Today at 5 p.m. PST I will be on KRXA talking about the documentary Mine! The director, Geralyn Rae Pezanoski, will be on the show too! And you should call in to chat!

Tonight the 2010 Academy Awards are announced! Some of my favorite films that I reviewed for The WIP are in contention. I'm so excited to see if An Education, The Cove, or Burma VJ wins an Oscar! The Documentary Features category is so competitive, but I'm rooting for The Cove!

In anticipation of the Oscars, I will be on KRXA AM 540 tomorrow at 5 p.m. PST talking about the Academy Awards and my favorite films of 2009! If you don't live on the Central Coast, you can listen online!

This year’s Sundance Film Festival officially ended yesterday. The winners were announced on Saturday night, final screenings were held, and then everyone left town until January 2011.

At this year’s festival I saw 14 films. Not too shabby, but I would have like to see more. I’ve long given up trying to see every film, and each year I carefully plan out my days to see as many films as possible (scheduling over five each day is impossible, and three is more realistic). So, here are the top ten films I wish I would have seen.

1. Howl
2. happythankyoumoreplease (Audience Award: Dramatic)
3. His & Hers (World Cinema Cinematography Award: Documentary)
4. The Red Chapel (World Cinema Jury Prize: Documentary)
5. 8: The Mormon Proposition
6. Son of Babylon
7. Obselidia (Alfred P. Sloan Prize and Excellence in Cinematography Award: Dramatic)
8. Waste Land (World Cinema Audience Award: Documentary)
9. Smash His Camera (Directing Award: Documentary)
10. I'm Pat ____ Tillman

I’m already looking forward to Sundance 2011!

Two of my favorite directors, who happen to be awesome women, premiered their new films at Sundance: Nicole Holofcener screened Please Give and Lisa Cholodenko debuted The Kids Are All Right.

• Catherine Keener and Oliver Plattat in Please Give. Photo taken by Piotr Redlinksi © 2008, Property of Sony Pictures Classics. •

• The whole gang sitting down for lunch in The Kids Are All Right. Photo taken by Suzanne Tenner and courtesy of the Sundance Film Festival. •

Like Holofcener, Cholodenko creates some of the best female characters around! Her latest film The Kids Are All Right was one of my favorite films of the festival! In the course of 104 minutes, I laughed, cried, and then laughed some more. Annette Benning and Julianne Moore play a lesbian couple whose teenage children find their sperm donor (Mark Ruffalo). Benning and Moore have great chemistry as a middle-aged couple threatened and confused by Ruffalo’s introduction into their lives. Cholodenko's script and direction perfectly capture the cultural zeitgeist! The Kids Are All Right is absolutely charming!

What makes Sundance so special is the access to filmmakers. My favorite part of the festival is the post-screening Q&As with directors and casts. There is just something so interesting about hearing the “talent” discuss their creative process, and a charming antidote about on-set tomfoolery never hurts.

In their respective post-screening Q&A, Ruffalo and Hoffman both acknowledged that the fun in directing your own movie is that you get to pick your own cast, and therefore work with your friends. This creative freedom made both actor/directors almost giddy post-screening. Working with your friends on a project you truly believe in sounds likes a pretty good gig!

In an unexpected celebrity sighting, as I was leaving the theater after seeing Sympathy for Delicious, I saw Ron Livingston of Office Space fame. He seemed a bit crabby as he was looking for a restroom. Or maybe it is just disconcerting having people stare at you thinking “I know that guy is famous for something” as you’re trying to find a restroom. Just as I realized who Ron Livingston is, he was whisked behind a black curtain by a volunteer. Oh to be famous!

* Movie posters courtesy of the Sundance Film Festival.

• Matt Bush and Sean Marquette in HIGH School. Photo by Neil Jacobs, Still Photographer. Courtesy of the Sundance Film Festival. •

• Michael Chiklis in HIGH School (note the hair and moustache). Photo by Neil Jacobs, Still Photographer. Courtesy of the Sundance Film Festival. •

Now it’s time to go back to some serious documentaries and dramas…

Tonight, while walking down Main Street back to my hotel, I felt particularly inspired by the creative energy of the festival. There is something truly remarkable about seeing great art in a space with hundreds of other people whose reactions only enhance your experience. I love the sound of a crowd roaring with genuine laughter, or a collective uneasiness as everyone holds their breath fearing what will happen next. Seeing a movie with an engaged audience is an experience that cannot be mimicked watching a DVD at home alone, trust me.

• Director Josh Fox in Gasland. Photo courtesy of the Sundance Film Festival. •

But I restrained myself and saw another documentary instead.

I have been looking forward to Diego Luna’s directing debut Abel for weeks. In his endearing opening remarks, Diego Luna admitted to being extremely nervous for his film’s first screening with an audience. Since the Eccles theater seats over 1,200 people, and the place was packed, it was quite a coming out party.

