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CNN Live At Daybreak
Sundance Film Festival Opens in Utah
Aired January 15, 2004 - 05:37 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And tonight the Sundance Film Festival opens in Utah. It's a chance for aspiring filmmakers to show off their work, and with a little luck, it may carry them on to the hills of Hollywood.
CNN's Maria Hinojosa is there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's a very powerful place.
NAOMI WATTS, ACTRESS: I love the festival because it's very laid back and, you know, the beautiful setting.
MARIA HINOJOSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For nearly two decades, the Sundance Film Festival has been a holy land for independent filmmakers, a place to be discovered and find mainstream distribution for their work.
For founder Robert Redford, Sundance is the culmination of a dream.
ROBERT REDFORD, FOUNDER, SUNDANCE FILM INSTITUTE: I've always been drawn to the notion of independent, individual (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and particularly when it was against the tide of conformity or general consolidation of things. I like diversity, I like independence.
HOLLY HUNTER, ACTRESS: The festival can be quite a positive thing for a movie.
HINOJOSA: Since 1985, films showcased at Sundance have gone on to earn nearly 100 Oscar nominations. That may explain why so many stars are making their way onto the Sundance program.
This year's crop includes Naomi Watts, Courteney Cox and Ashton Kutcher, who makes his Sundance debut in the thriller, "The Butterfly Effect."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT")
ASHTON KUTCHER, ACTOR: Every time I try to go back in time and help someone, everything just goes wrong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HINOJOSA: Sundance is still a haven for unknown talent. You won't see familiar faces in the festival entries "Open Water" and "Tarnation."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "TARNATION")
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because he had to lay around.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HINOJOSA: And Sundance remains a sanctuary for documentaries. More than 40 will debut at the festival, exploring everything from the African-American experience to the Scrabble obsession.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We look for storytelling that encompasses an independent voice, a point of view that's creative, that's cinematic.
HINOJOSA: With 256 films overall, there's a lot of cinema to choose from.
Maria Hinojosa, CNN,
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired January 15, 2004 - 05:37 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And tonight the Sundance Film Festival opens in Utah. It's a chance for aspiring filmmakers to show off their work, and with a little luck, it may carry them on to the hills of Hollywood.
CNN's Maria Hinojosa is there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's a very powerful place.
NAOMI WATTS, ACTRESS: I love the festival because it's very laid back and, you know, the beautiful setting.
MARIA HINOJOSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For nearly two decades, the Sundance Film Festival has been a holy land for independent filmmakers, a place to be discovered and find mainstream distribution for their work.
For founder Robert Redford, Sundance is the culmination of a dream.
ROBERT REDFORD, FOUNDER, SUNDANCE FILM INSTITUTE: I've always been drawn to the notion of independent, individual (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and particularly when it was against the tide of conformity or general consolidation of things. I like diversity, I like independence.
HOLLY HUNTER, ACTRESS: The festival can be quite a positive thing for a movie.
HINOJOSA: Since 1985, films showcased at Sundance have gone on to earn nearly 100 Oscar nominations. That may explain why so many stars are making their way onto the Sundance program.
This year's crop includes Naomi Watts, Courteney Cox and Ashton Kutcher, who makes his Sundance debut in the thriller, "The Butterfly Effect."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT")
ASHTON KUTCHER, ACTOR: Every time I try to go back in time and help someone, everything just goes wrong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HINOJOSA: Sundance is still a haven for unknown talent. You won't see familiar faces in the festival entries "Open Water" and "Tarnation."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "TARNATION")
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because he had to lay around.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HINOJOSA: And Sundance remains a sanctuary for documentaries. More than 40 will debut at the festival, exploring everything from the African-American experience to the Scrabble obsession.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We look for storytelling that encompasses an independent voice, a point of view that's creative, that's cinematic.
HINOJOSA: With 256 films overall, there's a lot of cinema to choose from.
Maria Hinojosa, CNN,
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
