26th Picture of Day This year: Why I Love Sundance

Attending Sundance movies can be a real pain. Well attending the movies isn't bad but figuring out the ticket process can make anyone crazy.

You have to sign up in December, to get a "spot" in line for January, for a "Chance" at tickets.

This year I really thought I had another part of the ticketing process down, called E-waitlist. I tried it out tonight but FAILED. 

It works like this: you log in 2 hrs before the movie you want to see and get a "waitlist number"; then you show up 1/2 hr before and IF there are extra seats you get to buy a discounted ticket "CASH ONLY".

At this point I could tell you the boring but the perfectly understandable way I ended up in the wrong theater tonight to see an amazing documentary, but NOT the movie I signed up for, but I won't. However, in my defense it could have happened to anyone.

But that leads me to why I love Sundance. It is just so damn unpredictable. When you take the Hollywood advertising budget out of a movie, you end up having to figure out for yourself what the movie will be about. Small directors can sometimes tell amazing stories with limited funding. Some movies end up being just plain "Strange", but every once in awhile you see something amazing. 

Like this little documentary that touched me profoundly tonight and to think I found it by accident:

It is called 3 1/2 minutes. If you get a chance to see this documentary, please see it. It is about a young man, Jordan Russell and his friends that were shot at a gas station in Florida. Mostly because they wouldn't turn down their music. They were unarmed. This director, Marc Silver really has a way with small intimate story telling.

So at the end of this emotional story, we were all watery eyed. The Sundance manager stands up and says that the Director is in attendance and will take questions.

This is fun and not unexpected thing that happens at a lot of the movie screenings. However, the first thing he says is that he has two guests with him and he introduced the parents of Jordan Davis, Ron and Lucy. They walk up the aisle and the theater erupts in applause and everyone stood up for them. She starts to cry, everyone did. It was amazing!

They were wonderful speakers and really want to unite people for justice and not separate them by race. They re-stated that there is only one race - the Human Race.

I am so glad I ended up in that theater. Thanks blog for letting me vent.