Snow Can't Dampen Spirit at 2008 Sundance Film Festival

The Sundance Film Festival 2008 in Park City, Utah, opened on January 17, at the Eccles Theatre with the world premiere of a suspense film name In Bruges, written and directed by Martin McDonagh. According to www.sundance.org, McDonagh is a first-time feature filmmaker and award-winning playwright. The film has an International cast and setting of two hit men in London.

This event, with film enthusiasts, filmmakers and new Independent films, will share their passion in the film industry for 10 days from January 17 to January 27. Variety and Hollywood Reporter reported that "the first sales of the festival were happening with HBO picking up Black List Vol. 1 and Zaitgeist picking up Yanhtze."

Peter Golub is the director of the Sundance Film Music Program Composer Lab. Throughout the year, Golub organizes the music events and concerts sponsored by Sundance. Collaborations by directors and composers were organized at discussion panels throughout the festival with many discussions and questions of developing film. A discussion panel is an event for ticket holders and people with credentials. Golub explains, "A discussion panel at the event is a panel of 15 to 16 directors and composers who work on film and collaborate to discuss and answer questions on the process of film-making."

Patti Smith, a singer, songwriter and journalist who performs punk, rock and protopunk, and Mos Def, an American actor and rapper, performed Sunday, January 20, at the Sundance House. There was also an appearance from Michael Gondry, who is a film & video director and screenwriter since 1986.