Wednesday, January 17-----If you are still thinking of attending the Sundance Film Festival but don't already have your air ticket to Salt Lake City, your Park City hotel reservation, or any film screening tickets....you pretty much better stay home. The small resort town of Park City, with a usual population of 5,000, will swell to quadruple its size starting tomorrow, as the Sundance Film Festival begins a 10-day extravaganza of world premieres, information seminars, extravagant parties and some of the best people watching this side of the Croisette.

But not to worry....this year your friends at the Sundance Institute are bringing an unprecedented array of programs and events directly to you. You don't have to bundle up against the chilling mountain temperatures....you can enjoy the heat of this singular event in the comfort of your own home, in front of your own home computer.

This year, the Sundance Institute has expanded its programming initiatives in ways to make the Festival experience more accessible to film lovers around the world. Through online services, the presentation of short films, original television programming, and extensive media coverage of the Festival, Sundance is bringing the work of independent artists to a larger audience.

For the past seven years, the Sundance Film Festival has been streaming short films and original work online, free of charge. These short films will be posted after their premieres in Park City, beginning January 18 and are available for free until April 18. This year, the Festival’s commitment to short films and bringing them to a global audience has evolved to include a collaboration with iTunes. For the first time, a selection of short films from the Festival will be available for downloading at iTunes: Short Film Downloads.

This recent collaboration with iTunes will include the downloading of short films and free Podcasts of panel discussions and filmmaker interviews. In addition, the Festival is also providing, via iTunes, free Podcasts of 10 panel discussions to be held during the 10 day long event, which cover the worlds of film financing, distribution, rights licensing, new film and video technologies and what's new in independent and international film. These will all be available to stream from the Festival website: Short Films and Podcasts. Film buffs can access original content, including “Meet the Artists” interviews and ambient videostreaming from the bustling streets of Park City.

On the Festival's website: Sundance Film Festival Website, viewers can catch exclusive, behind the scenes video coverage of the Festival. The daily series “Live@Sundance” features video highlights of Festival screenings, panels, parties and premieres. New content premieres daily. One of the highlights is the "Meet the Artists” series, featuring interviews of 2007 Festival filmmakers, providing an intimate glimpse into filmmakers’ creative process and their excitement as they prepare for the Festival.

From mid-January through January 28, Moviefone, a division of America Online, will power and host a 2007 Sundance Film Festival digital hub, featuring the Unscripted series. Produced by Moviefone and captured on-site at the Festival, Unscripted features exclusive interviews with Festival filmmakers and celebrities asking questions posed by the general public. The link is: Moviefone Sundance Film Festival Coverage.

With the exception of collecting the legendary Sundance swag and unexpected run-ins with celebrities behaving badly, the excitement and buzz of this high altitude movie mecca can be experienced by a worldwide audience. All you need is a high-speed internet connection, and you're tuned in.

Sandy Mandelberger
Sundance Online Dailies Editor