Park City, 1/18.

"Of the 290 dramatic features that played at Sundance between 1984 and 2002 (the last year it seemed prudent to include in this survey, given the amount of time it can take to set up an indie film), 156 of their directors have gone on to make zero or, at the most, one additional dramatic feature," writes Scott Foundas in the LA Weekly:

Some, like Jill Godmilow [more], whose Waiting for the Moon shared the 1987 Grand Jury Prize with The Trouble With Dick, hailed from, and returned to, the world of nonfiction filmmaking. Others, like Joyce Chopra (1985 Grand Jury Prize winner for Smooth Talk), flirted briefly with the Hollywood studios before segueing into successful television careers. Still others, like Wendell B Harris Jr (whose 1991 Grand Jury Prize winner Chameleon Street remains one of the most original film debuts of the 90s), seem to have vanished into a moviemaking black hole. All are a reminder that for every Tarantino- or Soderbergh-size Sundance Cinderella story, there are dozens of others for whom life as an independent filmmaker more closely resembles Hans Christian Andersen's tale of The Little Match Girl.

And he opens his piece with the story of the man who might be king of the Park City ups-n-downs, The Trouble With Dick director Gary Walkow, who's seeing his Crashing debut at Slamdance this year.

Also, whatever happened to Jonathan Caouette? Answer: "I'm working on so many things right now that my head is about to roll off my shoulders."

David Thomson tells the story behind Longford, "one of the most engrossing of the new British films," screening at Sundance before HBO airs it on February 17.

Eugene Hernandez files a hefty first dispatch from Park City at indieWIRE, where the latest interviews are with Also, Eugene wonders what in the world David Poland and Jeffrey Wells are talking about.

Anthony Kaufman points to his spotlight on eight films (plus five "also noted") at the Wall Street Journal and passes along the leaked list of Variety's "10 Directors to Watch."

Michael Tully's got a "Hot List."

The latest indieWIRE interviews:

• John Carney, Once.

• Ian Iqbal Rashid, How She Move.

• George Ratliff, Joshua; the Reeler interviews him as well.

More Reeler interviews:

• Hal Hartley, Fay Grim.

• Gina Kim, Never Forever.

• David Stenn, Girl 27.

• David Kaplan, Year of the Fish.

• Cherien Dabis, Make a Wish.

• Caran Hartsfield, King.

• Alfredo de Villa, Adrift in Manhattan.

• Alex Weil, One Rat Short.

• Daniel Karslake, For the Bible Tells Me So.

• Sophie Barthes, Happiness.

• Ian Olds, Bomb.

• Dan Klores, Crazy Love.

• Cynthia Wade, Freeheld.

• Etienne Kallos, Doorman.

• Aaron Augenblick, Golden Age.

• Nanobah Becker, Conversion.

• Martha Colburn, Destiny Manifesto and Meet Me in Wichita.

• Ray Tintori, Death to the Tinman.

• Mitch McCabe, To Whom it May Concern.

"Digital coverage of the Sundance Film Festival has reached new heights this year," write the Hollywood Reporter's Gregg Goldstein and Alex Woodson, "with a new YouTube Sundance Channel Video Blog Festival, shorts for sale on iTunes, official blogs from the network and fest sponsors, an avatar community on Second Life, offerings from MySpace and countless independent Web sites covering the fest." Linkage follows.

"Variety @ Sundance," up-n-running.

David Poland tells the tale of how Nanking co-producer Bill Guttentag and co-director Dan Sturman almost got away with ripping off writer Elizabeth Bentley.

And via Movie City News: Anthony Breznican's list of six potentially interesting onscreen characters for USA Today.

Ted Z starts gathering links.

Posted by dwhudson at January 18, 2007 3:52 PM