Hoping for success after Sundance

Scene from "The Full Monty"

January 23, 1998
Web posted at: 5:19 p.m. EST (2219 GMT)

PARK CITY, Utah (CNN) -- The excitement is escalating at the Sundance Film Festival, where many of the 13,000 participants hope to walk away with the next Sundance success story.

Last year, the festival hit was "The Full Monty."

"That's when we got the inkling that this is going to be something ... something special," Steve Huison, who played Lomper in the film, told CNN.

The film has grossed nearly $37 million at U.S. box offices since its debut in the United States about six months ago.

"Ulee's Gold"

"Shine" and "Ulee's Gold" also struck gold at Sundance last year. Not only were they box office successes, but actor Peter Fonda won a Golden Globe for his role in "Ulee's Gold," and Geoffrey Rush won an Academy Award for best actor for his role in "Shine."

The next Sundance success story could belong to "Sliding Doors," an offbeat romantic comedy starring Gwyneth Paltrow.

Other potential heavy hitters among the 103 films shown this year include "The Spanish Prisoner," starring Steve Martin and directed by David Mamet, and "Polish Wedding" with Gabriel Byrne and Clair Danes.

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Film clips
"The Full Monty"	VXtreme movie trailer (1:35) QuickTime movie clip (788K/20 sec.)
"Ulee's Gold"	QuickTime movie trailer (4.1MB/1:52) QuickTime movie clip (1.1MB/30 sec.)
"Shine"	QuickTime movie clip (1.2MB/34 sec.)
"Sliding Doors"	QuickTime movie clip(1.3MB/41 sec.)
"House of Yes"	VXtreme movie trailer (1:30) QuickTime movie clip (813K/30 sec.)
"The Myth of Fingerprints"	QuickTime movie clip (1.8MB/46 sec.)

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"Sliding Doors"

"Sundance has become the autobahn, the Route 66 of getting yourself known as a filmmaker," said Neil LaBute, who directed "In the Company of Men."

But many films that do well at Sundance find their successes are short-lived.

"House of Yes" sold for close to $2 million after it received favorable reviews at last year's festival. But the film only grossed $600,000 at the box office.

One film that isn't being touted in Park City this year is Nick Broomfield's "Kurt and Courtney," a documentary about rocker Courtney Love and her late husband Kurt Cobain.

"The House of Yes" was applauded at Sundance, but did poorly at the box office

The film isn't being hailed as a potential success because no one got to see it. Sundance organizers had to pull it after Love threatened to sue the filmmaker.

"You do get a portrait of someone who is extremely controlling," Broomfield said about the film's depiction of Love. "And if they don't get what they want, they'll go to any lengths to prevent something from coming out, which is exactly what she's done with this film."

The documentary is scheduled to air on the BBC within a year, Broomfield said.

The 10-day festival will end Sunday with the presentation of this year's awards.

Correspondent Cynthia Tornquist contributed to this report.

Related story:

• Sundance Film Festival 1998

Related site:

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• Internet Movie Database

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