Sundance 2015: An attendee's perspective

Posted By Ozan on February 05, 2015 07:45 am | Permalink
Ozan is the business development manager at the award winning post production boutique Piranha (www.piranhanyc.com). He is responsible for facilitating the diverse mix of Indy film, advertising, architectural and corporate clients that expect top quality animation, cg, editing and sound design to showcase their projects. With over ten years of experience and networking, Ozan has amassed an assortment of who's who in the Indy film industry. When not expediting an investment, Ozan enjoys reading and watching classic movies.

I'll begin my adventure into the snow covered hills of Park City, Utah in order to cover the goings on of the people at this year's Sundance film festival. There are a number of films that are very interesting this year including "The Witch" directed by Robert Eggers, "The Bronze" by Bryan Buckly, "Advantageous" by Jennifer Phang and "Ivy" by Tolga Karacelik. These are only a few of the hundreds of events and premiers taking place at this year's festival.

Day 1

I'm getting excited at the prospect of meeting creative and innovative people as well as the industry movers and shakers like Jonathan Gray and the Weinstein brothers who will be hosting some of the best parties of the festival. 
 


Let's see... Where exactly is Utah?



Packed and ready to head out. I'm packing light, I'm bringing with me only the essentials like a hat, coat, and a healthy dose of patience as i will find out that this bag will be misplaced upon my arrival by US Air. That's ok, they assured me I'll eventually be reunited with it in 6 to 8 hours. 



My first taste of interesting people. This is Jake who happened to be giving a live concert outside the terminal on my stop over in Charlotte, North Carolina. 

This is just a taste of the cocktail receptions hosted by the industry that can fill your schedule both night and day. It is possible to attend Sundance the whole two weeks without spending a penny on food or drink. Be sure to be organized and double check your RSVP status on every event. Preparing for Sundance months in advance is the best advise I can give concerning your stay at the festival.



The accommodations are key. I am sharing a house with six other industry colleagues. It's in a beautiful setting and somewhat quiet. We have a great stocked kitchen, clean bedrooms and a jacuzzi in the back in order to relax. This setup costs three times less than a hotel and you have the added advantage of exchanging information on the latest events and wildest parties.