PARK CITY, Utah----The 25th Sundance Film Festival wrapped with Festival director Geoffrey Gilmore expressing grave doubts about the plight of independent feature filmmaking:  “The future is not clear.  It really is uncertain.  The independent arena will change---and it needs to change, because there are too many good films here that need to be seen by audiences everywhere.  We need to work out a way for that to happen”.

But, while there wasn’t a “Little Miss Sunshine” record-setting deal of $10+ million, Sundance 09 saw a healthy number of films securing theatrical distribution.  The most remarkable breakout of this festival was Lee Daniels’ power-packed tale of the disenfranchised titled “Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire” which sold after the festival to Lionsgate for a reputed $5.5 million- the best anyone did this year.

One thing that changed in 09 was the festival leaned a slight bit more to being an international event.  Submissions from the USA dipped after years of steady increases to 1,905 features, while foreign submissions reached a record 1,756 from 1,603.  The 118 features included 91 world premieres, 16 North American premieres, and 5 U.S. premieres representing 21 countries with 42 first-time filmmakers, including 28 in competition and were chosen from 3,661 submissions, up slightly from 3,624 despite a faltering world economy and the weakest independent movie market in over a decade.

Mr. Gilmore added that “it hasn’t dropped the way it will drop, which I can tell you is certain to happen”.  On that gloomy note let’s review the remarkable Top 10 of what was a jam-packed ten days of film viewing, parties, panels and bus rides.

THE  FILM FESTIVAL TODAY TOP 10 OF SUNDANCE 2009

1. Push: Based on the Novel By Sapphire
2. We Live in Public
3. The Cove
4. Sin Nombre
5. An Education
6. Adam
7. Johnny Mad Dog
8. World’s Greatest Dad
9. Burma VJ
10. End of the Line
    
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