• The cast and crew of Abel at tonight’s premiere. Photo by Jessica Mosby. •

• Director of the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program Cara Mertes; CEO of the Skoll Foundation Sally Osberg; Nobel Prize–winning economist Muhammad Yunus; and To Catch a Dollar Producer/Director Gayle Ferraro. Photo by Jessica Mosby. •

It’s easy to get caught up in the glitz and the glamour of Sundance. While walking to the Canada party (as in a party to celebrate Canadian films at the festival), I had to walk around a crowd trying to catch a glimpse of The Runways’ stars, Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning, through the Bing Bar’s large glass windows. Waiting outside in the cold just to see a celebrity at a film’s premiere party is not how I want to spend my Sunday night. But to each his (or her) own!

At the To Catch a Dollar press conference today I was in the same room, and actually rather close, to a real celebrity: Nobel Prize–winning economist Muhammad Yunus. The press conference was particularly inspiring as Yunus spoke proudly of the documentary, which chronicles his first American branch of the Grameen Bank in Queens, New York. The attendees (Sally Osberg, CEO, Skoll Foundation; Cara Mertes, Director, Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program; and Gayle Ferraro, Producer/Director of To Catch a Dollar) all spoke of exciting new collaborations between social entrepreneurs and documentary filmmakers. Ferraro developed To Catch a Dollar as part of the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program, and it might just be the first film in a new genre of documentary films focused on social entrepreneurship. And Muhammad Yunus might just be my most exciting celebrity sighting of the festival!

If you can't make it to Park City for the annual Sundance Film Festival, festival films are now available to watch home! This is so exciting!

YouTube has partnered with the festival to make feature films available for $3.99 per movie. The films are available until January 31st. In addition to films from this year's festival, 2009 Sundance hits are also available - including The Cove!

And for cable subscribers, additional 2010 Sundance films are available on-demand. I recommend the awesome documentary The Shock Doctrine.

Now you don't even have to leave your house and brave the snow to watch the films that make Sundance such an amazing and thought-provoking experience!

I say this every year, but there are just too many movies to see! Add the parties, press conferences, and discussions, and you barely have time to eat and sleep! Friday morning, it started snowing and it hasn’t stopped. I, thankfully, bought new snow boots, which makes trudging from place to place much easier. While other people walk around the slush and ice puddles, I walk right through without a second thought.

• Snow falling on Main Street. Park City, Utah. Photo by Jessica Mosby. •

The snow has also meant that fewer people are frequenting Main Street during the day (my celebrity sightings have been rather weak this year) and the lines for parties are not nearly as long as previous years. I actually made it into the GEN ART party Friday night after waiting for less than 10 minutes, although it felt much longer because I was waiting in the snow and couldn’t feel my hands. Part of the wait was spent near Ian Ziering of Beverly Hills 90210 fame. Or just “Ian” as he is referred to by members of his entourage, as in “Yeah, we’re at the GenArt party with Ian…it’s the only party worth being at tonight.” Who knew, Ian Ziering still had an entourage? Once I was inside and warm, I found myself sandwiched between Ian Ziering and the band The Fray, that is until a bearded member of the Fray made a path for me.

• Too many films! Photo by Jessica Mosby. •

Between celebrity sightings, I’ve seen six films. This is fewer than I had planned and hoped to see. My screening schedule has been thwarted by my inability to get a waitlist ticket (Waitlist: 4, Jessica: 0). I have a theory that the snow is driving more people into the theaters, thus making waitlist tickets very hard to come by. At least I take solace in the fact that the New York Lounge always has fresh bagels, popcorn, and cider to help me recover from the cold and my waitlist rejection. After having completely given up on seeing HOWL and the film's star, I saw James Franco at another screening. And yes, he is just as charming in person!

Documentaries are having a particularly strong year at the festival, and I’ve had the good luck to see my top picks. My two favorites thus far are Restrepo and Waiting for Superman. I can’t stop thinking about Restrepo; footage of Afghanistan and the daily life of American soldiers stationed there is so incredible. The fact that the camera person survived filming, when some of the American soldiers captured did not, makes the documentary all the more extraordinary. The film is so intense and so worthwhile.

Thanks to an early distribution deal, Waiting for Superman is one of the most talked about documentaries of the festival – and it totally lives up to the hype. The documentary takes a candid look at the American public school system’s failings while balancing profiles of individual students with input from a wide spectrum of educators, journalists, teachers’ unions, and education-minded intellectuals. Post-screening, I was surprised at how moved and emotional I felt leaving the theater. Waiting for Superman might just be the call to action for America’s public school system.

Tomorrow brings another day of exciting films! I’m feeling a bit more confident that it might be my lucky day in regards to the waitlist!

