"Like Crazy" Love ...

This is a shot of the Snowflake logo that Sundance poster and trailers are featuring this year. This was prior to the screening of "Like Crazy" - an emotional, sweet study of young love - very well-acted, great chemistry, nailed a lot of nuanced moments of the contours of a relationship. It had the audience in the palm of its hand ... a woman in the Q&A was still in tears fifteen minutes after the film ended ... reminds me again of how film can transport - whether to another place or to another time in your own life. I think everyone re-lived some aspect of a first love at the screening. Not surprisingly the film has sold to Paramount (for $4million), so it may be a difficult one to get for CFF ... but rest assured, we will try and you will have an opportunity to see it. Much will depend on the release date ...

Heavy Metal Monk ...

The poster of the film Abraxas, the story of a disenchanted Monk who wants to return to his hard rock roots. It was a funny and touching journey ... the story of a man struggling with demons, finding himself and finding balance in his faith.

Sundance Trek ...

Some of the scene at the Sundance Resort - made the trek yesterday to see the Norwegian film "Happy, Happy"

Photo of Morgan Freeman and Sundance Filmmaking Lab Artistic Director Gyula Gazdag ...
Some of the decor of the Owl Bar ... devoted to Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid ...

The road to Sundance ...

CFF hat in the snow ...

What to see?

What to see? What to see? The big ticket board in the main Box Office - finding tickets, sorting out and planning your screenings ... always a daunting task. The only thing I can imagine that would be more complex is actually laying out the schedule. Having done similar work in putting on CFF (on a vastly smaller scale) it's hard not to be amazed by the sheer magnitude of Sundance, the logistics, the organization and the many many volunteers involved. It makes you appreciative that you can just focus on getting tickets and seeing films ...

Arrival ...

Arrival - Winging in over the mountains and salt flats of Salt Lake City ...

Trek to Sundance Resort

Day Two offered reason to trek out to the Sundance Resort for a screening of an awkwardly funny Norwegian dysfunctional marital film - "Happy, Happy". A few pictures from the trek ... the road to Sundance, CFF hat in snow, and some of the decor of the "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" themed Owl Bar ... Had a call from CFF supporter Amy Haines (of Out of The Fire) with a must-see recommendation - Gun Hill Road. I'm off to see Knuckle tonight, If you feel like perusing the Sundance schedule and adding your two cents - jump in!

Sundance 2011 and CFF is here

The CFF team has landed! We took care of the car rental, the housing, the food and the ticket pickup, (the Steelers took care of my Jets) and I was off to my first film of the festival, Restless City - stunningly beautifully photographed first feature from photographer Andrew Dosunmu. New York as you've never seen it, a contemplative, meditative journey through rich images often accompanied by haunting accordion.

The hour is late, the bed beckons. More to come!