Slamdance, founded in 1995, is a film festival that runs literally alongside Sundance in Park City, Utah. In their own words they are a film festival for filmmakers by filmmakers. Unlike Sundance, the unique part of Slamdance is the submission requirements: every one must be feature-length, a directorial debut without U.S. distribution, and budgets of less than $1 million USD. Many amazing artists have debuted their work at this festival like Bong Joon-Ho, Christopher Nolan, Anthony & Joe Russo, Rian Johnson, and our very own Lynn Shelton. To say that it’s a hotbed of talent is putting it lightly to say the least.
For the second time in its history, Slamdance will be completely virtual giving all of us the opportunity to see history in the making. Perhaps not the best films of their careers, but we’ll find creations made with passion and a sneak peek at burgeoning talent that can’t be denied.
The festival begins today January 27th and ends on Sunday February 6th, so you’ll have tons of time this weekend and into next week to binge to your heart’s delight. There are over 100 films waiting for you including 23 premieres and films both national and international from countries like Germany, Australia, Iran, Italy and Poland.
Tickets
One of the best parts of the fest, aside from the fresh perspectives and up-and-coming talent, is the ticket price. $10 gets you access to the entirety of the festival, there’s not much more you can ask from them, especially when the admin costs have to take up a huge chunk out of that. They’re passing savings onto you because there’s no physical spaces to pay for this year… I can’t think of any film festival that’s done that since the pandemic started. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t blame them, festivals are expensive to run in normal circumstances so they’re trying to hold money in the coffers for later. What this tells me about the folks at Slamdance is they have other priorities in mind: you and the filmmakers. You can grab your festival pass on their site now, and even if you only see a couple films it’s more than worth it. Keep an eye out for my upcoming coverage!