PARK CITY, Utah -- This past September marked the passing of
Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998), one of the true geniuses of the cinema.
Throughout his fifty years of filmmaking, he continued to push the boundaries
of film genre, forging a kinship between Japanese traditions and the best of American
Westerns and film noir. The five films reflect the extraordinary range of the
late filmmaker while reflecting the common themes pervading his work. Whether
directing a samurai epic ("Seven Samurai") or a modern detective story ("High
& Low"), he explored the conflicts that thrive in the hearts of all: dreams
vs. duty; honor vs. self-interest; nobility vs. survival. These films are
also among his most popular- those that most inspired audiences and filmmakers.
The
Sundance 2000 Film Institute pays homage to Akira Kurosawa at its 2000 Sundance
Festival to be held in Park City, Utah January 20-30, 2000.
In 1981 Robert Redford gathered a group of colleagues and friends
at Sundance, Utah to discuss new ways to enhance the artistic vitality of the
American film. The result was the establishment of the Sundance Institute, dedicated
to the support and development of emerging screenwriters and directors of vision,
and to the national and international exhibition of new independent dramatic and
documentary films.
A nonprofit corporation, Sundance's $4 million budget is met
by 40 percent earned and 60 percent contributed income.
Over 300 filmmakers benefit annually from the programs -- over
10,000 people attend the Sundance
Institute. Millions more attend films originally developed by Sundance. The
artists and films supported by the Sundance Institute a re the recipients of numerous
Oscar, Emmy and International Film Festival awards.
The
Sundance Institute presents the 2000 Sundance Film Festival, an exhibition of
work at the forefront of independent cinema. Each year, the programming staff
of the Sundance Institute views over 2,500 submissions to select between 100 and
105 feature films, along with 60 shorts, for exhibition to an audience of more
than 20,000. Here are some Movie
Trailers from prior Festivals.
The 2000 Sundance Film this year will include -- America's
premiere showcase for independently produced documentary and dramatic films, the
Competition offers audiences their first opportunity to view 32 features. The
Grand Jury Prize, the Festival's most prestigious award, is bestowed upon both
a dramatic and a documentary film of great artistic accomplishment.
Outstanding writing in a dramatic film is celebrated by the
Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award and excellence in documentary filmmaking
is recognized by the Freedom of Expression Award. Other awards given by
the jury include the Cinematography Award and the Directing Award,
while the public casts its vote to select the Audience Award winners. Sundance
offers the Independent Feature Film Competition as a way to create enthusiasm
and recognition for the work of American independent filmmakers.
The Festival's Native Vision section presents films
that overturn stereotypes and reveal authentic aspects of Native culture, spirituality,history,
politics and contemporary life. Screened in composite programs, these feature
films, documentary and fiction shorts cast a prismatic light on the concerns and
passions of talented Native artists.
Exhibited before features or combined in feature-length programs,
the Festival's short films capture the creative burst which is the essence of
independent filmmaking. Short films can introduce new talent while they direct
our attention to the essential elements of cinema a. A special award is granted
to an outstanding film in this category.
Invariably the Festival's after-hours hot spot, Park City
at Midnight provides a late-night treat for film enthusiasts. Aimed at those
die-hards still hungry for more after a day's film-going, this series provides
kinetic, surprising, and occasionally outrageous concoctions throughout the week.
The hit of last year's series was the world premiere of The Blair Witch Project.
During the course of the Festival, Sundance will show a number
of films from cinema history. Drawn from The Sundance Collection at UCLA, this
series reflects an ever deepening commitment on the part of the Sundance Institute
to insure that seminal independent films are collected, preserved and shared with
today's audiences and filmmakers.
Each year, the Sundance Film Festival honors an actor whose
contribution to the body of independent cinema has been outstanding. A ceremony,
including film clips and a live, on-stage interview, will celebrate the honoree's
exceptional achievements.
Premieres and special events are some of the Festival's highlights.
To showcase the diversity of contemporary cinema, the Festival offers an impressive
selection of new work from established US and international directors, as well
as world premieres of highly anticipated new films. Recent Festivals have included
the premieres of Sliding Doors, The Spanish Prisoner, Central Station, Ulee's
Gold, Chasing Amy, Affliction, Go, and The Opposite of Sex.
The 2000 Sundance Film Festival Awards will be presented during
a live ceremony on the evening of Saturday, January 29, followed by the Awards
Night Party. Prize-winning films will screen on the Festival's final day, Sunday,
January 30.
The Festival has expanded from 15,750 seats sold in 1985 to
135,922 in 1999. At present, the programming staff of the Sundance Film Festival
receives about 347 documentaries, 719 dramatic features, 254 international films,
and 1,928 short films to select about 100 feature-length films, along with 60
shorts, for exhibition to an audience that exceeds 20,000.
In January, Sundance Channel brings subscribers the excitement
of America's most influential film festival with SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL: INSIDE
OUT. From inside the theatres to the snowy streets outside, from classic Festival
favorites like 1994's FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL (Hugh Grant and Andy MacDowell)
to the television premiere of 1999's standout THE 24 HOUR WOMAN (Rosie Perez),
subscribers get a behind-the-scenes look at the film and the frenzy that are at
the heart of the Sundance Film Festival. See you there?
[The Sundance Institute is governed by a 26-member Board of
Trustees, currently chaired by Walter Weisman.]
