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2012 Sundance Film Festival – You Can Still Get Tickets

Park City Guide — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 02:31:22 +0000

The 2012 Sundance Film Festival starts this week on Thursday, January 19th and goes through Sunday, January 29th. If you haven’t already pre-purchased passes and/or ticket packages to films and events you can still attend the festival and watch films by purchasing individual tickets.

For Festival Beginners

Knowledgeable Festival volunteers known as “Festival Insiders” will be hanging out and about Main Street and venues with “Ask Me” buttons to answer all your questions. There are also free one-hour “How To Fest” tours that will be given daily at 10am from Jan 20th-28th to help you figure things out. Just meet on the patio at the Sundance House, no registration required.

How Can I Get Tickets?

Egyptian Theatre on Main Street in Park Ctiy

You can no longer purchase Festival passes and ticket packages but you still can purchase individual tickets for $15, if available, either on the day of show which are released at the box office at 8am, wait list tickets at the Theatre and open tickets online (from Jan 17th-Jan 27) and the main box offices. These tickets are limited so you may not be able to see all the movies you want, especially for opening weekend and Premiere categories, but there certainly will be some still available.

Go to the Individual Ticket page at the Sundance Film Festival website to view what is available for purchasing online (as open tickets) or more information about day of show and wait list tickets.

Where Can I Park?

There will be free and paid parking lots available, but note that many places that you usually are able to park in Park City will be closed during the Festival. Take advantage of the free Park City buses and the free Sundance bus shuttles with routes just for the Festival. Here is a Sunndance Interactive Map to show you theatres, venues, box offices, available parking areas and shuttle route loops. And don’t try to park in business lots like the grocery store and think you can leave it there while you’re out festivaling. There will be people watching for this and you may get a ticket and/or towed.

What Celebs are Gonna Be There?

I know we’re supposed to be focused on film, or this year’s theme: “Look Again,” at the films that is and not the celebrities and glitz, but I know some of you still would like to know which celebrities are showing up, just for curiosity sake of course. Here they are and the movies they appear in: Kristen Dunst in “Bachelorette,” Bruce Willis and Catherine Zeta-Jones’ in “Lay the Favorite,” Richard Gere and Susan Saradon’s in “Arbitrage,” Sigourney Weaver and Robert De Niro in “Red Lights” and Julie Delpy and Chris Rock in “2 Days in New York,” Liv Tyler in “Robot and Frank,” X-File co-stars David Duchovny in “Goats,”and Gillian Anderson in “Shadow Dancer” and director Spike Lee of “Red Hook Summer.” you can take a look at all the 2012 Sundance Films and Events here at the 2012 Sundance Online Film Guide.

If you can’t get tickets to any of the films you want, it’s still fun to just walk around Main Street. You can check out some of the venues that everyone is allowed to attend without credentials (crowd permitting) and also a chance to collect some free sponsor goods – we got a whole set of Stella Artois glasses one year. And like I always say, this is a good time to go skiing or boarding ’cause there are more people in town watching films this week than are on the slopes. And even better yet, there’s lots of snow in the forecast… woo-hoooo!

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2011 Sundance Film Festival

Park City Guide — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 20:56:15 +0000

The 2011 Sundance Film Festival kicks off tomorrow, January 20th in Park City and goes through January 30th. If you haven’t purchased tickets already, do not fret. There are some still available for advanced purchased here or you can always get on the waitlist. Just go to the venue two hours in advance where your film of choice will be screened. Pick up your waitlist number, then return no later than 30 minutes before the screening time. You’ll then line up according to number, and tickets are sold in sequential order. Waitlist Tickets are $15, cash only. If no space is available, ticketed waitlist patrons receive a full refund. You can read all the details here.

