Sundance Film Festival

After living in Utah my entire life, I finally attended the Sundance Film Festival, a ten-day independent film festival held an hour away from my home. 
It has everything I could want: snow, celebrities, good movies, free food. 
Done, done, done AND done.

Our viewing selections were kept light. Sundance films are known for pushing the envelope and without any ratings, you an unknowingly walk into a porno.

We waitlisted* and got into "Austenland," film of the charming book by Shannon Hale of the same name.
It is hysterical, silly and just fun. Jennifer Coolidge stole every scene. And, it is coming to a theater near you this year!

If you are lucky, the film's director and stars will come out after the movie and answer audience questions. 
The director Jerusha Hess (write of "Napolean Dynamite" and "Nacho Libre") answered questions after our showing. It was really neat. (Bottom left photo)

We also saw "In A World," a hilarious film about a voice over family.


*If you don't have tickets, you can waitlist. You show up 2 hours before a showing and get a number. Then you come back 30 minutes before the show and cross your fingers that the house isn't full and that you can get in. It was a tense 30 minutes hoping that skipping work was worth it. And it was. We got in! We also met some friends who called us "the kids." She maybe was old enough to be my mother so Jacob and I thought it was pretty funny.

When not watching movies you can stroll the streets, window shop and hop into the pop-up lounges. We scored free hot chocolate, free hamburgers and this awesome photo booth snapshot.

We (Jacob) saw one celebrity: the mustached guy from "Parks and Rec." Our one celebrity stalking mistake was going toward the end of the festival when all of the celebs had gone home. We did, however, get killer parking and minimal crowds.

Ah, Sundance.

There is something about being in a room full of people who are really excited to be there. 
The jokes are funnier, the excitement is thicker and everyone applauds.

This will definitely go on our yearly activity list.


Have you been?