• Festival Director John Cooper and Sundance Institute President and Founder Robert Redford at the annual press conference. Photo by Jessica Mosby. •

Today marks the first official day of the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. I am in Park City with my press credentials and new snow boots! Today was mostly spent tending to business. I picked up my press packet, spent hours finalizing which films I’m going to see, and attended the annual press conference with Robert Redford.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to see any films. The two opening night films – HOWL and Restrepo – were both sold out and the waitlist was a bust. But I have plans to see both films over the weekend, so that eases the disappointment.

After realizing that I wasn’t going to see any films tonight, I strolled Main Street weighing my options. I was pleasantly surprised to find Joseph Gordon-Levitt at New Frontier on Main talking about his project (hitRECord.org) and introducing himself to everyone as “Joe.” So charming.

Tomorrow (January 21) marks that start of the 2010 Sundance Film Festival! I will be there for the third year in a row. So, please check back daily for regular blog updates!

• Daria Salus’s jewelry. •

• Gaslight’s hand-beaded clutches. •

• J. Brooke Patterson’s egg ornament. •

* All photos by Jessica Mosby.

Tomorrow (Sunday November 29), I will be attending the 31st annual Celebration of Craftswomen in San Francisco at the Fort Mason Center. It is a juried event, so I’m looking forward to some awesome arts and crafts at over 200 booths run by women! The event benefits The Women’s Building of San Francisco.

Expect a full update later this week!

Bay Area filmmaker Jonathan Parker’s latest feature (Untitled) captures the art world and all the accompanying pretensions at its funniest.

Adam Goldberg plays Adrian, a lovably grumpy avant-garde composer who lacks a fan base. That is until he meets ridiculously affected gallery owner Madeleine (Marley Shelton). Soon she’s his number one fan and promoter. But love, like trends, can be fleeting when the illusive next “big thing” is on the horizon.

Over email, Parker and I discussed low-budget filmmaking, the unforgettable taxidermy Madeleine shows in her gallery, and what inspired his sardonic take on art collecting.

(Untitled) is currently playing in theaters.

I really enjoyed the film, but I initially found the title rather confusing. Why did you title the film (Untitled)?

(Untitled) is the title of a lot of contemporary art works. You often see it on labels in museums and galleries, accompanied by the name of the artist and the year the work was created. There were a few suggestions to change the title due to the difficulty of searching online, but we had lived with it for several years and felt it had a certain elegance. I hope it is not too confusing.

What inspired you to write and direct a film that cleverly satirizes the art world, specifically what is considered art?

We started with the idea of Adam’s character – a difficult guy whose music is difficult. I spent many years as a musician (I got into film through music and have experienced many of the live performances depicted in the film), and wanted to do a story about a classically-trained composer who very seriously pursues music that is heard by very few. What keeps him going? Thomas Mann’s “Dr. Faustus” is about a similar character (also named Adrian) whose revolutionary musical theories are based on Arnold Schoenberg’s. It’s a character type you encounter not infrequently in that world. The difficult personality may be a self-defense mechanism masking a deep insecurity about whether their work has any merit or not.

We then set about contrasting the musician’s prospects (very little money) with those of a contemporary artist working in the moneyed world of contemporary art. I grew up in an artistic house. My mother, Gertrud Parker, is an artist and founded a small museum in San Francisco (Museum of Craft and Folk Art). But it was my college-age son’s pursuit of art and interest in contemporary art that got me going to a lot of galleries and art markets. I became curious (and somewhat annoyed) as to why wealthy collectors were spending so much on certain types of art and how the mysterious gallery system worked. I noticed a striking difference in the motivations of the collectors (social connections and investment) and the artists who created the works (loftier artistic goals). It struck me as a good comic set-up.

How did your own experiences as a musician and art collector contribute to writing (Untitled) with Catherine di Napoli? Specifically the idea that creating art and music for profit, or at least to make a living, is somehow less artistic than making art and music purely as creative pursuits.

I don’t agree that creating art for profit is less artistic than making it for purely creative reasons. I don’t think specific artists or musicians have much of a choice regarding that. One does what one does, and whether it’s profitable or not depends on the nature of the work. The amount of creative people who are fortunate enough to make a living from work that they would do anyway even if they were not getting paid for it is pretty small. That has never been my circumstance. I make a living from non-artistic pursuits.

What inspired Adrian’s (Adam Goldberg) compositions and the art shown at Madeleine’s (Marley Shelton) gallery? Do you have an interest in taxidermy?

The composer, David Lang, and I were parodying certain contemporary music compositions with Adam’s performances. These were augmented by Adam’s actual playing because it was the only way to shoot those scenes. Regarding the art, all of the pieces in the film are specific parodies of certain artists or conflations of multiple artists. Taxidermy, as a material, came about somewhat by accident because the young artist Kyle Ng, who I approached to make the Vinnie Jones character’s art, happened to have a taxidermy collection and his own private taxidermist. The concepts of most of those pieces were developed by my son, Sam Parker, and then executed by Kyle.

Adam Goldberg and Marley Shelton are very well cast and have great chemistry. How did both actors become involved with the film?

