The Egyptian Theatre on Main Street. By John Esther
With a sagging economy, a minot GLBT boycott against pro-Prop. 8 Mormon-Utah, and hopes for a new and efficient president on the way, Sundance Film Festival kicked off its 25th year.
Held in Park City, Utah, the world's premiere independent film festival did not open with a star-studded event but rather with the claymation feature, Mary and Max, by Adam Ellot (Harvie Krumpett) to a sold-out crowd at the smoothly ran Eccles Theatre. Elliot let the audience know this was all about claymation and not CGI and that it took the film over a year to shoot. The film was followed by the biggest SFF Opening Night party in years at Park City's Legacy Lounge.
Friday the weather was great, the traffic was horrible and the festival was in full swing with films screening around town to people from many parts of the world. I saw director Spike Lee (Passing Strange) wandering Sundance HQ while notable actor and mediocre Sundance DJ Nick Cannon took in some hot tea at T-Mobile G1 Diner with others yet sans his wife, pop singer Mariah Carey.
