Business

Sundance is about film — and money

PARK CITY, Utah — Don’t let the long lines outside the movie houses here fool you.

While people may leave Robert Redford’s Sundance Film Festival talking about the films, they come for the money.

For film financing, to be exact.

While Redford eschews much of the hoopla that surrounds the serious movie-buying, the Sundance Institute board is thick with executives with financial connections — as well as an appreciation of film.

They include: Jim Swartz, founder of Accel Partners; Jeanne Fisher, wife of Richard Fisher, the former Morgan Stanley CEO; Geoffrey Sands, the director of McKinsey’s media practice; and Mellody Hobson, Ariel Investment’s president.

Many deep-pocketed people are trolling for good films to pick up. Ebay billionaire and philanthropist, Jeff Skoll, founder of Participant Media, will be around town, or you could end up in line at a local coffee shop next to Harvey Weinstein, or even run into Netflix’ buyer Ted Sarandos.

If all else fails, surf the crowd-funding sites, Kickstarter and Indiegogo to get movie fans to chip in.

You can find pleas from wannabe film makers for the cash to complete their dreams on both sites.

Kickstarter claims it helped fund 20 of this year’s Sundance movies including “Scrubs” actor Zach Braff’s comedy, “Wish I was Here.”


The 37th annual edition of the festival has a selection this year thick with gay-themed movies and films about the music business. There are flicks about the fight against California’s Prop 8, the world of lesbian hookers and another about electronic dance music.

So far, there’s no breakout buzz about a single movie like past Sundance hits, “Sex, Lies and Videotape” back in 1989, or last year’s “Fruitvale Station.”

But it’s still early — the festival continues through Jan. 26 — so stay tuned.


Talk-show queen and Yahoo! news host Katie Couric is expected here with her documentary — which she narrates and helped produce — in tow. It’s called “Fed Up,” and it’s about Big Food and the diet industry.

Al Gore’s daughter, Kirstin Gore, is here with a movie she wrote, “War Story,” starring Kristen Stewart.


The festival is just hours old and the buying has already begun, with CNN Films and Lionsgate snapping up “Dinosaur 13,” about the battle over recently discovered dinosaur bones.


Incongruous as it may seem, attendees can screen serious movies about relationship struggles and poverty, and then patronize one of the numerous gift lounges, beauty bars and pop-up nightclubs for some light relief.

NYC hot spot Bungalow 8 is here kicking off the entertainment with a party that begins at a very New York-ish time: 1 a.m.


The Wall street Journal reports the festival has boosted the real estate market here in Park City and in neighboring Deer Valley — where Mitt Romney has one of his homes.

Some of the 30,000 attendees even pick up a house, along with a gift bag.