrymore; and "American Astronaut" is a rock 'n' roll musical set in outer space.
Even Utah's own Trent Harris gets into the act with a special screening of his "Beaver Trilogy," a half-fictional, half-documentary anthology with performances by Sean Penn and Crispin Glover — in the same role.
Speaking of Harris' latest work, Cooper said, "In its own peculiar way, it's almost a history of independent film."
Categories of features in the festival include the Dramatic Competition, Documentary Competition, Premieres, Frontier, American Spectrum, World Cinema, Native Forum and Park City at Midnight.
The festival's opening-night premiere will be "My First Mister," a comedy starring Albert Brooks as a fortysomething clothing-store owner who befriends a rebellious teenager (Leelee Sobieski).
"I really liked this film," Cooper said. "It's a very optimistic film but it's not sappy. There's also something profound about its message, but it's not heavy-handed."
In addition to its independent film showcase, the 2001 Sundance Film Festival will include panel discussions, the closing-night awards ceremony and the Piper-Heidsieck Tribute to Independent Vision, given each year to an actor whose work embodies independent film.
The festival runs from Jan. 18-28 in a variety of Park City locations, as well as the Cinemark Sugar House Movies 10, the Loews Cineplex Trolley Corners Cinemas and the Tower Theatre in Salt Lake City, and the Sundance resort in Provo Canyon.
A full rundown of films playing at the festival can be found on the Sundance Institute Web site (click on the film festival icon at www.sundance.org).
E-MAIL: jeff@desnews.com