FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For More Information Contact: May 1212,, 2008 Irene Cho, [email protected] 435.658.3456

SUNDANCE INSTITUTE OUTDOOR FILM FESTIVAL KICKS OFF ON JULY 11 with RAISING ARIZONA Annual Outdoor Screening Series Presents Six Degrees of Sundance: Films That Explore The RootsRoots of Independence Free Screenings In Park City, , And Sundance Resort

Park City, UTUT– has announced the films selected for the 2008 Sundance Institute Outdoor Film Festival - a mix of films tracing their roots back to Sundance Institute through "six degrees of Sundance." Now in its 11th year, the free outdoor summer series projects 35 millimeter prints on the big screen and runs July 11 - 27 in Park City, Salt Lake City and at the Sundance Resort. The festival launches on Friday, July 11 in Park City with a screening of the classic ’ film, RAISING ARIZONA , followed by screenings of the film in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 14 and at Sundance Resort on Wednesday, July 16.

“After 27 years of supporting and filmmakers, we’ve realized that many films beyond those we've directly supported through the annual and our developmental labs have a connection to Sundance Institute” said Jill Miller, Managing Director, Sundance Institute. “This year's program includes an eclectic array of such films that will play to a broad audience and will be fun to experience on beautiful summer evenings in under the stars.”

This community program presents seldom-seen independent and documentary films, including films from the annual Sundance Film Festival as well as hidden gems and overlooked classics that deserve to be dusted off and enjoyed again. The SUNDANCE INSTITUTE OUTDOOR FILM FESTIVAL is an excellent opportunity for audiences to discover work from new directors and to rediscover films they may have already seen. If you missed these films the first time, it’s worth the trip the second time around.

Running July 11 – August 27, all SUNDANCE INSTITUTE OUTDOOR FILM FESTIVAL screenings are held on Mondays at The Gallivan Center, 239 South Main Street, in Salt Lake City, Wednesdays at the Eccles Stage at the Sundance Resort, North Fork , and Fridays at City Park on Park Avenue in Park City. Admission to all screenings is free, and tickets or reservations are not required. All screenings begin at sundown, or approximately 9:00 p.m. For more information call 435.658.3456 or visit the Institute website at www.sundance.org/calendar. A full screening schedule and calendar follows.

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The 2008 SUNDANCE INSTITUTE OUTDOOR FILM FESTIVAL line-up is: RAIRAISINGSING ARIZONA July 11 – City Park, Park City July 14 – Gallivan Center, Salt Lake City July 16 – Eccles Stage, Sundance Resort

RAISING ARIZONA (1987), directed by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Rated ––– PG Cast: , , Trey Wilson, John GoGoodman,odman, William Forsythe Four time Academy Award-winning team Joel and Ethan Coen’s brand of filmmaking is marked by an ironic wit, indelible characters, and startling visuals that have produced some of the most memorable films in the last 20 years. Raising Arizona couples Nicholas Cage, a convenience store bandit, and Holly Hunter, a cop, who share an overwhelming desire for a child and redefine the rules of parenthood.

THE IRON GIANT July 18 – City Park, Park City July 21 – Gallivan Center, Salt Lake City July 23 – Eccles Stage, Sundance Resort

THE IRON GIANT (1999), directed by Brad Bird, Rated ––– PGPGPG Cast: Voices of , Harry Connick Jr., Christopher McDonald Shot in 2D, this first film from animation king Brad Bird ( The Incredibles, Ratatouille ) is widely acclaimed by indie critics for the simplicity and sophistication of the story about a giant metal robot who falls to the earth. Set against a small Maine town in 1958, an unlikely friendship forms between the robot and a boy named Hoagarth who teach the town a few things about fears and acceptance. Based on Ted Hughes' 1968 novel The Iron Man .

ADVENTURES OF POWER shown with the short film THE LOSS OF A WRESTLING MATCH July 25 – City Park, Park City July 28 – Gallivan Center, Salt Lake City July 30 – Eccles Stage, Sundance Resort

ADVENTURES OF POWER (2008), directed by Ari Gold, Rated ––– No rating Cast: Ari Gold, Shoshannah Stern, Adrian Grenier, Michael McKean, Jane Lynch Straight from the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, this audience favorite features, a mine worker named Power, who sets out to change the world through his love of drums without really knowing how to play. Instead, he air- drums at his aunt’s bar on talent night. Power is recruited by a trainer for an air-drumming team and finds himself in the fight of his life against a despicable rival as his fellow mine workers fight for their rights back home in this hilarious and charming tale of a man and his passion to chase dreams. Parts of ADVENTURES OF POWER were filmed near Tooele, UT and in Helper, UT.

