The ten-day 2011 Sundance Film Festival gets underway today in Park City, Utah. The festival began in 1978 as the low-profile Utah/U.S. Film Festival put together by Hollywood star Robert Redford and friends. Today, it has grown into a gathering of some of Hollywood's biggest names and the country's up-and-coming filmmakers. The last couple of years have seen even more changes, including the addition of the NEXT category made up of extremely low-budget films and the Sundance Film Festival U.S.A. program, which shows a selection of the festival's films in theaters throughout the country. Some of this year's notable entries include the Beastie Boys short directed by Adam Yauch, the gender reassignment documentary "Becoming Chaz" from Chaz Bono, and the music doc "Beats, Rhymes And Life: The Travels Of A Tribe Called Quest."
The festival culminates with the awards ceremony held on Saturday, January 29th. A previously selected jury and the audiences get to pick their favorites, which could lead to mainstream recognition for smaller, independent films. Past winners that have gone on to major success include "Precious," "Little Miss Sunshine" and the documentary "Super Size Me." More information can be found at the festival's website, www.sundance.org/festival.
