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The first-ever digital version of the celebrated Sundance
Film Festival went online at www.sundanceonlinefilmfestival.org
January 18th and will run through February 28th. This special event is an extension of the offline
Sundance Film Festival, which ran from January 18-28, and showcases eighteen
independent Web-based films. In
order to view the films, viewers will
need to download RealPlayer
(a free version is available) if they don't already have it on their browser.
The films were selected from worldwide submissions and were created and developed exclusively for the Internet in three
categories: Animation, Live-Action, and three interactive works as Special
Presentations.
These short story films, each lasting from 2 to 15 minutes,
offer a new challenge to both the filmmaker and the audience alike.
For example, the interactive films allow the viewers to choose their own
paths.
Another unique opportunity for the audience is to make
direct feedback to the filmmakers, as many of their bios and e-mail addresses can
be found at the Web site. Online
Festival viewers are also encouraged to vote for the Online Audience Award, which
will be announced March 5.
The “Principal” sponsor and co-producer of the 2001
Sundance Online Film Festival is StreamSearch (www.streamsearch.com),
which included site design, technical upkeep, and Internet promotion.
The “Interactive” sponsor of the Sundance Online Film Festival is
Enron Broadband Services (www.enron.net/) .
The Sundance Film Festival, presented since 1985,
has become the premiere international showcase for independent films and is held
each year in Park City, Utah. Robert
Redford founded the Sundance Institute in order to “encourage the development
of artists of independent vision and the exhibition of their new works.
The Feature Film Labs of the Institute offers emerging screenwriters and
directors the opportunity to develop new works in a creative environment away
from the pressures of the marketplace and with the guidance of respected,
veteran filmmakers.”
The Sundance Institute has recently expanded its endeavors
to include the Writers Fellowship Program.
This new program helps identify and support young writers and helps
“expand their talents and passion for writing about the arts for a wider
public, and the Documentary Film Program, which nurtures the growth of
nonfiction filmakers, encourages the exploration of innovative nonfiction
storytelling, and promotes documentary exhibition to a broader public.”
For more information about the above Festival and/or
programs offered by the Sundance Institute, please visit their site at www.sundance.org. |
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