TTTHETHE LOSS OF A WRESTLING MATCH (2007), directed by Jed Cowley, Rated ––– No rating graduate Jed Cowley directed this short film about a wrestler preparing for the match of his life against a higher-ranked competitor.

TOOTSIE August 1 – City Park, Park City August 4 – Gallivan Center, Salt Lake City August 6 – Eccles Stage, Sundance Resort

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MMMOULINMOULIN ROUGE August 8 – City Park, Park City August 11 – Gallivan Center, Salt Lake City August 13 – Eccles Stage, Sundance Resort

MOULIN ROUGE (2001), directed by , Rated ––– PG 13 Cast: , Ewan McGregor, John Leguizamo, Caroline O’Connor One of modern cinema’s great visual stylists, Australian director Baz Luhrmann gives us an over-the-top look at the underworld of 1899 Paris. The first musical in 20 years to be nominated for the Academy Award features Ewan McGregor as a young poet who defies his father by moving to the bohemian neighborhood of Montmatre where he is commissioned to write a nightclub spectacular. In the process he begins a passionate but doomed love affair with the most famous courtesan in Paris, played by Nicole Kidman in a Golden-Globe-winning, Oscar-nominated performance.

HAROLD AND MAUDE August 15 – City Park, Park City August 18 – Gallivan Center, Salt Lake City August 20 – Eccles Stage, Sundance Resort

HAROLD AND MAUDE (1971), directed by Hal Ashby, Rated ––– PG Cast: , When extremely wealthy Harold (Bud Cort) is not staging his own suicide, he’s crashing funerals. While making his rounds, Harold falls in love with fellow funeral-crasher, Maude (Ruth Gordon), a woman fifty years his senior whose lust for life surpasses his preoccupation with death in this unlikely romance. Ranked on the 's list of 100 Funniest Movies of all time, this cult classic features a killer soundtrack from Cat Stevens. The late director Hal Ashby was born and raised in Ogden, Utah and attended Utah State University.

THE STRAIGHT STORY August 22 – City Park, Park City August 25 – Gallivan Center, Salt Lake City August 27 – Eccles Stage, Sundance Resort

THE STRAIGHT STORY (1999), directed by , Rated –––G–GGG Cast: , , David Lynch, known for his unorthodox approach to storytelling and visual style, surprised fans and critics with this film - the simple true story of a humble Iowa man who rides a lawnmower for 260 miles to Wisconsin to make peace with his ailing brother. Ultimately, it is a lyrical portrait of one man's odyssey across America and the characters he touches along the way. Farnsworth was nominated for both an Academy Award and Golden Globe for his performance.

Support for Sundance Institute's 2008 Outdoor Film Festival is provided by Principal Sponsor - Zions Bank, Major Sponsors - Park City Municipal Corporation, Salt Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau, Summit County Recreation, Arts, and Parks Program, and In Kind Supporters - City Weekly , KRCL 90.9 FM Community Radio, Salt Lake magazine, X96-KXRK FM .

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Sundance Institute in the Community Sundance Institute provides year-round community outreach with the goals of sharing the Institute’s national and international resources with the residents of Utah, and of providing diverse opportunities for citizens to engage in the creative work supported by the Institute. These programs not only contribute to the cultural life of the local community, but also promote a greater understanding and appreciation for the arts and the role of artists; encourage dialogue on challenging issues such as freedom of expression, race, ethnicity, and civil liberties; and infuse the creative process into daily life. Community programming in Utah includes: Documentary Film Series, Reel Stories: Sundance Institute’s Youth Documentary Workshop at Spy Hop Productions, the Outdoor Film Festival, Filmmakers in the Classroom, Festival high school and community screenings, and numerous volunteer opportunities.

Sundance Institute Dedicated to the year-round development of artists of independent vision and to the exhibition of their new work, Founded by in 1981, the Institute has grown into an internationally recognized resource for thousands of independent artists through its Sundance Film Festival and artistic development programs for filmmakers, screenwriters, composers, playwrights and theatre artists. The original values of independence, creative risk-taking, and discovery continue to define and guide the work of Sundance Institute, both with US artists and, increasingly, with artists from other regions of the world.

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