We approached Adam for the part not just for his acting ability but because of photographs I saw of him at a film festival looking extremely annoyed. It was the right countenance for Adrian. Adam then suggested Marley who he knew but had never worked with. The whole cast had excellent chemistry together, which is mostly just luck.

I had read that (Untitled) was made on a relatively small budget, and yet I found the film to be rather posh, particularly Madeleine’s clothing, gallery, and apartment. How did you achieve this tone on a smaller budget?

It wasn’t easy. Our DP, Svetlana Cvetko, obtained a very favorable deal from Panavision to use the Genesis HD camera, which had never been used on a low-budget show. We then decided to shoot in a wide-screen format to make it look more expensive. Marley’s personal stylist was able to obtain some of the high-end designer clothes gratis. The gallery is a set built in a Brooklyn warehouse. The art in her loft was made for the movie, very inexpensively, as parodies of actual pieces.

What is next for (Untitled) and for you as a filmmaker?

(Untitled) is rolling out to a number of big cities. It opened last week in the SF Bay Area, Washington DC, Dallas and others, and will open this weekend in Boston, Philly, Seattle, Atlanta, and the following week in Minneapolis and Houston. I’m heading to Germany tomorrow for its foreign festival premiere in Mannheim – Heidelberg.

Catherine and I are working on our next script which is set in the California Gold Rush. It’s kind of a comic version of There Will Be Blood.

In honor of Veterans Day, PBS's POV series will be broadcasting The Way We Get By. The documentary is just so good, and very thought-provoking. If you have the chance, I do recommend checking the documentary out!

The San Francisco Documentary Film Festival (aka DocFest) started on Friday in San Francisco. Screenings are at the Roxie Film Center in the Mission. The Roxie serves the best popcorn out there! And, I am an aficionado of movie theater popcorn.

The lineup at DocFest is awesome! I personally recommend, Homegrown, Mine, and Proceed and Be Bold! But really, you can’t go wrong with any independent documentaries of this caliber!

The last week has been filled with long nights sitting in the dark watching amazing films. I am writing this final Mill Valley Film Festival update from a café next down the block from the Smith Rafael Film Center in San Rafael between screenings. This morning I saw my favorite film of the festival (for a second time), Mine. I can’t stop thinking about The Private Lives of Pippa Lee, Up in the Air (George Clooney is such a charmer!), and Red Cliff (John Woo spoke before the screening; the man’s passion for this film is infectious). I will be attending the festival’s closing screening of Young Victoria with Emily Blunt in a few hours. I’ve already seen the festival’s other very well-done closing film, Looking for Eric. One of the best parts of film festivals is the Q&As! Even better if an hour or more is devoted to a single filmmaker/actor/actresses career, as was the case with the 70 minute discussion with Seymour Cassel on Wednesday! I just love hearing people talk about their films!

Now on to The San Francisco Documentary Film Festival (aka DocFest)! It will be another week of non-stop movies for me (i.e., the best kind of week)!

My lack of posts reflects the time spent in theatres, and therefore offline. On Saturday, I saw the truly original documentary Breath Made Visible. The film’s subject, Anna Halprin, was even part of the post-screening Q&A. And she looks amazing, especially when you consider that she is an octogenarian! I then saw Soundtrack for a Revolution, followed by Concert for a Revolution! The Blind Boys of Alabama were awe-inspiring; they literally had to be pulled, dancing the whole way, from the stage by their entourage at the end of their set.

On Sunday, I hit two film festivals – MVFF and the Oakland International Film Festival! I started off the day at Homegrown, a very motivational and thought-provoking environmental documentary. If I had a yard, I would totally start an urban homestead just like the film’s principal subjects, the Dervaes family. After leaving the MVFF, I went home to Oakland to attend the 8th Oakland International Film Festival. I screened the new documentary Faire: An American Renaissance. Having never been to a Renaissance Faire, and having frequently made fun of my mom for attending Faires and admitting to having a good time there, I surprised myself by turning to my friend Amelia post-screening and saying – with no hint of irony – “Let’s go!” Expect to see me at a Ren Faire sometime soon!

My picks for the rest of the week include one of my favorite films of 2009, Barking Water. The film screened tonight, and will again on Thursday night. I was fortunate enough to discover director Sterlin Harjo at a screening of Four Sheets to the Wind at the 2007 MVFF! The Horse Boy (reviewed by The WIP as Over the Hills and Far Away) is screening tomorrow and Wednesday. Tomorrow evening, I will be interviewing director Michel O. Scott. I can’t wait!

The annual Mill Valley Film Festival started last night. The MVFF makes October one of my favorite months! For ten days, I get to see amazing films every evening (and all day on weekends!), meet incredible filmmakers, and see celebrities! I’ll be blogging almost every day from the festival!

