Festival Corner

Robert Redford said that Sundance 2011 is one of the best festivals yet. While the festival was very exciting, it wasn’t until I detected something serious brewing that I began to think he may be right. And now it is my turn to go out on a limb and make a big statement: two revolutions in media launched during January 10-20th, and if they were not totally believed by the press during the festival, they will certainly be proven over time.

One very exciting revolution-in-the-works is Kevin Smith’s rebellious lead in saying no to traditional distribution business strategy and instead self-distributing his film Red State, which he plans on eventually leading to establishing his own distribution company for other indie filmmakers. The potential is great, and I only see him gaining momentum, not losing at all. He has already proven that he knows how to successfully capitalize on his self-proclaimed loser-identity: first with a catalog of indie hits, and now with over a million Twitter followers whom he hopes to see in theaters when he will personally present Red State at screenings.


The second revolution coming was marked by Jennifer Siebel Newsom and her documentary Miss Representation, a film about how women are (mis)represented and hyper-sexualized in the media. As noted by famous economists such as Amartya Sen, journalists such as Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, and forward-thinking visionaries such as Bill and Melinda Gates, that the empowerment of women and women’s contributions to society is the next and necessary step in making the world a better place, in battling poverty, and in sustainable practices that include environmental and economic responsibility and accountability.

At least two other films premiered at Sundance that support this as of yet under-the-radar movement for women in film. The documentary !WOMEN, ART, REVOLUTION by Lynn Hershman-Leeson, which tells the story of women artists in the 1960’s and 70’s who battled nearly impenetrable sexism for acknowledgement of their mere existence in addition to their merit as artists.

Proof of tables turning in favor of women gaining respect is the very fact that Hershman-Leeson was able to finish this film—her volumes of art were finally purchased for a considerable value, and foundations such as Stanford University is supporting her catalogs of videos, images, and contributions from women artists of the past and present.

The next film that I saw which I felt had an exceptionally unique and deep vision, which counts as revolutionary in my books for sure, was the campy parody of sci-fi B-movies of the 60’s, the comedy narrative feature Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same by Madeleine Olnek.

This film is unlike anything I have ever seen, and the large audience filled the theater with roaring laughter throughout the show. Not only was it completely hilarious, but it was also ridiculously creative, and while the film is a light-hearted lesbian romantic sci-fi comedy, it also addresses very important and deep social issues…but it is the way in which Olnek addresses these issues that I find so remarkable—from the dialogue, to the pacing of the edit, to the story and the out-of-this-world characters, Olnek makes a perfect work of art which is not only entertaining, but it is transformative. I rarely go off on how brilliant a film is…usually only Terrence Malik makes me go on and on about transformative vision. But I have found that he has a low-budget lesbian counterpart stalking the streets of Greenwich Village.

The last premier I saw which solidifies my theory of a revolution brewing is Sundance Channel’s series Brick City,  in its second season, with visionary Mayor of Newark Corey Booker setting the blueprint for how we in America can reclaim our country, and filmmakers Marc Levin and Mark Benjamin capture it with electric charm and exhilarating entertainment.

Indeed, I agree with Robert Redford that the 2011 Sundance Film Festival was the best yet. While the expansive festival seems to have outgrown the limited space of the little ski town of Park City, I predict the visions of the filmmakers will begin to permeate society finally as Redford had one day dreamed of. I can’t wait.

To contact Leah Yananton email: lm.yananton@gmail.com