Parking is extremely limited so use the free Park City Shuttle bus as much as possible. You will not be able to drive up to venues and park for screenings. There are several parking lots around Park City to use. Several charge a fee, like The Yard, China Bridge and Lots F/G. There is the Monitor Drive Parking Lot which is free, but has limited space, Monday-Friday, 3:00 p.m. to midnight. All day Saturday. NO PARKING ON SUNDAY. Within walking distance to Eccles Theatre and there is a free shuttle stop nearby if you need to go to a farther venue. For more information, go to the Parking and Shuttles page.

There is a mobile iPhone and Android app for the Sundance Festival that has the complete film schedule and everything else you need to know. If you want to look at the schedule online, here it is: 2011 Sundance Film Festival Schedule. View film locations, availability, film synopsis, video previews, festival highlights and more.

If you plan on having a meal before or after your film, I’d suggest getting reservations if possible, otherwise expect to wait. Whether it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner, Park City restaurants are going to be packed. Main Street restaurants will be the most busy, so as an alternative, you may want to plan eating at one of the restaurants further away from downtown like Kimball Junction.

I’ve mentioned this before (don’t tell nobody), but the Sundance Film Festival week is usually one of the best times to go skiing or snowboarding. Why? Because most of the visitors that have booked all the hotels, condos, etc. are watching films during the day and not on the slopes! On several occasions I have skied Park City during the festival and had lots of runs all to myself. So you may want to ski during the morning or afternoon or both and watch films afterward.

2011 Sundance Film Festival Winners

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2010 Sundance Film Festival Winners

Park City Guide — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 20:26:43 +0000

The 2010 Sundance Film Festival winners have been announced. The Festival is over, but now you can look forward to viewing the winning films.

2010 Sundance Film Festival Award Winners

Grand Jury Prize (U.S. Documentary): “Restrepo”

World Cinema Jury Prize (Dramatic): “Animal Kingdom”

World Cinema Jury Prize (Documentary): “The Red Chapel”

Audience Award (Dramatic): “happythankyoumoreplease”

Audience Award (Documentary): “Waiting for Superman”

World Cinema Audience Award (Dramatic): “Undertow”

World Cinema Audience Award (Documentary): “Wasteland”

Directing Award (Dramatic): Eric Mendelsohn, “3 Backyards”

Directing Award (Documentary): Leon Gast, “Smash His Camera”

World Cinema Directing Award (Dramatic): Juan Carlos Valdivia, “Southern District”

World Cinema Directing Award (Documentary): Christian Frei, “Space Tourists”

Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: Debra Granik and Anne Rosselini, “Winter’s Bone”

World Cinema Screenwriting Award: Juan Carlos Valdivia, “Southern District”

Special Jury Prize (Dramatic): “Sympathy for Delicious”

Special Jury Prize (Documentary): “Gasland”

World Cinema Special Jury Prize (Dramatic): Tatiana Maslany, for her performance in “Grown-Up Movie Star”

World Cinema Special Jury Prize (Documentary): “Enemies of the People”

Cinematography Award (Dramatic): Zak Mulligan, “Obselidia”

Cinematography Award (Documentary): Kirsten Johnson and Laura Poitras, “The Oath”

World Cinema Cinematography Award (Dramatic): Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat, “The Man Next Door”

World Cinema Cinematography Award (Documentary): Kate McCullough and Michael Lavelle, “His & Hers”

Documentary Editing Award: Penelope Falk, “Joan Rivers—A Piece Of Work”

World Cinema Documentary Editing Award: Joëlle Alexis, “A Film Unfinished”

Alfred P. Sloan Prize: “Obselidia”

NEXT Award: “Homewrecker”

Grand Jury Prize Winner, “Restrepo” Co-Directors Tim Hetherington & Sebastian Junger Discuss Their Movie

For more details go to 2010 Sundance Film Festival Winners page at the Sundance Festival website. We hope all that attended the Festival enjoyed the films and the events. We also hoped you enjoyed your stay in Park City and were able to take advantage of all the other activities and events the town has to offer.