At the opening party last night, I saw Clive Owen! And let me tell you, he is even dreamier in person! I’ve already seen An Education, which is playing tonight at the festival, and it is such an enchanting and wonderful film that I can’t stop thinking about!

Tickets are available to the general public at very reasonable prices. So, if you live in the Bay Area, do check it out!

Last Sunday at the local farmers market, I learned of the Oakland Underground Film Festival. The festival is this weekend (9/25 to 9/27). One of my favorite films of 2009, Big River Man, is closing the festival! Actually, all of the films screening this weekend look so interesting! And I'm so excited that my town, Oakland, now has an underground film festival!

I’m excited to report that the following films I’ve reviewed for The WIP are coming to (or already at) a theatre near you!

- Adam - Currently playing in limited release
- Afghan Star - 8/21
- The Cove - 8/7 (you can also check out The Cove team on Fresh Air)
- No Impact Man - 9/4
- Earth Days - 9/11
- Over the Hills and Far Away (now called Horse Boy) - 10/16
- Handmade Nation – Currently playing in select cities and the DVD will soon be available at BuyOlympia.com

I am happy to report that Afghan Star was featured on Oprah yesterday!

And, Made in America: Crips and Bloods is premiering on PBS this evening.

I'm excited to post that A Man Named Pearl will be shown on HGTV. If you have cable, you should try to check it out!

Happy International Women's Day!

On Thursday night I was fortunate enough to see A Powerful Noise! The film profiles three women from three different parts of the world: Hanh of Vietnam, Nada of Bosnia, and Jacqueline (aka “Madame Urbain”) of Mali. Hanh, Nada, and Madame Urbain all run community-based organizations that improve the lives of women. Each woman is so incredibly inspirational!

I often find myself overwhelmed by daily news reports; the world’s problems seem so vast and overwhelming. But after leaving the movie, I felt a renewed sense of optimism. Individual women do have the power to change the world!

This Thursday, March 5th, A Powerful Noise will be shown at 450 theaters nationwide! The event is part of International Women’s Day. I will be attending the screening and townhall discussion in Emeryville, CA. It will be an awesome experience, so if you're free on Thursday find a screening near you!

This weekend is the closing weekend of San Francisco’s IndieFest. If you’re in the Bay Area, I highly recommend that you find time to see a great independent film! Screenings are at San Francisco’s Roxie Cinemas or Victoria Theater, or Berkeley’s Shattuck Cinemas.

A few weeks ago I attended a screening of Trouble the Water, which I reviewed in my most recent article for The WIP, at San Francisco’s Sundance Kabuki Cinemas. I'd never been to the theater before, and was very impressed! The 11 a.m. screening I attended was sold-out, so I recommend arriving early (it makes me so happy when 11 a.m. screenings of documentaries are sold-out!). The theater has a bar and restaurant, so I’m planning an upcoming dinner and movie night.

• The snow is not the ideal place to keep your beer cold. Photograph by Jessica Mosby. •

I talked to a lot people at this year’s festival. I exchanged business cards, discussed films, and generally attempted to be sociable. I even made a few new friends who I hope to see again! It was great to have other people to attend screening with, especially when they saved me a seat!

For all the fun, films, and friends, Sundance is also place to be humbled. Before the festival, I mentioned in a purposely nonchalant manner to anyone that would listen that I would be out of town at Sundance – the film festival! People were impressed, or at least feigned enthusiasm. Once I arrived in Park City, I put proudly wore my enormous credentials outside my coat for everyone to see. My first night out on the town I lived it up with free drinks and food. I even received some SWAG, albeit them odd and totally useless things. And I received some emails informing me that I was on the guest list for a number of parities. Oh yes, I was feeling rather good about myself!

And then I was smacked down, so to speak. It all started on the first Friday night (i.e. Day 2). Before going to a late screening, I decided that I needed some free food and drinks. I went to one of my favorite sponsored venues, a place that had welcomed me with open arms the night before; I’d even received a velvet bag! I confidently walked up to the door, my credentials very visible, and was promptly asked if I was on the list for such and such event. I was not on the list. But before I could be formally rejected, some guys interrupted asking about the party for Brooklyn’s Finest (a new Richard Gere movie), which was happening upstairs. I quickly hurried away.

I consoled myself with the fact that I was on the guest for parties later that night! I would surely get into those parties, and then bask in the glow of celebrity.

Later Friday night my new friends and I hit Main Street with nothing but the world in front of us. We strolled up to the first party only to find a long line. We waited. I told the bouncer, “I’m on the list.” We waited some more. Finally we (and the 50 other people outside) were told that the venue was at capacity, and we’d have to wait. My friends and I moved on.

A few stops later we ended up at a party where the drinks were not free and the sponsor was unknown. Before leaving we noticed a girl standing topless in the middle of the party having her chest painted (think carnival face painting). The fact that she wasn’t wearing a shirt and being painted was confusing, especially because she was alone in this artistic endeavor. I turned to my friend and said, “At least she’s wearing pants.” My friend replied, “The pants are painted on. She’s naked.” Let me tell you, those were some very detailed oriented pants someone painted on her.

