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    Sundance Fest To Kick Off; Lineup Includes 117 Feature Films

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments2286 Views
    In this Thursday, Jan. 22, 2015, file photo, the Egyptian Theatre is lit up on Main Street during the first night of the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. The mountainside festival, which kicks off Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019, in Park City, Utah, has become known for launching nonfiction films to box office successes and awards, and this year is shaping up to be no different. (Photo by Arthur Mola/Invision/AP, File)

    By Lindsey Bahr, Film Writer

    PARK CITY, Utah (AP) --

    Hollywood is bundling up and descending on Park City, Utah to kick off the 2019 Sundance Film Festival Thursday.

    Although the first films of the two-week long festival won't premiere until Thursday evening, the ski town is already bustling with activity as brands and sponsors rush to finish plastering Main Street with logos and installations before the thousands of film fans and filmmakers touch down. But although the temptations in town are many — from flashy virtual reality set-ups and performances from the likes of Arcade Fire, to cozy lounges and filmmaker panels — the films themselves remain the main event for Sundance attendees. The opening night selections are long sold out.

    The festival officially starts Thursday evening with the premieres of "After The Wedding," an adaptation of Susanne Bier's Oscar-nominated Danish film starring Michelle Williams and Julianne Moore, and "The Inventor: Out For Blood in Silicon Valley," Alex Gibney's documentary about Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes.

    "I hope (audiences) get a deep dive into the psychology of fraud and the psychology of capitalism," Gibney said. "That's what's really interesting to me about this, that journey of why we believe certain stories and why certain storytellers are effective."

    Also debuting Thursday night are "Native Son," a contemporary reimaging of the Richard Wright novel, "Memory: The Origins of Alien," about the Ridley Scott film, and "Apollo 11," which has never-before-seen or heard footage from the mission. Opening night films have tended to run the gamut from excellent ("Whiplash") to forgettable ("The Bronze").

    The Robert Redford-founded film festival is host this year to 117 feature films, 105 world premieres and even some retrospectives, including a 20th anniversary screening of "The Blair Witch Project."

    Recent hits that debuted at Sundance include "The Big Sick," ''Get Out," ''Eighth Grade," ''Sorry to Bother You," ''RBG" and "Won't You Be My Neighbor?." Even with competition from Netflix and Hulu there are still some indies that break out. But lately some of the pricier acquisition deals have not panned out, like last year's "Assassination Nation," which was purchased for $10 million and went on to gross only $2.5 million at the box office.

    This year programmers have promised a return to the discovery aspect that Sundance made its name with. With a new director of programming in place in Kim Yutani, the festival also has a diverse lineup of filmmakers behind the camera too: 39 percent of the projects were directed by women and 35 percent by people of color.

    "What attracted me to Sundance in the first place was my love of independent film and the types of stories that they've showed over the years: Stories about outsiders, people on the margins, things that exist outside of the mainstream," Yutani said. "Part of (my goal) is keeping up that legacy and making sure our program is as diverse as possible."

    The festival runs through Feb. 3.

    Category:News
    Tags:After The WeddingSundance Film FestivalThe Inventor: Out For Blood in Silicon Valley



    A Closer Look At Proposed Measures Designed To Curb Google’s Search Monopoly

    Thursday, November 21, 2024

    U.S. regulators are proposing aggressive measures to restore competition to the online search market after a federal judge ruled Google maintained an illegal monopoly for the last decade.

    The sweeping set of recommendations filed late Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Justice could radically alter Google's business, including possibly spinning off the Chrome web browser and syndicating its search data to competitors. Even if the courts adopt the blueprint, Google isn't likely to make any significant changes until 2026 at the earliest, because of the legal system's slow-moving wheels.

    Here's what it all means:

    What is the Justice Department's goal?
    Federal prosecutors are cracking down on Google in a case originally filed during near the end of then-President Donald Trump's first term. Officials say the main goal of these proposals is to get Google to stop leveraging its dominant search engine to illegally squelch competition and stifle innovation.

    "The playing field is not level because of Google's conduct, and Google's quality reflects the ill-gotten gains of an advantage illegally acquired," the Justice Department asserted in its recommendations. "The remedy must close this gap and deprive Google of these advantages."

    Not surprisingly, Google sees things much differently. The Justice Department's "wildly overbroad proposal goes miles beyond the Court's decision," Kent Walker, Google's chief legal officer, asserted in a blog post. "It would break a range of Google products — even beyond search — that people love and find helpful in their everyday lives."

    It's still possible that the Justice Department could ease off on its attempts to break up Google, especially if President-elect Donald Trump... Read More

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