BAM

We are still rather of a divided mind as to whether or not Sundance East is a boon to Brooklyn, or if it hastens the inevitable shark-jumping moment of the entire borough (Posh Spice naming her precious little cargo after our wonderful little quadrant didn't help). From WSJ:

"Starting Thursday, the Sundance Institute will mount an 11-day program of feature films, shorts, screenplay readings and concerts at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, better known as BAM.

"... By setting up shop at BAM, a facility in the Fort Greene neighborhood across the East River from Manhattan, organizers are hoping to highlight the Sundance Institute's role in the indie arts. Founded in 1981 by Robert Redford, the Institute hosts up to 130 fellows, from directors to composers, playwrights to producers, in 'labs' that run year-round. The BAM event is partly a recruitment effort to draw New York-area artists to Park City. But it's also meant to demonstrate to the general public that Sundance is more than a 10-day celebrity party.

"The event comes at a time of uncertainty for the art-house movie market. In the midst of this, Sundance is trying to build its brand, both at BAM and with digital ventures, such as streaming short films from the festival on Netflix and selling them through iTunes and Xbox videogame systems. About three dozen shorts will screen at BAM, including 'Force 1 TD,' an 11-minute story about a trio of friends who go on a quest to outfit a miniature horse with a set of sneakers.

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More here.