From its inception in 1978, the Sundance Film Festival, originally called the Utah/U.S. Film Festival, was a “cinematic exposition that focused primarily on demonstration films, filmmaker seminars, and panel discussions.” But when it changed cities from Salt Lake City to Park City, Utah, in 1981, the festival also changed its format to include documentaries, short films and dramatic features.
But most importantly, the Sundance Film Festival started a national competition intended to draw interest to promising American films made outside the “Hollywood system.”
The Sundance Institute took over management of the event in 1985. The Institute, founded by Robert Redford in 1981, is 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.
Under new management, the festival grew and began to include an array of international cinema. Now, the festival, which usually runs the third week of January, has morphed into an internationally recognized organization showcasing the up-and-coming talent in “new American independent films,” bringing attention to the likes of many famous actors, contributors and world-renowned talent in the film industry.
The Sundance Film Festival has introduced the world to the work of many groundbreaking directors for the first time. Undoubtedly, artists of such talent would have grabbed attention eventually, but there is no doubt Sundance was the catalyst that catapulted these directors into the limelight.
Some of them include: Steven Soderbergh‘s eclectic sex, lies and videotape (1989); Richard Linklater‘s irreverent Slacker (1991); Quentin Tarantino‘s ultra-violent Reservoir Dogs (1992); David O. Russell‘s subversive Spanking The Monkey (1994); Kevin Smith‘s quirky Clerks (1994); Edward Burns‘ dysfunctional The Brothers McMullen (1995); Larry and Andy Wachowski‘s tightly wound Bound (1996); Alexander Payne‘s rebellious Citizen Ruth (1996); Miguel Arteta‘s peculiar Star Maps (1997); and Michael Moore‘s hilariously stinging documentary Roger & Me (1990).
