Sundance’s New Direction: Microbudgets, YouTube and Goodbye Gala

Fest chief Cooper: “It was time to say, ‘Let’s re-evaluate everything we do'”

As Hollywood decamps Thursday to snowy Park City, Utah, for 10 days of mountaintop dealmaking, John Cooper, a 20-year veteran of the Sundance Film Festival is anxious to see how the big changes he’s implemented will play out.

Since Cooper took over as festival director from Geoffrey Gilmore last year, the former head of programming said he’s been trying to broaden the types of films and platforms featured at Sundance.

Yes, there will still be the usual list of buzz films, including "Hesher," starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Natalie Portman" (pictured below) and "The Runaways" with "Twilight’s" Kristen Stewart. And the closing night film is Joel Schumacher’s "Twelve."

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