One of the highlights of my year has definitely been Sundance London, the first time Robert Redford’s film festival ever took its name outside of the US, and brought it to our shores here in the UK.
For a weekend in April, we got the chance to see just over a dozen feature films that had debuted in January at Sundance in the US, including the likes of Ry Russo-Young’s Nobody Walks, Josh Radnor’s Liberal Arts, and one of my personal favourite films of the year, Colin Trevorrow’s Safety Not Guaranteed.
In the intervening months, we’ve been awaiting confirmation on the festival’s fate for next year, and now Sundance have officially announced that Sundance London will not only be returning to the capital in 2013, but in 2014 as well.
The second Sundance London will be held from 25th-28th April, 2013, with passes and ticket packages for next year’s festival going on sale next month, on 9th November. The dates for 2014 are still to be confirmed, but it can only be good news that Redford and co. are excited about building on this first year with a two-year commitment. With any luck, this will be the continuation of something that will become an annual event for years to come.
The US line-up, from which the films are selected to come to the UK, is set to be announced in December, and from there we can all speculate and look forward to what might be making its way across the Atlantic three months later.
Sundance London will be returning to the O2 in April next year, to the same venue which played host to the festival in its entirety this year, and we can’t wait to have it back.
“The O2, London, 22 October 2012 — Robert Redford, Sundance Institute and AEG Europe announced today that following the success of the first-ever Sundance London film and music festival in April 2012, the event will return to the world famous London venue, The O2, for a further two years, in 2013 and 2014. Passes and ticket packages for the 2013 event will go on general sale on 9 November at www.sundance-london.com.
The second Sundance London will take place from 25-28 April, 2013, and host the international and UK premieres of American independent films fresh from the 2013 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, U.S.A., as well as live music performances, panels and events. The 2013 programme will continue its 2012 focus on presenting new work by American filmmakers and music artists. Sundance Institute, which annually presents the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, U.S.A, will select the films and related programming.
The first Sundance London featured screenings of 27 films, including many European premieres, and performances by 17 musical acts. Highlights included the Royal Premiere of HARMONY: A New Way of Looking at Our World attended by HRH, The Prince of Wales; an intimate performance by Rufus and Martha Wainwright following the world premiere of Lian Lunson’s film about the music of their mother; the Opening Night event An Evening With Robert Redford And T Bone Burnett; Tricky and Martina Topley-Bird performing Maxinquaye; and screenings of 14 feature-length and eight short films from the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. Audiences were also treated to several thought-provoking panels featuring industry experts and artists discussing topical film and music issues.
Robert Redford, President & Founder of Sundance Institute, said: “Sundance was warmly welcomed to London last year, by engaged and adventurous audiences eager to take a chance on independent film, and this makes a second year all the more exciting for us.”
“The vibrant arts community in London has informed this decision as much as anything,” continued Redford. “Seeing what comes of nurturing a broader global community for new voices and varied perspectives in American independent film and music, seems a worthy 21st Century endeavour.”
Alex Hill, Chief Finance and Strategy Officer at AEG Europe said: “The O2 has long been known for hosting some of the world’s most exciting music acts and sports spectacles, and our growth into film with the hugely successful Sundance London film and music festival is a perfect complement to our current calendar. We’re thrilled to be hosting Sundance London again in 2013 and 2014, building even further on the achievements of our inaugural year.”
John Cooper, Director of the Sundance Film Festival, said: “In addition to exposing European audiences to American film and music, we will continue connecting with the UK and European filmmaking community through workshops, panels and conversations designed to create a forum for identifying commonalities of independent filmmaking as well an exchange of best practices and new ideas.”
For more information visit www.sundance-london.com or follow @SundancefestUK on Twitter.”
