Although Sundance Film Festival Director John Cooper explained at yesterday’s Day One press conference that 2011 is the first year that films from all of the Festival’s competition sections kicked off the 10-day celebration, Thursday night was more bustling than ever, with films from the U.S. and World Cinema Dramatic and Documentary competitions, along with one program of shorts.

The movie geeks were out in force Friday morning at the Filmmaker Lodge, drawn there by the irresistible siren song that was the inaugural Cinema Café of the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. Sure, the couches are comfy, and the good folks at Chase Sapphire are providing coffee and snacks all Fest long, but the real draw was two icons of outsider cinema. We’re talking legendary writer-producer-director-impresario of the insane Roger Corman — subject of the documentary Corman’s World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel — screening in the Park City at Midnight showcase, and peerless actor-human dynamo Rutger Hauer, who appears in two films at this year’s Festival, Hobo With a Shotgun and The Mill & The Cross.

A veteran of both the Sundance Film Festival as well as Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program, accomplished short filmmaker Moon Molson marks his return to the Festival this year with the world premiere of Crazy Beats Strong Every Time. This hefty character study follows a night in the life of an African-American twenty-something suddenly saddled with the burden of dealing with his deadbeat stepfather who has abruptly come back into his life by way of passing out drunk in the hallway of their housing project. Molson credits the inspiration for the subject matter “from some of the people I grew up with.

In the moments before the 2011 Sundance Film Festival officially launched with the annual Day One press conference at the Egyptian Theatre in Park City, two Festival employees stood sentry at either side of the stage, anticipating the arrival of Sundance Institute President and Founder Robert Redford, Executive Director Keri Putnam, and Festival Director John Cooper. Framed by the theatre’s neo-Egyptian proscenium and dressed in the Fest’s chic, Kenneth Cole-designed royal blue ski vests, the microphone-toting gentlemen inadvertently embodied a Festival preceded by a rich history, outfitted for the future, and eager to get on with the present.
With a record six films in this year’s U.

PARK CITY, UT — Sundance Institute and Mahindra Group today announced a multifaceted agreement that showcases the commitment to and support of independent cinema around the world both by the Mahindra Group, one of the largest companies in India known throughout the world for its commitment to excellence and to social responsibility, and of the nonprofit Sundance Institute, one of the world’s leading cultural organizations
The collaboration allows for the establishment of the Mumbai Mantra|Sundance Institute Screenwriters Lab which shall become an annual event in India, and the Sundance Institute|Mahindra Global Filmmaking Award to be awarded annually at the Sundance Film Festival.
Said Anand Mahindra, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Mahindra Group, “Our entry into Media and Entertainment is positioned to create a rich resource for Independent Filmmakers and to encourage original storytelling from all parts of the world in line with the Mahindra Group’s global foot print. The first step in this direction is the collaboration with the Sundance Institute which three decades ago heralded a unique nurturing spirit for Independent Cinema in America.

New for the 2011 Sundance Film Festival is the Native Showcase, focusing attention on an emerging generation of Native American and Indigenous filmmakers. The program, which includes Billy Luther’s second feature film, a documentary titled GRAB, and a collection of seven shorts, gets its own place in the spotlight this year.
Native and Indigenous films have been well represented in the Festival’s Dramatic Competition sections over the past several years, and this year is no exception with Andrew Okpeaha MacLean’s On the Ice, which will screen in the U.

Park City, UT- Sundance Institute today announced members of five juries awarding prizes at the upcoming Sundance Film Festival which runs January 20-30, 2011. The juries are comprised of 23 individuals spanning the global arts community. Juror photos and extended biographies, in addition to the complete Festival lineup and schedule, are available at www.

NEW YORK, NY January 17, 2011 – Fashion designer Kenneth Cole teams up with the Sundance Institute for the seventh year by designing and donating the uniform that will be worn by the 1,600 Sundance Film Festival volunteers January 20-30. Presented to the volunteers on Day One of the festival, this year’s iconic style is a blue down filled vest which features channel quilting, welt pockets, and a functional glove hook.
For the first time, Kenneth Cole has also collaborated with Sundance Institute on the design of a limited edition retail version of the official Sundance Film Festival volunteer vest.

From its inception, the Sundance Film Festival has championed documentary filmmaking, through both the U.S. and World Cinema Documentary competitions and in Sundance Institute’s Documentary Film Program, all of which are dedicated to supporting and showcasing new directions and emerging filmmakers in non-fiction filmmaking.

You won’t find Lance Weiler wringing his hands over the uncertain future of visual media. Instead he’s evolving alongside the changing industries, experimenting with new forms, new models, and new concepts, making waves as much as he’s riding them. Bringing a shrewd business sense to the development of his projects, he can sound more like a marketing wonk than a filmmaker, and yet he always manages to circle back to the power and promise of storytelling.

Premiering at the Sundance Film Festival is a significant enough achievement, but for six directors with films in the U.S. Dramatic Competition this year, it’s also a coming home.

PARK CITY, UT – Sundance Institute announced today details for the 2011 Sundance Film Festival’s presentation of films by Native filmmakers and the annual Native Forum. A gathering of Indigenous filmmakers from around the world, the Native Forum provides a platform for artists to share their expertise and knowledge through an Indigenous ShortsLab, panels, networking events and special screenings. This year’s Festival will provide a world stage for Native filmmakers whose works include seven short films and four feature films from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States.

Los Angeles, CA – Sundance Institute and Time Warner Inc. (NYSE: TWX) today announced a major three-year partnership designed to nurture new works and new voices in feature film, documentary, Native and Indigenous filmmaking, film music and theater. An extension of Time Warner’s existing support for the nonprofit Sundance Institute, The Time Warner | Sundance Institute Power of Story Partnership includes artist support and fellowships as well as public programming at the Sundance Film Festival.

Park City, UT-Sundance Institute today announced the line up of the 2011 Sundance Film Festival Celebration of Music in Film, an annual concert honoring the art and imagination of film music. This year’s headlining performance features Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Lou Reed who gained notoriety as a founding member and principle songwriter for influential rock band The Velvet Underground, before pursuing a successful solo career. The Sundance Film Festival runs from January 20-30, in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah.

Sundance Institute is proud to announce our first-ever Alumni Advisory Board. Our community begins with our artists, and we are excited to be bringing the voices of our artist alumni direct to you starting this month. For this year’s Board, we’ve assembled twelve Sundance Institute artist alumni who have generously agreed to share their stories-and experiences-to advise us on Institute programs, and to offer their unique perspectives on what Sundance Institute is all about.