Pop Culture dictionary
Sundance Film Festival
or Sundance [ suhn-dans film fes-tuh-vuhl ]
What is Sundance?
The Sundance Film Festival, or Sundance for short, is one of the world’s largest and most influential independent film festivals. It is held annually in Park City, Utah.
Sundance is known as a festival where independent filmmakers can screen their films to film industry executives, critics, and other industry members. This is often done with the goal of increasing publicity or securing wider distribution for the film, such as through a studio deal involving a wider theater release or distribution though a streaming service. The festival has a reputation for showcasing relatively low-budget films that feature innovations in filmmaking or that start new trends.
⚡️When is Sundance?
Sundance is held in mid-to-late-January and sometimes runs into February. It is usually around a week and half long, though the length of the festival varies.
Sundance 2024 is scheduled from January 18 to January 28.
Where does Sundance Film Festival come from?
Sundance is an annual event of the Sundance Institute, a nonprofit organization founded by actor Robert Redford with the mission of supporting independent filmmaking. The organization takes its name from the Sundance ski resort, which was founded by Redford and is named after his role in the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
The festival was originally called the Utah/US Film Festival. Its name was changed to Sundance in the 1980s. Redford did not establish the festival, but was its first chairman.
The festival was originally held in Utah’s capital, Salt Lake City, but was later moved to Park City, where the Sundance resort is located. The festival is known for drawing celebrities and fans not only for independent film screenings but also for its ski resort atmosphere and exclusive parties.
Examples of Sundance Film Festival
More information and context on Sundance
Did you know … ?
- Sundance features both dramatic films and documentaries and presents awards in several categories.
- Anyone can submit their film to Sundance.
- Robert Rodriguez’s film El Mariachi won the Sundance audience award with a budget of only $7,000.
- The Blair Witch Project became a nationwide hit after premiering at Sundance at midnight.
What are other words used in discussion of Sundance?
Note
This is not meant to be a formal definition of Sundance Film Festival like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of Sundance Film Festival that will help our users expand their word mastery.