Photo by Dianna Renée High above Sundance, on the gorgeous, snow-drenched slopes of Deer Vally, Raleigh Studios, by far, threw one of the best Sundance bashes of 2011. Raleigh Studios Director of Marketing and Client Development, Michael Newport, organized the bash with Fotokem. As guests (mostly comprised of filmmakers) entered the large, lodge-like space, they were greeted with massages, an oxygen bar, photo booth and hair extensions from Bella Via (the glittery ...

Marc Lhormer, Chef Michael Chiarello and Susan Sarandon - Photo courtesy of NVFF On Monday, January 24th, Napa Valley Film Festival (NVFF) Co-Founders and Directors Brenda and Marc Lhormer announce the first annual Nappa Valley Film Festival at their launch party at The St. Regis Deer Valley during The 2011 Sundance Film Festival. The NVFF is an official Sundance Institute Associate. "If the Napa Valley Film Festival's party at Sundance was an indication, my home town ...

Leave it to the House of Hype LIVEStyle lounge to bring you LIVE celebrity karaoke. I went with a few friends and once Blake Lewis hit the mic with Shwayze, no one was volunteering to go next. They were an amazing duo! Watch the video below and see what I’m talking about: And if you were wondering - no, there was NO background music. That was ALL Blake. -Dianna Renée ...

Music seemed to be the artform dominating the Sundance Film Festival. I saw more musical acts perform this year than any other I’ve attended. DC Shoes, Skullcandy and Express presented A Tribe Called Quest featuring The Roots for a live performance at the World Famous HarryO’s in Park City, UT. However, despite a first class ticket and hotel accommodations booked by director, Michael Rapaport, Q-Tip didn’t show and the gig never happened. Maybe it had something to do wi...

The friendly and inviting atmosphere at the Sundance Channel Headquarters made it one of my happiest places to be during the Sundance Film Festival. Festival pass holders and filmmakers who registered for the lounge were invited in for free drinks, cookies and the occasional lunch. All sorts of people relaxed and mingled in the two floors of the lounge while live broadcasts were conducted up stairs next to the Funny Face Photo Booth where you got to dress up and take silly, photo b...

How does the king of B and C movies come to dominate the most prestigious film festival for Independent Filmmakers on the planet?  This year, a documentary about the life and times of one of the longest running, successful filmmakers in Hollywood made its debut.  The documentary centers around Roger Corman, the god of B-rate home cinema who launched the careers of filmmakers such as James Cameron, Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese.  Alex Stapleton's CORMAN'S WORLD: EXPLOITS OF A H...

What do Snoop Dogg, Lil Jon and The Sundance Film Festival have in common?  The World Famous HarryO’s!    It’s Thursday, the opening day of the Sundance Film Festival.  Main Street is a breeze to drive down and the public parking lots are free - as opposed to the harsh $20 they’ll charge starting Friday.  Now I know why a local store clerk at the nearby outlet mall told my friend everyone in Park City hates us festival folk.  At $20 for parking, I’d be bitter too.  ...

  The Slamdance Film Festival, the scruffy cousin of the Sundance Film Festival, which is also happening in Park City this week, relishes its reputation as a truly independent festival that is less focused on glamour and more on the cutting edge expression of its filmmakers. Further expanding its reach, the Festival has announced a worldwide video content collaboration with Microsoft to offer a four-film package as video-on-demand premieres. Zune Video Marketplace will make the sele...

by Marla Lewin A controversial film will World Premiere in the US Documentary Competition at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. SMASH HIS CAMERA, from Oscar-winning filmmaker Leon Gast (WHEN WE WERE KINGS) documents the life of Ron Galella, the self-proclaimed paparazzo superstar who pursued and made art of a celebrity world that despised him. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis sued him, Marlon Brando broke his jaw and Steve McQueen gave him a look that would have killed, if looks could ki...

We are now accepting applications for the 2009 Sundance Film Festival at www.sundance.org/festival.  You may CLICK HERE to view our 2009 Submissions FAQ document, or HERE to access our 2009 Eligibility Requirements document.  The following are our deadlines and fees for this year:EARLY SUBMISSION DEADLINE:U.S. & INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILMSMonday, August 18th, 2008 - $35 ENTRY FEEU.S. & INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILMS & DOCUMENTARIES Monday, August 18th, 2008 - $45 ENTRY FEEOFFICIAL SU...

Friday, January 26----While most of the milling about on Main Street in Park City has to do with celebrity-watching, party-crashing and film-hopping, an earnest group of filmmakers, industryites and audience members used the high visibility of the Sundance Film Festival to mount a protest against President Bush and his avowed "plan" (??) to add more than 20,000 more troops and several billion more dollars to the Iraq War. With several documentaries at the Festival openly critical of the costl...

Wednesday, January 24----SWEET MUD, the sole dramatic film from Israel in the Sundance World Cinema Drama Competition, debuted this evening at the Egyptian Theater in Park City. The film is the second feature by Israeli director Dror Shaul. Set in a kibbutz (collective farm) during the 1970s, the film is a powerful, courageous critique of kibbutzniks who ostracize a psychologically unstable young mother. It also shows the effect of their well-meaning prejudice on her youngest son, who stands p...

The scene on Main Street, Park City: ...

Thursday, January 18----I will freely admit it….I’ve got a little bit of a problem with Sundance. First, there is the location. As a New York City boy, I have always been more impressed with film festivals that happen in real cities, as opposed to the rarified environment of beach resorts (Cannes, Deauville), mountain retreats (Sundance, Telluride) or country wilds (The Hamptons). For me, there is no replacing the mixed vitality of a first class festival that is part of the fabric of a di...