And now you can look forward to next year’s festival. The 2011 Sundance Film Festival dates – January 20, 2011 – January 30, 2011. We will keep you posted come September when it will be time to start looking at registration and other important dates.

Sundance Film Festival Information

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2010 Sundance Film Festival Tips

Park City Guide — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 22:56:14 +0000

Well Sundance Film Festival 2010 is here. We had a lovely dumping of snow last night into this first day of the festival, just to give Park City that extra special wintertime atmosphere for visiting film goers. Some Parkites hate Sundance because it just is an inconvenience to them – parking issues, traffic, long lines at restaurants, etc.. Some Parkites love the festival, look forward to it every year and many will volunteer their time to help the festivities run smoothly. Regardless, Sundance 2010 is here for 10 days from January 21st through the 31st, hate it or love it. There will be 113 feature-length films from 36 countries, with 82 world premieres and 44 first-time feature filmmakers. So now what do I do?

Can I Still Get Tickets to a Sundance Film or Are They All Sold Out?

Yes, you can! Though many of the films are sold out, you can still get tickets the day of the show. You can get day of show sales first thing in the morning or get on the waitlist, see details below. Check out the 2010 Sundance online film guide to first check if the movie you want to see is sold out. If it is, find the time you want to see it and make note of where the film will be showing at that time, i.e., Egyptian Theatre, Eccles Theatre, Holiday Village Cinemas, etc. and do one of the following:

Sundance Day-of-Show Sales

Didn’t get the tickets you wanted to a sold-out screening? Come in to our Main Box Offices in Salt Lake City or Park City to get tickets to previously unavailable screenings. Each morning at 8:00 a.m., we release a limited number of tickets to that day’s screenings. Tickets for each theatre’s first screening of the day are released at 8:00 a.m. the day before. Day-of-show tickets must be purchased in-person; they are not available online.

Waitlist Ticket Sales

The waitlist has become a Sundance tradition and each year hundreds of Festival-goers see popular films without advance tickets. There’s no need to go to the Main Box Office- just go directly to the theatre of the screening you wish to attend. Arrive two hours before the scheduled screening time to pick up your waitlist number (one per person). For each theatre’s first screening of the day, waitlist numbers will be distributed one hour before the scheduled screening time. Once you have your number, you can go grab a coffee or a sandwich, but you must return no later than 30 minutes before the screening time. You’ll then line up according to number, and tickets are sold in sequential order. Waitlist tickets are $15. Only cash is accepted, so be sure to stop by the ATM before coming to the theatres.

Sundance Film Festival Parking

For those locals or visitors with their own vehicles who must drive into Park City, don’t. Most theatres and venues do not have parking. If you must drive, then try to use the public transportation as much as you can when you do arrive. Take advantage of the free shuttles and use the Park and Ride lots listed below. In addition to the regular tranist schedule, there are extra buses running just for the festival, so you won’t have to wait very long to catch one. Here is the official Sundance Shuttle Schedule Map.

The Yard (Park and Ride)
Designated parking for the Temple Theatre Express shuttle route. There is NO parking at the Temple Theatre. The Yard is a large lot and is easily accessible for patrons going to Eccles Theatre, Headquarters, Prospector, and Racquet Club; and it’s only a short walk to Holiday Village and The Yarrow. Cash fee per entry. The free Festival shuttle picks up right in front of The Yard.

China Bridge Parking Structure
The China Bridge Parking Structure is available to Festival patrons for a cash fee. It is located two blocks east of Main Street on Marsac Avenue. Perfect for a quick walk to the Egyptian Theatre, New Frontier on Main, Sundance House, and other Main Street venues. NOTE: This facility is likely to reach capacity.
Smaller Parking Lots in Park City

Monitor Drive Parking Lot
Limited free parking. Monday-Friday, 3:00 p.m. to midnight. All day Saturday. NO PARKING ON SUNDAY. Within walking distance to Eccles and Racquet Club theatres.

