Last week, the 39th Sundance Film Festival kicked off, back in person in Park City, Utah, for the first time since 2020. While festivalgoers brave the cold and snow of the ski town, those at home can still participate, with virtual screenings through Jan. 29. Movie fans can also enjoy the virtual Slamdance Film Festival, running concurrently, by subscribing to the Slamdance streaming channel for $7.99.
Just last year, a Sundance movie (“CODA”) won the Academy Award for best picture, so the film festival still bears a lot of clout in Hollywood, anointing future award winners and major filmmakers alike. While it remains to be seen who will be the breakouts from this year’s festival (although Netflix just scooped up the erotic thriller “Fair Play” for a cool $20 million), it’s worthwhile to look back at some of the high profile films that had their premieres at the festival, just to see what an influential launch pad it has been for independent film since 1984.
It would be wrong not to mention one of the most enduring Sundance movies of all time, “Reservoir Dogs,” which premiered at the fest in 1992 and launched Quentin Tarantino into household name status. Without “Reservoir Dogs” and Sundance, it’s questionable if there would be a “Pulp Fiction,” a “Jackie Brown,” a “Once Upon in Time… In Hollywood.” So give “Reservoir Dogs” another spin, on Netflix, for old time’s sake.
