Halbfinger on Sundance ’08
In his 11.29 article about the ’08 Sundance Film Festival, N.Y. Times reporter David Halbfinger quotes festival honcho Geoffrey Gilmore as saying that more than half of the 2008 lineup emerged “from the pile.” The term “pile” is usually accompanied by the adjective “slush,” and taken together they mean films that have been submitted by unconnected nobodies. Or, as Halbfinger writes, “without the benefit of advance buzz from the festival’s network of talent and sales agents, established filmmakers and other scouts.”
Sounds like a good thing.
I thought the whole point of Sundance was for nobodies to become somebodies.
It was… 15 years ago.
look at all those colored index cards and how serious those people look. are they about to run out of jeans or sweaters? oh my god, is that blue collar comedian bill engvall signing that they only have three of those colored index cards left. they’re doing something really important. they have to have those cards.
Does the fact that Bill Engvall is on the selection committee worry anyone else? I really don’t want to be sitting here in a year from now arguing why Larry the Cable Guy’s award-winning performance from Sundance will be honored by the Academy.
A return to Sundance’s roots sounds like a good thing to me.