Slouching Towards Park City, 1/17.

With the festival opening tomorrow and running through January 28, Nick Marshall looks into four films about filmmaking screening at Sundance this year: Crossing the Line, VHS-Kahloucha (site), Girl 27 and Comrades in Dreams. "Some are historical, some are contemporary, all promise to provide insight into the industry that the festival supports."

Also at Cynematik:

• Cyndi Greening notes that the "Grand Dame of Documentary, HBO's Sheila Nevins," is bringing three films to Park City: Ghosts of Abu Ghraib, White Light / Black Rain and Hear and Now. Also: Here come the Fannings!

• Pamela Brown considers seven Sundance films addressing some aspect of war: Ghosts of Abu Ghraib, Nanking, No End in Sight, White Light / Black Rain, Grace is Gone, Hot House and Three Comrades.

  Jeniece Toranzo on the making of Der Ostwind.

"Unlike other festivals, where the heavyweights are more or less predictable, this event is so focused on unseen films by unfamiliar directors that the identities of the successes and failures simply aren't knowable in advance," writes Kenneth Turan; he's got a list of a few of what might be the good ones, though.

Also in the Los Angeles Times, John Horn profiles The Good Life director Steve Berra:

Like mastering a kick-flip backside tail-slide or any of his other shin-shattering skating tricks, Berra's transition from friendless teen to gregarious filmmaker required relentless dedication amid repeated failure. His film's journey to Park City, Utah, also makes for a quintessential Sundance story: Determined storyteller perseveres for a decade; gung-ho producer cobbles together a motley crew of investors; intensely personal film beats out more than 3,000 other submissions for a spot in the nation's top showcase for indie cinema.

Bloody Disgusting is all over The Signal.

At the Reeler:

• Vadim Rizov talks with producer Michael Roiff about Adrienne Shelly's last project, The Waitress.

• Karen Kramer checks in with NYC buyers: "'There's all sorts of meetings, research, espionage,' said Mark Urman, head of US distribution for ThinkFilm, who has already picked up the festival titles War/Dance and Zoo."

• Daniel Nemet-Nejat: "John Sloss embodies the twin impulses of the Sundance Film Festival: He loves to nurture specialized films, and he thrives on the art of the deal. Alongside associates from his sales agency, Cinetic Media, the 50-year-old lawyer always seems to be at the center of the festival's most intense industry action, brokering deals for high-profile offerings like last year's $10.5 million darling, Little Miss Sunshine."

The latest indieWIRE interviews: Grace is Gone director James C Strouse, How Is Your Fish Today? director Xiaolu Guo, In the Shadow of the Moon director David Sington and Manda Bala director Jason Kohn.

"Real networking begins at Albertson's." Film Threat's Mark Bell offers a "guide to attending and surviving Sundance."

Park City police are cracking down on prostitution, reports Christopher Smart in the Salt Lake Tribune. Via Joe Leydon, who comments, "But, gee, if you're going to start arresting people who prostitute themselves at Sundance..."

IndieWIRE's lined up a list of filmmakers who'll be blogging from Park City.

Wired News has Jennifer Hillner and Jason Silverman heading to the mountains.

Online viewing tip. Sundance Co-Director Geoff Gilmore himself at Zoom In Online.

Posted by dwhudson at January 17, 2007 9:34 AM