The Sundance Film Festival is Jan. 19-29, and nobody knows how to Sundance like former staffers. Fortunately, our City Cast Salt Lake podcast host Ali Vallarta is one! We gathered her tips for a stress-free, local festival experience.
How do you do Sundance on a shoestring budget?
“If you have a Utah ID, you can attend a handful of free screenings for locals, including some of the Best of Fest award-winners on the last weekend. Also, if you don’t want to spend money gambling on movies that aren’t reviewed yet, wait until the second-half of the Festival to see the sure-fire, buzzy ones. And don’t watch Netflix, Hulu, etc. produced movies because they will be on streaming soon after the festival wraps!”
Can you give us two festival don’ts?
“Don’t drive. If you go to Park City, go once. Take the bus from Salt Lake and around Park City (their bus system is excellent), and browse Main Street. Watch movies in Salt Lake at the Rose Wagner or the Broadway.
“Don’t try to get into parties. The festival-sanctioned events aren’t going to be that hot, and waiting in line for a glitzy party is time wasted. Follow the movies with small budgets and big hearts. If the website contact is the director’s Gmail address, see it!”
How about two Festival do’s?
“Watch shorts. The short films tend to disappear after the festival, so now is your chance to see them. Great stories can be told in just minutes; and shorts packages deliver 5-10 delights in one sitting. Also, shorts sometimes secure funding to become full-length, so you can see the seed of a future feature.
“E-waitlist movies. Didn’t get tickets to something? If you use the easy waitlist function on the app, you will probably get in on the lottery! Tons of seats are held for press and all-access badges, so a sold-out Sundance movie isn’t actually.”
Want more hot tips? Listen to our episode of City Cast Salt Lakewith not one but TWO Sundance insiders.
