Sundance 2008 fades to black on a note of unprecedented star power and less-than-stellar sales
By Judith Orr & Jeffrey Jolson
PARK CITY, UT (Hollywood Today) 1/26/08 – At Sundance 2008, the parties have wound down, the lift lines disappeared and some filmmakers are high-fiving while others slink out of town.
The real beneficiaries of the stacks of celebrity gifts, the housekeeping staffs of the various hotels, condos and rented homes, are cleaning up. After all who can carry 35 bottles of shampoo and energy drinks home?
Sundance 2008 deals hit record levels, ran the MTV.com headline, though the film trades disagree. Movies with Robert De Niro, Amy Adams and Ben Kingsley went unsold while many smaller, less expensive film got picked up including the doc “Roman Polanksi: Wanted and Desired” (See HT vdeo report), which went to the Weinstein Company.
Nonetheless, many films still sold despite fears of box office losses stemming from last year’s Sundance flops when they hit the cineplexes. In general the acquisition prices for films have been between one million at the base of the slopes to a peak of about $10 million for “Hamlet 2.”
Although a buying frenzy was expected due to the writer’s strike, only certain films were picked up for distribution. Picturehouse president Bob Berney told the Hollywood Reporter that checkbooks would open when the Park City snow and hype were a memory. “Distributors need films, and eventually many of the titles will find a home at the level the market dictates. It’s less a question of if than when for such movies as “Sunshine Cleaning,” “Phoebe in Wonderland,” (See Bill Pullmans HT Interview video) “The Wackness” and “What Just Happened?”
Other late fest picks ups included the drama “Frozen River” and comedy “Baghead,” bought by Sony Pictures Classics, horror comedy “Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer” bought by Anchor Bay Entertainment and “Choke.” All went for mid-six figures.
Stars there ran from Tom Hanks, Robert DeNiro and Winona Ryder who kept a low profile, to young hopefuls who relished in the dozens of parties the free shopping at the gifting suites.
At Sunday night’s In 2 It Media “I’m With The Band” event, at LIVEStyle’s Greenhouse at Top of Main, Dot Dot Dot (from the hit FOX TV show “The Next Great American Band”) rocked the stage and kicked off their celebrity jam session which included Shar Jackson and her girlfriends jumping onstage to sing “I Love Rock n Roll” by Joan Jett. Dot Dot Dot creates “extreme excitement” and is a band to watch.
Their show was followed by special performances by Will.I.AM of the Black Eyed Peas alongside Lil Jon and Adrian Grenier’s band The Honey Brothers. In the house that night enjoying the celebrity jam session were Slash, Scott Ian (the guitarist in Anthrax), Dennis Quaid where he and his wife picked out matching his and hers skull embossed sneakers from the Ed Hardy collection courtesy of PSDIUSA to coordinate with their his and hers skull t-shirts. Also present were NHL hockey legend Luc Robitaille, actors Tom Arnold, DB Sweeney, Michael Rosenbaum, Amber Stevens and more!
Robin Bronk, Executive Director of the Creative Coalition, the leading nonprofit social and political advocacy organization of the arts and entertainment industry hosted many high-end events and parties. The Creative Coalition was started by prominent figures in the arts and entertainment community including, Alec Baldwin, Ron Silver, Christopher Reeve, Susan Sarandon, Blair Brown and Stephen Collins.
Among the events they hosted were PSA Shoots where celebrities read and record children’s stories for Speakaboos to support advocacy efforts to promote arts in the schools. James Eckhouse, Don Most and Judy Tenuta among others read the stories and made appearances.
Quentin Tarantino spoke at Creative Coalition’s Ray Ban Visionary Awards and he truly spoke from the heart and it was a candid organic speech clearly evident from the second he took the mike that he was speaking from the heart and it was truly captivating.
Fortitude’s Inaugural Sundance Reception was followed by a dinner to launch spotlight initiative with Screen Media Films. There was a special performance by The Hatch (featured on soundtrack of A Merry Gentleman) at The Hollywood Life House. Michael Keaton, director and actor in Merry Gentlemen whose son Sean is the drummer of the acclaimed band The Hatch was present watching them perform and enjoying the evening. Jack Black ran in for a while on his way to the party for his show “Be Kind Rewind.”
New Line Cinema transformed an historic house on Park Avenue into a “Sweding Suite” to duplicate the shabby video store featured in its Sundance film “Be Kind Rewind” with Black, Mos Def, Danny Glover and Sundance Standout Melonie Diaz. The made-over space was complete with lava lamps, racks and cabinets filled with videotapes, a broken piano, old VCR’s and TV’s and even a Last Supper serving tray.
In addition to the celebrity interviews, more than 500 guests trooped through the house over two days to get “Sweded”–that is, remade from scratch using found objects–as the characters do with movies in the film.
Guests had Polaroids taken with their heads in film backdrops. Then they decorated their photos at a facilitated crafts table with feathers, sequins, glitter, and buttons. The finished “Sweded” photos served as party passes for the Klipsch-hosted premiere party at the Lift on Saturday night that featured Glover, Black and other celebs including Josh Hartnett. It was the antithesis of a gifting suite or celebrity party,” said house producer Henry Eshelman. “We gave people PayDay candy bars, Junior Mints and Red Vines. If they wanted, they could “Swede” New Line movie posters, t-shirts (some said “No Swag Swede” and their own credentials and clothing.” The New Line celebs did get Klipsch Roomgrooves–iPod docks that transmit music wirelessly to other room grooves throughout the house.
Harry O’s played host to the 5th annual Chefdance this year. Chefdance features the country’s most famous chefs cooking dinners for both celebrities and industry leaders. This year’s event featured TEN days of dinner parties with chefs James Boyce (Montage); Christophe Bellanca (Le Cirque); Todd Miller (STK); Richard Sandoval (MEXX); Nicola Amroune (Teatro); Gene Kato (Japonais); Christopher Lee (Gilt); Matt Bencivenga (Wolfgang Puck); and Dru Scheidell (Onassis). Celebs in attendance included Tom Arnold and Woody Harrelson–repeat customers! Rappers Akin and Fifty Cent; Kim Kardashian; Reggie Bush; Macy Gray; Sharon Stone; Ileanna Douglas; Luke Wilson; Tracy Edmonds and Kevin Sorbo. Chefdance’s Kenny Griswold and Host Bethenny Frankel (in the upcoming Real Housewives of New York) presented Le Cirque founder Sirio Macciconi with its first annual Living Legend award.
Amy Redford, Robert Redford’s daughter had her directorial debut with the film “The Guitar”. Her film premiered on the opening night of The Sundance Film Festival. Redford is adamant that she doesn’t want special treatment because of her father. According to Peter Howell, of thestar.com, she said “My dad certainly is not the kind of person who would request that they take (The Guitar),” she says, accepting the question gracefully.
“It would be against everything that Sundance is, and it’s not the way I’ve lived my life. I’ve made my own choices since I was quite young, and it wouldn’t benefit anybody at Sundance for them to take my film if it wasn’t deserving of being here. They don’t owe me anything.”
Redford is best known for her stage work has also acted on TV shows such as Sex and the City, Law & Order: SVU, and the Soprano’s. She also had small roles in three films, The Music Inside, Maid in Manhattan and Sunshine Cleaning (which just premiered at Sundance).
The award winners will be announced shortly but already the airport shuttles are more crowded than the bars. The last one to leave Sundance, please turn off the klieg lights.
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