It's off to the first movie of the day, via lightning breakfast stop at
the Claimjumper on Main Street, one of a chain of Utah steakhouses and this
year's hospitality suite. Though spacious, the wood-paneled decor and dim
chandeliers give this hang-out a lugubrious Victorian feel. Hard to pore
over accordion-fold schedule, color coded in shades of purple, lavender
and magenta. Puce for premieres.
Dark or not, the place is humming. At every table, people scan the trades,
mark up the catalogue, read scripts. Beneath a stuffed reindeer head mounted
on the wall, a shoot is being planned by four Canal Plus crew members, another
sign of strong French media presence here.
Ulla Rapp from the Munich Film Festival is on the bus. With only 38 press
screenings out of 127 features in the festival, for other films most press
people must wait on line one hour in advance. With no guarantee of getting
in. So I'm lured from my original choice, the French film "When the
Cat's Away," (already shown in France) to Sarah Jacobson's "Mary
Jane's Not a Virgin Anymore" by the promise of a ticket from its
publicist, also on the bus. Both films are seeking US disturbs.
It's the Yarrow Hotel's debut as a Sundance showplace and previous film
is running late, alas, since the next on my list, "Clockwatchers"
starts in two short hours in a distant theatre. Standing next to me in the
crowded lobby is raincoat-clad Roger Ebert, New York Times in hand.
"These days, filmmakers sell grandma's gold teeth to make movies, "
Ebert says cheerfully.
The producer of "35 Miles from Normal", a feature not in competition,
introduces himself and his wife.
"I was born in Urbana," Ebert tells the happy man.
Their heads nod in sync between remarks.
"This festival's getting much too big for Park City," Ebert
says. "Telluride does a better job. "
Once in our seats (hard ballroom chairs), it's another hour until the 16mm
projector is working. The director holds an impromptu Q & A with the
audience. After a while, a film evaluator from HBO in my row leaves but
there's no mass exodus...
Copyright 1994-2008 Film Scouts LLC
Created, produced, and published by Film Scouts LLC
Film Scouts® is a registered trademark of Film Scouts LLC
All rights reserved.