Clips from Howl: World Premiere, US Dramatic Competition

The Number One Tip When Attending the 2010 Sundance Film Festival

Hit the slopes! The week of the Sundance Film Festival is one of the best times to make some turns on the mountain. Why? ‘Because most of the visitors in town are sitting in theatres all day long watching films, not skiing or snowboarding. Take a break from film watching, just even for a couple of hours, and you will enjoy one of the best things that Park City has to offer – snow covered mountains!

And if you want nothing to do with the crowds and star-gazing, then you can still enjoy the films by watching free online films at the Sundance Screening Room Youtube Channel. Grab some organic popcorn, green tea and view in the comfort of your own home.

So whether you decide to stay at home, brave the crowds or take advantage of the relatively empty slopes, we hope you can enjoy all that the 2010 Sundance Film Festival has to offer. This year’s slogan to embrace: “Fight Against The Establishment of the Expected. This Is the Rebirth of the Battle for Brave New Ideas.” so says Redford.

Sundance Film Festival Information

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2010 Sundance Film Festival Registration

Park City Guide — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:06:11 +0000

2010 Sundance Film Festival Registration is taking place right now. You need to register for the opportunity to purchase tickets and/or passes for the festival before October 9th (Locals Oct 2nd). It is not first-come, first-served, so don’t worry if you haven’t registered yet – but make sure you do before Oct. 9th, 5:00 p.m. MST or else you may miss out on getting the tickets and passes you want. The Sundance Festival takes place on January 21-31, 2010.

And so it is clear, Sundance says, “Registration DOES NOT guarantee either a purchase time or specific pass/ticket package availability at time of purchase. Registrants will be randomly chosen for purchase times. Not all registrants may receive time slots.” No promises, no guarantees, but it is free, so go ahead and register! Also note, “Limit one registration per person. Duplicate registrations will be canceled without notification. NO name changes OR address changes will be allowed after registration. P.O. boxes are not accepted as primary addresses. Please add your mailing address P.O. Box in the second address line; the first address line should match your driver’s license. A credit card is required for registration, but will not be charged.”

Locals Only Sundance Festival Registration

Oh, and if you are a local Utahn, you can register twice – once for the public, non-locals registration for everyone and a second time for locals only registration. Locals Registration Ends October 2nd. The locals registration is further separated into how local you are. For example, if you live in these zip codes, 84017, 84024, 84032 84033, 84036, 84049, 84055, 84060, 84061, 84068, 84082 and 84098 you can register for the Locals Summit County. All others who reside outside those zipcodes register for Locals Non-Summit. As usual, you will be asked to show proof of residency at time of purchase. ID must match the address in the registration.

An Artist at the Table – Sundance Opening Night

In addition to registering for time slots, which is free, you can also at this time purchase “An Artist at the Table” which includes a cocktail reception with filmmakers, reserved seating at the first screening of the Opening Night Film at Eccles Theatre, and dinner with Sundance Institute artists for a cost of $1,250 per person. Go ahead, splurge, it’s tax-deductible!

Important Sundance Festival Ticketing Dates

Restration for Time Slots:

September 23-October 9th, 5pm (MST)

After you register you will receive an email which will indicate whether or not you were randomly selected to receive a timeslot, and will provide you with a website link to purchase your Festival Pass or Ticket Package Your time slot notification email will arrive on these dates:

Time Slot Notification:

Festival Passes and Ticket Packages (Public, Non-Locals)
October 14, 2009

Locals Festival Passes and Ticket Packages
October 7, 2009

Then your time slot for purchases will fall into these time periods:

Purchase Dates:

Public Festival Passes and Ticket Packages
October 27, 2009 – October 30, 2009

Locals Festival Passes and Ticket Packages
October 20, 2009 – October 23, 2009

Registration for individual tickets will begin on Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at 9:00 a.m. Mountain time.

Here is the link for more information on the 2010 Sundance Film Festival Registration. Go Now!

Sundance Film Festival Information