As the Sundance Film Festival kicks off this week in Park City, Director of Programming Trevor Groth breaks down a list of dos and don’ts for attendees attempting to successfully conquer one of the most important indie events of the year.
“Do a lot of preparation before the festival, surround yourself with a good team – hopefully you have a good producer that you’ve partnered with on the project,” Groth advises festival participants.
He also suggests bringing on a publicist if the film warrants it, which most larger films will definitely benefit from.
“Probably get a good sales rep - a sales agent – if that’s your aspiration, to sell it while you’re up there,” he added, acknowledging that a big part of Sundance is the large number of lucrative deals signed throughout the week.
“All of the acquisitions people come to the festival to buy product, so that’s part of it,” he said. “We don’t cater to that too much. We want it to be a film festival, a celebration of film.”
But on the other hand, Groth said the market aspect of the festival has grown increasingly over the years and is important because it ultimately gives the films access to a bigger audience – which has always been a goal of Sundance founder Robert Redford.
Watch the full episode for more on the history of the Sundance Film Festival and what to expect this year in Park City.
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