For a moment I felt like Don Draper of Mad Men in the Palm Springs episodes (Mad Men was on my mind after seeing the advertising documentary Art and Copy). I felt like I was going down the rabbit hole, and half expected to see Hugh Hefner hanging out in a nearby grotto. Standing naked in a room full of people staring at you is very degrading – and really bizarre. And it’s definitely not putting the focus on films.

• Revelers wait in line on Saturday night hoping for a good time at Park City’s many Sundance related parties. Photograph by Jessica Mosby. •

But there’s always Sundance 2010!

The winners of the 2009 Sundance Film Festival were announced this evening! The list of awards makes me wish I could have seen every film at the festival! Hopefully the films that I missed (but really wanted to see!) will be in theaters in the next few months.

I was so happy to see that the following films were honored: The Cove (Audience Award: U.S. Documentary), Afghan Star (World Cinema Audience Award: Documentary and World Cinema Directing Award: Documentary), Paper Heart (Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award), Big River Man (World Cinema Cinematography Award: Documentary), Good Hair (Special Jury Prize: U.S. Documentary), and Adam (Alfred P. Sloan Prize).

You can see the full list of winners here.

Tomorrow I will post my final blog for Sundance 2009!

Tuesday's Inauguration was the most watched, and talked about, screening – at least for a day. The excitement of President Obama taking office was, unfortunately, tempered by my first day of mediocre films. I started off the day with a lunchtime screening of The Informers. I had read about the film in the New York Times, and the cast/plot sounded interesting. I should have remembered that I don't like Bret Easton Ellis books, or films based on his books. It would have been great if I remembered this before an usher showed me to a seat in the middle of a row very far from the exit. At film festivals, as opposed to theaters I frequent in my everyday life, it is acceptable to walk out of movies because you can just walk right into another (hopefully better) movie; I always try to sit by the aisle near the exit, just in case I want to leave mid-movie. Unfortunately, given my seat, I had to endure the entire disaster that was The Informers. When the film finished, the lady next to me said, "I wanted to leave, but I couldn't find my coat."

• Films aren’t the only way to make it big during Sundance. This young troubadour hopes to find fame, or at least sell some CDs. Photograph by Jessica Mosby. •

My streak of disappointing films continued with Earth Days, which is a history of Earth Day and the American environmental movement. The documentary was selected as the closing film at this year's festival. The film is not bad, just very boring. And it ends with President Reagan's election to office. I walked out of the theater wondering if nothing of importance has happened to the environmental movement in 28 years. Films about the environment were very popular at this year's festival, and Earth Days was just not as interesting or original as The Cove, The End of the Line (which was the high point of my Tuesday), or No Impact Man.

When I walked out of Earth Days, I saw some of my friends who persuaded me to see Dare. From the film's description in the film guide, I assumed it would be in the vein of the High School Musical franchise. I have not seen any of the HSM films, but I know they are filled with fancy free plot lines – and that was just what I needed! Dare could not be described as whimsical or fun, it's much for more in the vein of Dangerous Liaisons; however, I was too intrigued to even think about leaving the theater. I finished the day with Shrink, which also failed to live up expectations. The film starred Kevin Spacey (who I love, love, love!), and yet it was one of those dramas that is all about strangers whose lives are connected by a totally unrealistic coincidence.

• Jessica hanging out with her beary buddy. Photograph by a kind stranger. •

The buses of Park City are fantastic! Not only are they completely free, but they run on time! At every stop there is a volunteer who wants to help you arrive at your destination in the most expedient way. When a crowded bus stops, the driver often says (with a very polite tone), “Everybody get friendlier, I need to get five more people on this bus.” Then everyone squishes together with few complaints. Amazing! With the snow and cold everyone wants to stay warm from the collective body heat. And did I mention that the buses are almost always on time?

• The Uptown Fare restaurant. Note the “Open” sign and the “Locals Only Club” banner. Photograph by Jessica Mosby. •

Multiple times a day I walk by the Uptown Fare restaurant, and I always peak in and wonder if it is ever open. Well, apparently it never is during the festival - except this year. But unless you have a local ID, the bouncer won’t let you in; exceptions are made for festival volunteers. This might be a terrible business model, and yet it is extremely respectable. Not everyone wants Paris Hilton (who is at Sundance for reasons only known to her) patronizing their establishment.

This morning I woke up early, bought my obligatory cup of coffee on Main Street, and then took the bus to a morning screening of Afghan Star. The film follows four contestants on the Afghani version of American Idol! I have reviewed a number of documentaries about Afghanistan for The WIP – and Afghan Star was the first film that showed Afghans smiling and happy! The film, which I hope to review, captures the cultural and generational differences that continue to divide Afghanistan, so it’s not all fun and singing. I was so impressed with how organically the documentary evolved, and how courageous the two female contestants were in the face of an oppressive patriarchal society.

