At Sundance

1995 Directed by Michael Almereyda, Amy Hobby

Michael Almereyda discussing the future of film with various directors at Sundance.

Michael Almereyda Robert Redford Matthew Harrison James Mangold Maria Maggenti Edward Burns Wallace Wolodarsky Amy Hobby John Turturro Danny Boyle Gregg Araki Todd Haynes Rebecca Miller Atom Egoyan Larry Gross Roberto Sneider Kayo Hatta Tom DiCillo Abel Ferrara Nick Gomez David Salle Whit Stillman Bill Parker Lee Tamahori Haskell Wexler Mike Newell James Gray Peter Fonda Richard Linklater Show All… Ethan Hawke

71 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by Film at Lincoln Center

It’s January 1995, cinema’s centenary has commenced, and Michael Almereyda and Amy Hobby are at Sundance with a Pixelvision camera, asking their fellow filmmakers about the future of movies: Are they optimistic, or pessimistic? Replies vary. Edward Burns sees the possible audience for independent cinema increasing, with moviegoers more inclined toward Terminator now encountering trailers for art-house productions. Todd Haynes is more guarded, noting how audiences seem less adventurous than before, not more so; gone, he explains, are the days when people would line up around the block to see Chelsea Girls. Some bemoan the perpetual grind of publicity and financing, while others beam about the vocabulary of moviemaking expanding apace. For Haskell Wexler, the question is ultimately a political…
Review by Bobby Analog ★★½

"Something is lost with the advent of sound" - James Mangold, sounding like a pretentious dunce.
"Eddie" Burns, three years before Saving Private Ryan, sounds like a brat and it's hilarious.
Danny Boyle talks about nothing, for minutes on end, and my eyes dilated and my mouth dropped open in a comatose state.
The fact that this was filmed with a PixelVision camera, because the director is trying to be cute, makes me like this documentary half a star less.
Review by Joe A ★★★

Almereyda took his PixelVision camera to Sundance in 1995 and asked a bunch of filmmakers if they were optimistic or pessimistic about the state of the movies. The question's vague enough to be a Rorschach test; some just take the opportunity to talk about their own movies, some bitch about the state of the industry (Tarantino comes up a few times), and some talk more generally about Art and The Cinema. Nothing very profound here, but it's a fascinating time capsule and I like movies in which people are allowed to ramble for the camera.

Recent reviews

Review by Jake des Esseintes ★★★

I've somehow watched this twice now, and both times I think I put it on at the end of long night after I'd been drinking. I guess it's just the sort of thing that makes sense to watch that way, when you need something to watch but don't really feel like paying much attention. Despite being only seventy minutes long for some reason it felt twice that length.
Obviously modeled after Wenders' Room 666 (which I've never seen in its entirety), Almereyda asks a bunch of directors at the 1995 Sundance film festival whether they feel optimistic or pessimistic about the future of cinema. Predictably, some of the segments are more interesting than others.
Review by Film at Lincoln Center

It’s January 1995, cinema’s centenary has commenced, and Michael Almereyda and Amy Hobby are at Sundance with a Pixelvision camera, asking their fellow filmmakers about the future of movies: Are they optimistic, or pessimistic? Replies vary. Edward Burns sees the possible audience for independent cinema increasing, with moviegoers more inclined toward Terminator now encountering trailers for art-house productions. Todd Haynes is more guarded, noting how audiences seem less adventurous than before, not more so; gone, he explains, are the days when people would line up around the block to see Chelsea Girls. Some bemoan the perpetual grind of publicity and financing, while others beam about the vocabulary of moviemaking expanding apace. For Haskell Wexler, the question is ultimately a political…
Review by Nashville Dude ★★½

Linklater *would* name-drop the Wim Wenders-helmed Room 666 while participating in this Pixelvision-aided recreation of it. Of value largely as a time capsule and yeah, I've held a Pixelvision camera before so I might be the last surviving member of this film's target audience.
Review by Bobby Analog ★★½

"Something is lost with the advent of sound" - James Mangold, sounding like a pretentious dunce.
"Eddie" Burns, three years before Saving Private Ryan, sounds like a brat and it's hilarious.
Danny Boyle talks about nothing, for minutes on end, and my eyes dilated and my mouth dropped open in a comatose state.
The fact that this was filmed with a PixelVision camera, because the director is trying to be cute, makes me like this documentary half a star less.
Review by Corey LaFleur ★★★

Pretty cool. An inspirational warning to filmmakers.
Review by Joe A ★★★

Almereyda took his PixelVision camera to Sundance in 1995 and asked a bunch of filmmakers if they were optimistic or pessimistic about the state of the movies. The question's vague enough to be a Rorschach test; some just take the opportunity to talk about their own movies, some bitch about the state of the industry (Tarantino comes up a few times), and some talk more generally about Art and The Cinema. Nothing very profound here, but it's a fascinating time capsule and I like movies in which people are allowed to ramble for the camera.
Review by astrofisch ★★★★★

Ain't no film in that shit...