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Sundance Film Festival

Overview The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival in the United States, and ranks amongst the top five events of its type in the world. Held annually in Park City as well as Salt Lake City, Utah the festival is the premiere showcase for new work from American and international independent filmmakers. The festival comprises competitive sections for American and independent dramatic and documentary films, and a group of non-competitive showcase sections, including the Sundance Online Film Festival.

History In 1978, the Utah/US Film Festival, an annual cinematic exhibition, was created in Salt Lake City. During its early years, the Film Festival focused primarily on the presentation of retrospective films and filmmaker seminars. However, from its inception, the Film Festival featured a national competition aimed at drawing attention to emerging American films made outside the Hollywood system-independent cinema. The United States Film Festival moved to Park City, Utah in 1981 and included documentaries and short films along with its program of dramatic features.

In 1985, responding to the need for support from an organization that could provide year-round programming, administrative staffing, financial backing, and a network of contacts, the Film Festival became part of the Sundance Institute and added international films to its program.

Officially renamed in 1991, the Sundance Film Festival is now recognized internationally as a showcase for the best in new American independent film.

• Historic info from Sundance Institute: /institute.sundance.org

Founder Robert Redford Charles Robert Redford Jr. (born August 18, 1937) is a famous American actor and film director.Born in Santa Monica, California, Redford is known for his roles in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President's Men, The Sting, The Natural, The Way We Were, Out of Africa, The Great Gatsby, and many others. Redford has also directed the films Ordinary People, Quiz Show, The Legend of Baggar Vance, The Horse Whisperer, The Milagro Beanfield War, and A River Runs Through It .

Redford also is responsible for starting the Sundance Film Festival, named after his character in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The festival caters to independent filmmakers in the United States and has received some recognition from the industry as a place to option films.

In 1980, the first film Redford directed, Ordinary People, won him the Academy Award for Directing; his 1994 film Quiz Show was nominated for the award but lost to Forrest Gump.

Redford owns a celebrated restaurant called Zoom, located on Main Street in the former mining town of Park City, Utah. It has both indoor and outdoor seating. Redford also owns a ski resort called Sundance Resort.

• Info from Wikipedia: /en.wikipedia.org