ScreenCraft will be at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival!

From January 22nd - February 1st, ScreenCraft will be reporting on films in Park City, Utah, at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. With 50,000 attendees, it is one of the largest independent film festivals in the United States.  The festival consists of competitive sections for American and international dramatic and documentary films--both feature-length and short--and a group of out-of-competition sections, including NEXT, New Frontier, Spotlight, and Park City At Midnight. We went last year and were so excited to witness independent movies become huge hits and watch success stories play out over the following year.  Are you going?  Don't miss our Craft of Screenwriting panel and party on Sunday!

Current Best Picture Oscar nominee Whiplash, starring J.K. Simmons and Miles Teller, was a highlight of last year's festival. ScreenCraft's own John Rhodes was able to sit down with one of the producers last year to talk about the film.

Another film we enjoyed that found traction theatrically and on demand was Lynn Shelton's Laggies. Shelton, a Sundance veteran, worked this quirky character-driven dramedy into place by securing top talent to round out the cast. Keira Knightly expanded upon Shelton's ideas by explaining her want to play a character she identified with on an intimate level and telling a story that she knew audiences would be able to identify with as well:

Shelton, who usually writes and directs her own material, was tickled when she found the screenplay for Laggies. It had voice, intensity and the right amount of laughs to keep a director interested.

For a great many aspiring screenwriters and filmmakers, having a movie play Sundance is one of the ultimate dreams. It's a final step to success after writing a great script and making an even better film, and it's totally attainable. The rise of digital filmmaking has given many more artists the opportunity to make their mark. Last year's Sundance introduced us to Blue Ruin, a revenge flick whose digital images brought needed intimacy and voyeuristic elements to the screen. It was produced for much less than its Hollywood counterparts - budgeting was definitely the key when it came to accomplishing such a film.

As mentioned before, it all starts with the script. Sundance Labs have been helping young writers perfect their scripts in order to become full-fledged hits of the festival. Writers are brought to Utah to sit with mentors who help them craft nuanced scripts that will attract directors and producers.

Though some lament that Sundance has gotten too big for its own good, it's still very much a place where new careers are launched, and where fresh strategies in financing, storytelling, and distribution are unveiled. As TV and VOD seep into our collective consciousness, it's rewarding to go on a retreat that celebrates the first art form of moving pictures. Sundance denizens aren't there to plug their next TV or web series; they are there to appreciate and celebrate film. There's a buzz to the place that's hard to explain and impossible to replicate.

We cannot wait to see what Sundance 2015 holds and share our coverage.