Park City, UT—The 2010 Sundance Film Festival announced today the lineup of panels and special events, offering festivalgoers in-depth conversation, lively debate, and critical insight into a broad range of cultural and social issues. As one of the premier film festivals in the world, the Sundance Film Festival annually attracts a diverse group of leaders from the worlds of art, entertainment, science, and technology and has become a global convergence for dialogue on art and culture – and art’s role as a catalyst for change.  The 2010 Sundance Film Festival will take place from January 21-31 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden, and Sundance, Utah.

For details on each off-screen event, visit http://festival.sundance.org/2010/film_events/off_screen/.

Panel tickets are available at http://sundance.bside.com/2010/films/type/offscreen and at Festival box offices.

Cinema Café and At the Lodge panels are open only to credential holders. Credentials are $200 and allow admission to the Sundance House, Filmmaker Lodge, New Frontier on Main, daytime admission to the Sundance ASCAP Music Café, and the Salt Lake City Café. All Ticket Packages include two credentials. *Please note: Each Credential Holder MUST BE 21 to enter the Sundance ASCAP Music Café and special events at the Filmmaker Lodge; No exceptions.

TICKETED PANELS

• Can’t Be Done!: Conventional wisdom says some problems just can’t be fixed.  Tell that to microfinance pioneer and Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus (Grameen Bank, featured in To Catch a Dollar), education reformer Geoffrey Canada (Harlem Children’s Zone, featured in Waiting for Superman), environmental visionary Lester Brown (Earth Policy Institute, featured in Climate Refugees), and moderator Sally Osberg (President and CEO, Skoll Foundation).

• The Doctors are in the House: On the heels of an independent film community battered by the economy, rotating groups of industry experts, filmmakers, and strategists will explore concrete visions and case studies of radical approaches to distribution. 

• The Many Faces of Anna Deavere Smith: Artist-in residence at the Center for American progress, Anna Deavere Smith’s unique process combines journalistic interviews with the art of interpreting those words through performance.  Join Smith in conversation as she explores our national identity.  Moderated by award-winning journalist Michele Norris, host of NPR’s All Things Considered newsmagazine
  

• Art in America: The impact of art reaches beyond communicating human experiences and exploring ideas; It can bridge understanding, provide a vision for social change, and drive the economy.  Join us for a discussion with Moisés Kaufman, Rachel Goslins (President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities), Bob Lynch (Americans for the Arts), and Anne Radice (Institute of Museum and Library Services) about rethinking the relevance of film and art. 

CINEMA CAFÉ
Each morning at 10:30 a.m. in the Filmmaker Lodge, Cinema Café offers audiences the opportunity to engage with Festival filmmakers and other guests in an informal dialogue about their work.  A few highlights include conversations on writing, creative collaboration, and new Australian cinema.  Amongst the guests are Walter Murch, Russell Banks, Ryan Gosling, and Nicole Holofcener.

AT THE LODGE
At the Lodge is a series of daily panels hosted at the Filmmaker Lodge, including:

• The New War Stories: Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington (Restrepo), Amit Bar-Lev (The Tillman Story), Andrei Nekrasov (Russian Lessons), and Mohamed Al-Daradji (Son of Babylon) will explore the new kind of war reporting that is emerging in film, mixing journalism and storytelling to produce extraordinary viewing experiences. 

• The NEXT <=> Generation: The eight filmmakers of NEXT <=> offer lessons in low- and no-budget ingenuity and gusty plans for distribution.

• Speaking Truth to Power: A mini–keynote address from Gara LaMarche (president and CEO of the Atlantic Philanthropies), followed by a human rights round-table with Lamarche, Rob Lemkin and Thet Sambath (Enemies of the People), Stanley Nelson (Freedom Riders), and moderator Karen Greenberg (executive director of NYU’s Center on Law and Security).

PANELS AT NEW FRONTIER ON MAIN
In conjunction with the Festival’s New Frontier on Main films, performances, and installations, these panels explore the ever-evolving convergence of art and technology.  Festivalgoers can engage in dialogue with filmmakers and industry leaders, gain hands-on experience, or just share ideas.  Amongst this year’s panelists: Renowned artists Shirin Neshat, Piplotti Rist, John Fithian (president and CEO, National Association of Theater Owners), filmmaker Lynn Shelton, Oren Jacob (CTO, Pixar Animation Studios), Robert Tercek (President Digital Media, The Oprah Winfrey Network), and Henry Jenkins (Provost Professor, USC Cinema Arts).

FILM MUSIC ROUNDTABLES
Explore the huge role music plays in film during these lively conversations at Sundance House Presented by HP.  Events include:

• Music and Film, the Creative Process (Produced by BMI): What goes into creating a successful film score?  What makes for an effective director/composer relationship?  Find out in this inspired roundtable discussion with panelists including Skateland composer Michael Penn and director Anthony Burns; Teenage Paparazzo composer David Torn and director Adrian Grenier; Smash His Camera composer Craig Hazen and director Leon Gast; Family Affair composer Miriam Cutler and director Chico Colvard; Climate Refugees composer Michael Mollura and director Michael Nash; Holy Rollers composer MJ Mynarski and director Kevin Asch; The Kids Are All Right composer Craig Wedren; Countdown to Zero composer and director of the Sundance Composers Lab Peter Golub; Austin Powers composer and Sundance Lab advisor George S. Clinton; and March of the Penguins composer and Sundance Lab advisor Alex Wurman.

2010 Sundance Film Festival Sponsors
The 2010 Sundance Film Festival sponsors to date include: Presenting Sponsors—Entertainment Weekly, HP, Honda and Sundance Channel; Leadership Sponsors—American Express, Bing™, DIRECTV,  G-Technology by Hitachi, Southwest Airlines and YouTube™; Sustaining Sponsors—ABSOLUT® VODKA, Blockbuster Inc., FilterForGood®, a partnership between Brita® and Nalgene®, L’Oréal Paris, Sony Electronics Inc., Stella Artois®, Timberland and Utah Film Commission. Their support will defray costs associated with the 10-day Festival and the nonprofit Sundance Institute’s year-round programs for independent film and theatre artists. In return, sponsorship of the preeminent Festival provides these organizations with global exposure, a platform for brand impressions and unique access to Festival attendees: The 2009 Sundance Film Festival, attended by over 40,000 visitors, generated an overall economic impact of a record $92.1 million and generated over $18 million in media exposure.

About Sundance Institute
Founded by Robert Redford in 1981, Sundance Institute is a not-for-profit organization that fosters the development of original storytelling in film and theatre. Internationally recognized for its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, film composers, playwrights and theatre artists, Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as Angels in America, Spring Awakening, Boys Don’t Cry and Born into Brothels.