Park City, Utah is crawling with dancers, but they do not tango
or flamenco. They don’t waltz. They certainly don’t
polka.
In fact, the dance floors are a series of silver screens and the
dancers are artists who have worked months or years to see their
names scroll down the big screen.
Welcome to Park City, home to the “-dance” Film
Festival.
As the art and industry of independent film continue to grow,
film festivals from Sundance to Slamdance have become a link in the
chain to cinematic success. Festival acceptance is not only a goal
for a rising filmmaker; it is a necessity.
The Sundance Film Festival began under the name Utah/US Film
Festival in 1978 through the efforts of American actor, director,
and independent film activist Robert Redford. From its start, it
embodied the ideals of independent filmmaking, allowing a platform
to display films outside the Hollywood studio system.
Today, Sundance has become a symbol of status and artistic
recognition.
But what happens to those whose feet are stepped on by
Sundance?
The prestige of the festival and its international brothers such
as the Festival de Cannes and the Toronto International Film
Festival has sparked a rise of alternative film festivals
throughout the country and the world.
However, Sundance has not only sparked a wave of industrially
lucrative festivals nationwide and worldwide, many have latched on
to the recognizable and open-minded appeal of the
“-dance” festival.
Other than Slamdance, one alternative festival which prides
itself on uniqueness and legitimacy is the X-Dance Action Sports
Film Festival, which ran from Jan. 21-25 this year. The festival
featured dozens of films dedicated to action sports. While surfing,
skating, snowboarding, and skiing were most prominent, biking,
kayaking, and wake-boarding films were also displayed.
“Launched in 2001, X-Dance is a magnet for action sports
culture. It showcases the best in action sports film daily and
celebrates its lifestyle by night,” said Ann Wycoff, a
producer for the 2005 X-Dance festival.
Wycoff said that X-Dance attracts film entries, crowds and
sponsors in large part because no other festival like it
exists.
The festival features free screenings, open forums and filmmaker
panels in an effort to make it as open to the public as possible.
Additionally, nightly after-parties attract a younger crowd and
make the festival more of an overall entertainment experience,
combining the world of film with the world of action sports.
But like any festival, X-Dance faces its challenges.
“The largest challenge we face is raising money,”
Wycoff said. “We are financially supported through private
sponsors.”
Sponsors, such as FUEL TV, ABSOLUT, Fiji Water and Fox Racing,
are attracted to the festival for its uniqueness and its
product.
However, other “-dance” festivals have not been as
successful as X-Dance and Slamdance.
The oldest alternative to Sundance, Slumdance, which last ran
films in 2001, features a statement at the bottom of its Web site
that states, “We were once a film festival.” Slumdance
once featured crude and obscure films, appealing to an alternative
crowd not usually present at Sundance.
Other festivals have resulted in equally desperate fates.
Nodance, which last occurred in 2003, featured competition in
digital film. Meanwhile, SOS Dance, which last held competition in
1998, tried to draw alternative audiences by screening in trailer
parks, back alleys, and garages off of Main Street where the other
“-dance” festivals still take place.
As the failures of many past festivals have demonstrated, the
future of these “-dance” festivals might be more in the
hands of big businesses and private sponsors than in the filmmakers
themselves. Still, that doesn’t seem to be stopping anyone
from starting them up.
“(Festival) success relies on big corporate sponsorship,
media coverage of the event, huge attendance, and industry
acceptance and support,” Wycoff said.