When I left the theater, I couldn’t help but shake my booty (something forbidden on the reality show) all the way down the street. The two finalists of Afghan Star are planning international tours, and I can’t wait!

• Bike racks at my number one hang out – the transit center! Photograph by Jessica Mosby. •

Serious documentary films have the power to bring attention to important issues – that’s why I love them! During this morning’s [previously mentioned] panel discussion, Samantha Power talked about how films can be a “Trojan horse” to get people interested in serious topics. But seeing too many depressing films in a single day is not a good idea. Trust me.

Having a good time at any film festival requires a balance. You must mix heady documentaries with laugh-out-loud comedies and fictional dramas, if you’re going to have a good time and stay enthused. I am capable of seeing five movies in a single day and staying interested in every single one, but I need some diversity.

• With such fierce competition, some films find original ways to stand out. End of the Line employed a mascot. It worked, at least on me, since I will be seeing the film before I leave Park City. Photograph by Jessica Mosby. •

I started the festival with the opening night selection: Mary and Max. The Australian claymation animation film is about two very different pen pals (an 8 year old Australian girl and a 44 year old autistic man living in New York) who send letters and chocolate across the globe for 20 years. I have no feelings, positive or negative, regarding claymation; I did like how the twee of claymation was contrasted by a rather serious and mature story. At times I got so caught up in the characters that I completely forgot that I wasn’t watching real people.

Since I review documentaries for The WIP, I have seen at least two a day. While I don’t want to reveal too much about films that I will be reviewing, I will say that biopics about crazy people (or people going crazy) seem to be big this year. Today I saw The Carter about the rapper Lil’ Wayne, who is downright bizarre, and yet surprisingly committed to his art. Big River Man is like a real life version of Werner Herzog’s Aguirre: The Wrath of God, expect this time the protagonist is swimming, not rafting, down the Amazon river. But the insanity part rings very true. An interesting subject doesn’t make for an interesting film, as I learned this evening at When You’re Strange, which makes the madcap life of Jim Morrison relatively dull.

Tonight on the bus ride back to my hotel, I heard some other people saying that they might see Spring Breakdown tomorrow. I quickly interrupted, “You MUST see it! It’s so funny!” The comedy features many Saturday Night Live stars at their best! I know that it is not an award-winning piece of cinema; however, that 90 minutes of fun rejuvenated me for another four documentaries about the world’s worst problems.

• Eager fans, and camera crews, wait outside the Egyptian Theater. Photograph by Jessica Mosby. •

After the screening, I walked across the street for a bagel, cider, and a copy of Variety at the New York Lounge. There was a new food table with bags of delicious popcorn (you might be sensing a theme at this point – I love free food!), and sitting by the table was none other than Michael Cera! I loved Arrested Development, so I was particularly excited to see him just hanging out not drawing much attention. I later went back for a second look (and for a bag of popcorn…I was too distracted the first time to actually take a bag); I thought about saying something, but I couldn’t think of anything clever enough – and I was suddenly very nervous. Maybe Michael Cera is this year’s Adrian Grenier! I’m even more excited to see Michael Cera’s new film, Paper Heart, later today!

• Crowds follow Denise Richards down Main Street. Photograph by Jessica Mosby. •

We live in crazy world when Michael Cera sits alone in the New York Lounge near the popcorn table completely unnoticed, and Denise Richards is followed down Main Street by a crowd. Or maybe, it’s all about how well you [willingly and scornfully] court publicity?

• Too many films to see! Photograph by Jessica Mosby. •

What makes Sundance, or really film festivals in general (although nothing compares to Sundance), great is that you get to see a film with 1,200 other fans who totally enhance the experience with their energy and enthusiasm. Then, post-screening, you get to see the directors, producers, and stars answer audience questions! I am terrible at spotting celebrities, so unless someone’s name is announced on a microphone, I am oblivious.

• Carlos Cuaron and Gael Garcia Bernal on stage after Rudo y Cursi (note the velvet blazer)! Photograph by Jessica Mosby. •

• The 500 Days of Summer gang! Photograph by Jessica Mosby (from the balcony). •

Tomorrow I promise a full report of all the films I’ve seen. Oh, and of course the parties!

I arrived in Park City, Utah late Wednesday night for the annual Sundance Film Festival! This being my second time at the festival, I knew, at least in part, what to expect. Last year I arrived early in the morning on the second day of the festival (the first day of film screenings), and everywhere I turned there were crowds of people and countless celebrities. While I had a fantastic time at the festival, I felt rather overwhelmed by the number of film screening (in hindsight, maybe I didn’t make the best choices when it came to which films to watch), the crowds of people, and the level of celebrity.

