PARK CITY, Utah (AP) – Robert Redford kicks off the Sundance Film Festival he founded 31 years ago on Thursday afternoon at the event’s original home, the 280-seat Egyptian Theatre.
The Sundance fest has long outgrown that venue and now casts a Hollywood sheen over this cozy ski resort town for 10 days.
Gift suites, sponsored showrooms and celebrity hangouts have overtaken shops on Main Street. Posh parties and starry concerts pop up at the town’s nightclubs and hotels.
Movies remain the focus, though, as more than 12,000 submissions from around the globe were culled to the 118 feature-length documentary and narrative films featured during the festival.
“The big takeaway I have is the bravery and boldness of our independent film community,” said festival director John Cooper. “There’s a real intensity that is permeating independent filmmaking these days.”