The Sundance Film Festival, which began January 20 and ends January 30, self-identifies as a “discovery festival,” meaning that it embraces its own legend of being a place where, over the course of a single screening, an unknown can transform into an industry-redefining star—even as that fantasy seems increasingly out of date in a world in which video is eminently demandable and filmmakers are their own best marketers. As Kevin Smith put it during a 30-minute lecture on the evolution and inner workings of indie-film distribution... More >>>