Independent film market rebounds at Sundance Film Festival
Fri, 01/28/2011 - 21:08 EDT - LA Times
After a dry stretch when many movies went unsold, distributors have snapped up as many as two dozen pictures at this year's Sundance festival.The festival market for independent films has rebounded after several years in the economic doldrums.
This year has been quite groundbreaking for Sundance Film Festival as the once-dominant traditional distributors and media studios are now struggling to catch rights to acclaimed films. As the streaming war raged on over original programming, one of the most active buyers this year has been Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX), which has caused a stir at the festival, after landing distribution rights to original films.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The dramatic contenders at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival span history, genre and setting, from the slave days in the South to the gay-sex scene today in LA's Korean spas.What unites them, says festival director John Cooper, is excellent storytelling and a "thorough understanding of the craft of filmmaking, especially writing."On Wednesday, Cooper and programming director Trevor Groth announced the slate of American and international dramas and documentaries in competition this year at the annual festival in Park City, Utah.