• Crews putting the finishing touches on Park City’s Main Street. Photograph Jessica Mosby. •

• Jessica modeling her new Sundance water bottle while looking like a marshmallow in her down coat (note the large press pass). Not particularly stylish, but very warm! Photograph by a kind stranger. •

• Robert Redford and Geoff Gilmore at the Opening Day Press Conference. Photograph by Jessica Mosby. •

Just so you don’t think all the glitz of Sundance is gone this year, at yesterday’s New Frontier Press Preview I was offered “Authentic French Absinthe” Le Tourment Vert (an official festival sponsor). Did I mention that it was noon? I declined, and opted for a glass of red wine to accompany my complimentary sandwich and brownie.

A week after our historic presidential election, PBS (as part of Frontline) will be broadcasting Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story. I reviewed the film a few weeks ago, and it’s a very engaging documentary!

When I lamented that the Summer Olympics were ending after only a mere two weeks of sporting, a friend remarked “That’s what makes them special.” Touché. I am already counting the days until London 2012.

Since August 8th, I have spent almost evening watching the Olympics – and I don’t even watch much television. I have cheered for gymnasts, swimmers, and other Americans until 1 a.m. only to wake up for another sleep-deprived day of work. Why were my favorite events always on so late at night? Throughout the work day, I have spent my breaks and lunches catching up on Olympic news and controversies. America’s reputation in the world may be at a low point, but during the Olympics patriotism is not only accepted, it’s encouraged!

This is not to say that I only cheered for American athletes. Usain Bolt’s gold medals were awe inspiring – actually, watching almost every Jamaican athlete was thrilling! And Samuel Kamau Wansiru of Kenya (who won the gold medal) had me glued to the TV during the marathon!

My laments are few: I have Michael Phelps fatigue. Yes, I know he is an amazing swimmer, but he is not the only athlete at the games. Let’s profile someone else, just for a moment. Please. In women’s gymnastics, I do not believe that all of the Chinese gymnasts are 16; Nastia Liukin shouldn’t have lost the gold medal [in a tiebreaker] on the uneven bars to He Kexin.

Finally, I must admit that I occasionally watched the Olympics on mute. In some events (gymnastics comes to mind), the commentary was helpful. In other events (synchronized diving), the commentary was harsh and confusing – the splash didn’t look that big to me. What really pushed me over the edge, was all of the assumptions. During the Men's 4x100-Meter Medley Relay, the commentators were particularly annoying. They kept saying, “Jason Lezak can’t do it. He can’t catch up. No way. Wait, he catching up. Wait he won the race. How did that happen?” Why can’t the commentators just report on what’s happening, not declare the winner before the race even starts.

Only four more years…

Gypsy Caravan (my first review for The WIP!) is coming out on DVD next month. One of its stars is also on tour; here's a very interesting article on Queen Harish. I can't wait to see the film again!

The fun and incredibly compelling documentary King Corn (which I reviewed for The WIP in November) is currently showing on PBS. I'm so happy that this important film, which I often find myself thinking of, is available for everyone to see!

I was saddened to hear that the director Anthony Minghella died yesterday. I must watch the English Patient this weekend.

In an effort to use less plastic, I no longer buy water bottles; instead, I have a reusable bottle that I fill with tap water. But drinking the tap water is sadly not an option for many people, especially lower-income rural workers as discussed in this NPR piece. It is unacceptable that children cannot drink out of school drinking fountains, and there are no consequences for the businesses that have contaminated the drinking water.

In honor of Women's History my month, KQED has posted some great content that can all be viewed online.

Since the weekend is almost here, I thought I would mention two documentaries that I can't wait to see:

- Dr. Bronner's Magic Soapbox - I'm a fan of the almond soap, especially when camping. Who knew there was such a dramatic story behind Dr. Bronner?
- Blindsight - An inspirational story of blind Tibetan teens climbing Lhakpa Ri (a 23,000 foot mountain on the north side of Mount Everest).

Here are a few things that have interested me in the last week:

A small story on NPR about non-profits (namely Habitat for Humanity) buying up houses and lots that were out of their price range a year ago. After hearing so much doom and gloom about the American economy, especially the housing market, it was refreshing to hear that at least non-profits can benefit from the downward economy.

Since I am all about D.I.Y. projects and reusing everything, I have long been a fan of ReadyMade magazine. I was very excited to read this interview with the magazine’s founder and editor-in-chief Shoshana Berger. She’s such an inspirational woman!

I exclusively drink milk from the Straus Family Creamery; milk just tastes better in glass containers! Buying milk in glass bottles that I then return to the grocery store also coincides with my plight to use less plastic and create less waste. I was understandably excited when I found Saint Benoît Yogurt in reusable terracotta containers at the grocery store last week. And it is the tastiest yogurt I’ve ever had!

I wanted to end my first blog entry on a feminist note. So, I will mention a new movie that I cannot wait to see: Girls Rock! I only regret that I’m too old to go to rock camp this summer.