Screengrab editor emeritus Bilge Ebiri reports from the frontlines of Park City.



I’ve always felt guilty about not doing enough coverage of Slamdance, the underdog cousin to Sundance that runs in Park City around the same time. It often shows excellent films – especially in the shorts department – and is staffed by cheerful, enthusiastic people who love to watch and make movies. I didn’t get around to it this year either – I did drop by their office and pick up some screeners – and judging by the fact that most writers I knew were complaining about how little time they had, I imagine most of them didn’t either. Which is a shame. And I’m not sure it’s going to get any better. Which is why I’ve come to a realization: Slamdance should consider moving its dates, its location, or both.

Hear me out, hear me out: Slamdance has become a world class festival. For cryin’ out loud, it’s where Christopher Nolan and Marc Forster got their starts, among many others. Larry Clark and Steven Soderbergh have shown films here. Part of being a world class festival, though, is to establish your own identity and to carve out your own space. Slamdance has done this, to some extent, by taking over the top of Main Street in Park City and sending its scrappy, attention-hungry filmmakers out onto the street with their postcards, their goofy costumes, and their persistence, in an effort to grab the attentions of Sundance attendees. This has worked up until now. But how long can they go on feeding off Sundance’s crumbs? Maybe the solution is to just shift the dates slightly, so that there are a few non-Sundance days when press and other assorted folks can take a look at Slamdance films?

This will probably never happen – being here during Sundance is Slamdance’s raison d’etre. And for all I know maybe they get enough while they’re here – this year they got coverage in the LA Times, Indiewire, and some other venues. I do know that many of their screenings sell out. And I’m sure their sponsors would have something to say about the notion of moving the festival away from Sundance’s bracket. But I feel like being thought of simply as the Bizarro to Sundance’s Superman isn’t doing Slamdance’s filmmakers any favors. True, they get to be in town while all these agents and producers and reps and critics are also in town, and maybe they even get lucky and meet some of these people. But it’s hard enough for a Sundance film to get noticed during Sundance. I imagine it ain’t easy for a Slamdance film to get noticed during Sundance. Anyway, it’s just a thought. One that will go unheeded, but whatever, I’ve had my say.