From Sundance – Part I

I arrived in Park City, Utah this afternoon.  I met up with Ben Dudley, Mike Fullerton, other Fuller students, as well as people from other universities. It was great connecting with some of the people who set up this immersive class and  made it possible for us to experience Sundance in such a unique way. Will Stoller-Lee is the director of the Windrider Film Forum, hosted by the Priddy Brothers, and has done a much to make Sundance an enjoyable experience for us.  Kutter Callaway has made the online experience a pleasant one.  I look forward to reading his dissertation called “Hearing Images” where he talks about music in films. And Craig Detweiler our professor is an inspiring guy who loves film and encourages people to live their dreams.  It was great meeting each of these guys face to face.

After getting settled and having a dinner, hosted by Mountain Vineyard Christian Fellowship, we had the opportunity to hear from Jeff Sparks, the President and CEO of Heartland Film Festival that takes place annually in Indianapolis.  He was presented with the 2011 Spirit Windrider Award, and afterwards participated in an interesting panel discussion that was moderated by Dick Staub about films as well as what it takes for films to make it into festivals.  During the evening events, we were able to watch  The Butterfly Circus,  a short film directed by Joshua Weigel and written by Joshua Weigel and his wife Rebekah. While this film was not part of the Sundance selections, it has been in 25 different film festivals and won 15 different awards. It  has been viewed by nearly 10 million people worldwide, and is being made into a full length feature.   It was a great way to start off our time here.  You can watch it yourself here on Vimeo.

The Butterfly Circus – HD from The Butterfly Circus on Vimeo.

After what will probably be a fascinating morning with our class tomorrow, I’ll watch some of my first Sundance Films.  I’m hoping to post my thoughts about each film I watch in the evenings.  Ben, Mike and I have an amazing host family.  We are staying in a mansion of a house, literally.  This place is amazing.  It has 6 bathrooms, over a dozen different rooms and an amazing view. Maybe tomorrow I can post some pictures. It hasn’t even been a full day yet, and I’ve been blessed.

2 Responses to From Sundance – Part I

1. Jason Coker says:

   January 25, 2011 at 9:29 am

   Hey man, you’re going to have a great time. I lived there for 11 years, served on staff at Mountain Vineyard for 10, and had the privilege of working briefly with Will, Craig, and the Priddy’s when they were dreaming up Windrider.

   Throw some snowballs for me, say hello to Lenny Perata for me if you get the chance, and if you want to get into some serious trouble on Main Street I have just the friend in mind : )

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2. JR Woodward says:

   January 26, 2011 at 1:32 am

   Jason,

   Dude, the first day and a half have been amazing already. I had no idea you served on staff with Mountain Vineyard for ten years. Such a small world! Windrider is awesome. I will try to remember to say hi to Lenny and yeah, let me know the name of your friend, I think me and a couple of my buddies would love to experience Main Street. Hopefully Thursday I will post more on the festival. Each day is so full.

   Reply