Brrrr....It's cold at Sundance. Does that make the movies better?

I'm three days into my very first Sundance, and it's been a terrific experience...and one I've wanted since I first decided to make movies. Obviously, the projects here are some of the very best in independent film, but at the end of the day, I can't help thinking that this environment makes them seem even better. It's about exclusivity, I think, and a number of factors add to the feeling that this place is special, these movies are great, and, most importantly, we're part of it.

1. The Cold - Trudging through a mess of freezing slush to get to a party last night, I kept asking myself why the hell anyone would schedule a festival in the mountains in the dead of winter. Park City seems like it would be beautiful in the summer, and we could avoid the coat checks, wet feet, and funny hat head. Then I realized that maybe that's the point - maybe the cold keeps people away unless they have a reason to be here - sort of an environmental crowd control device. And of course, it also makes the time you spend inside a screening or a party just plain feel better physically.

2. The lines - Many festivals have lines, but I'm blown away by the complex dance it takes to see a movie here. I can take a bus to headquarters to buy ($$) tickets to shows for the same or next day...if tickets are still available after waves of online buying took place last month (before I knew anything about any of the movies). Or I can go to a venue two hours before and get a number that gives me a chance to see a film if some ticket holders don't show up. Not complaining - just saying it's hard to see a film, and with that much effort to see one, it feels quite special when I finally get to sit down in the theater, and I really, really want to like anything I get to see. I actually couldn't get a ticket to see my own project last night - but I hear from the lucky folks who got in that it's amazing!

3. The RSVPs - Instead of just having our badges get us in to parties, there are tons of e-mailed invitations, and you're asked to RSVP for each event you want to attend. If you've been to any festival, you know how impulsive things can be - you miss a screening, or run into a friend, so suddenly you're doing something new...but in this case, hopefully you both RSVP'd for it. One of my friends here said he actually just RSVP's for everything, regardless of whether he plans to actually go, and that sounds like a smart idea. I took the opposite approach and have been just showing up places trying to get in, and so far it's worked! There's a line at every party, which helps them feel special, and there are usually a few people with long printed lists checking folks in. Being on that list has got to feel good, but it's also pretty nice to watch the checker not see my name, then just help me save face, pretend I'm on it, and let me in.

You see, nobody here wants to make anyone feel excluded. But it is important that the people and the movies here seem special. We're part of the family now, and it feels pretty good.

-Jason Wehling