Thanks to guest bloggers Amotz Zakai (Echo Lake Productions) and Michael Ziegfeld (cast, THE TEN) for contributing to this report!

Tamara Krinsky
iklipz.com
DOCUMENTARY magazine

THE JOURNEY
TAMARA: It started with a 6:35am flight Friday morning.
Which meant my alarm went off at 3:45am Friday morning.
Which means that as I write this at 1:07am Saturday morning, I’m a bit delirious.

We landed. We checked into our suite at the Treasure Mountain Inn amidst all the Slamdancers. We ate hamburgers at 11:30am because our stomachs had lost all sense of time.

And then we were ready to begin.

AMOTZ: Delta didn't lose my bags thank god but the one hour twenty minute flight was delayed for three hours so it took a whole day to get to Park City. Delta has a party house on Main Street called The Delta Sky Lounge. You need to wait three hours outside in the cold to get in the party. Not!

SETTLING IN
MICHAEL Z: I’ve been pretty stressed since I got here. It’s a lot of things … am I going to miss out on anything? Will the film be ok? Will I come across well for my screen debut? Like most comedians, I have this self-deprecating thing thinking everyone is gonna figure out I’ve been faking it the whole time and don’t know what I’m doing. So I was anxious to break the Sundance hymen at our premiere tonight.

But like everyone else, the day began just trying to see a film or two. It’s near impossible. Sundance used to be about the little guy, his film vision and the people who support it. But now (as Redford has commented numerous times), the corporate world has infiltrated and made it something else.

But Main Street had a few companies hosting lounge socials and giving away samples of their products. Including one lounge promoting a healthy environment. I walked into the main room to find TV actor Ed Beglely Jr. riding a stationary bicycle to power up a stove or something! I thought maybe the elevation in Utah was finally kicking in and I was seeing things. But I digress…

THE SCENE
TAMARA: Kicked off the festival at the SXSW cocktail party, where we interviewed festival & conference producer Matt Dentler, hung out with the cast of THE SIGNAL, and had a bizarre festival moment with “Screech” from Saved by the Bell, who is apparently engaged in some sort of Schwag-a-thon with Gary Coleman. Video goodies to come.

AMOTZ: There is something new happening this year. The huge bouncers and the petite brunette publicists at the door to the parties now ask for your driver's license. In years past you mentioned your name or used the name of the boss of some mini-major and you got in. Sooner or later they will ask you to remove your shoes and take out your laptop to enter the Delta Sky Lounge party house at Sundance.

TAMARA: After SXSW, it was off to the PBS party where a spread of tortilla chips and lamb chops welcomed the non-fiction crowd. John Boland, the new Chief Content Officer of PBS gave a welcome speech to the enthusiastic crowd, pointing out several significant anniversaries: the 20th anniv of P.O.V., the 25th anniv of Sundance, and the 40th anniv of President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, which enabled creation of entities like PBS and NPR.

AMOTZ: The official Sundance International Filmmaker party asked for my identification. Inside was very little room as it took place at the Stella Artois Patio and it was good to see all the foreign peeps. Tried to speak to Joachim Trier who did the analytical film REPRISE but he was being approached by so many agents and managers that there was no room. Can't blame them as his film is good. Spoke to the director of ONCE which is really a musical but not in the conventional sense. What makes the movie even better is that the director is a nice and polite human being. But then the heat was getting to me so I had to leave.

The First Look Hollywood Life Party had models running around serving food and no vodka. So how does that work? You pay the model to come to Park City to become a waitress? Room and board and flight included? I couldn't find anyone at the party to ask that question. The food was good and it reinforces the idea that you don't need to pay for that $35 filet mignon. You can survive at the festival without paying for food or booze. Water may be sometimes hard to get for free.

THE PREMIERE: THE TEN
MICHAEL: Tonight after a cocktail hour with tons of people I had never met, we went to the theatre for the premiere [of David Wain’s THE TEN]. It’s hard for me to get that I was being included as one of the co-stars when they were moving me up to the tiny green room for a select few to be brought on stage prior to the film debut. It was myself, Adam Brody, Gretchen Moll, A.D. Miles, Paul Rudd, Ken Marino,Winona Ryder, Mather Zickel, Justin Theroux, and one or two other supporting cast. Winona and I reconnected and bonded incessantly, along with Justin and I talking a lot about his own film premiering this week.

Michael Ziegfeld, Justin Theroux, Cedric Sanders & Winona Ryder in the green room before the world premiere of "THE TEN".

Before taking us into the theatre with the public, director David Wain walked in to explain about the introductions and the Q & A after, but not before he told everyone how touched he was that we came to support him at this huge life moment. It was really nice. He’s so sweet.

I had been forewarned that the film had been running SO long that a ton of cuts were made. Although I think my work turned out ok and I had a few strong moments, I have decided that they need an awards category for “Best Actor in a DELETED SCENE”. I’d be IN!!!!! It was also a nice surprise to find out I was in not one but two of the vignettes of the film. During the Q & A, someone actually asked “Who performed the ventriloquist dummy?” David praised me and my work very generously.

FRIDAY WRAP UP
AMOTZ: Outside, platoons of young kids run around Main Street yelling and screaming. A pretty blonde girl in a green coat is yelling at a tall dude to stop cheating on her. A handsome guy wearing only a dress shirt and jeans instead of a large coat tries to speak on his cell phone without shivering. My boss asks me if we can quantify the cost of going to Sundance versus the revenue will we bring in from the magic that happens here. It's late, I miss my wife and daughter, and tomorrow I have a very packed day. Remember to "tell the truth, work hard, and come home on time." Oorah.

TAMARA: Attending Sundance is an exercise in balance. Crucial decisions about when to go back to the condo for a breather (or a glass of wine), when to wait it out in the party line vs. when to call it quits, when to have a glass filled with water instead of vodka…all of these factor into a successful Sundance experience. Tonight decision-making powers were put to the test as we waited in the cold to get into the Gen Art party (only 2 names on the list, but 5 peeps total in our posse), had one too many slices of pizza for dinner and finally left the Premiere Lounge when we realized we were close to being up for 24 hours straight.

Now it’s time to check the schedule for tomorrow with the hopes of actually seeing a few movies. As the buttons around town say, “Focus on Film.”

I will.

As soon as I get some sleep.