Whither Sundance?



Arguably, Sundance jumped the shark -- or at least lost some of the sheen of its earnest indie magic -- in 2005, where the nickname "SwagDance" took hold ("BrandDance" is our personal fave). By last year it was thoroughly excessive and this year its buzz was minimal.

This year thumotic materialism become the main story, overshadowing the vibrant art being showcased, which could not have made Pappa Sundance -- Robert Redford -- happy. It was in 2006 that, Redford addressed the questions of whether or not the little indie festival that could had lost its edge and artistic integrity on the heels of that year's premiere, ironically titled "Friends With Money (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment)." On that stage in 2006 at the Kimball Art Center were Geoffrey Gilmore, Sundance's co-director and programmer, Nicole Holofcener, who directed Friends with Money and Redford. Gilmore went to great lengths on the night of January 19, 2006 to tell the assembled press that Sundance still had indie cred. But the subsequent years have not born this out.

Exit Geoffrey Gilmore, stage right. From Sharon Waxman and Amy Kaufman in TheWrap:

"The biggest job in independent film became available on Tuesday, when Geoff Gilmore, the director of the Sundance Film Festival for the last 19 years, took a job as the chief creative officer with Tribeca Enterprises in New York.

"Gilmore's desire to leave Sundance for different (or at least more lucrative) pastures has been rumored for years in the independent film community. But as the indie world has contracted, job options have diminished too.

"Nonetheless, the move does mean the independent film world is undergoing some churn, just four days before the Spirit Awards celebrate the best in low-budget filmmaking.

"For one thing, Tribeca's hiring of Gilmore is a shot across the bow of the New York Film Festival, which has been a rival of the Tribeca Film Festival since it was launched by Jane Rosenthal and Robert de Niro in 2002.

"And Gilmore’s departure presents an opportunity for Robert Redford, the moving spirit behind Sundance, to reinvent what has become the most important festival in the independent film world. Despite its stature, or because of it, Sundance has by now outgrown its indie roots; for too long it has been overshadowed by commercialism."

More on TheWrap.