POLLYWOOD | BRAVE NEW WORLD

Sundance opens the door for Social Change

by CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR

Like everyone, I came to Park City to see Robert Redford and the house that he has built, Sundance. When I hauled my tired carcass across the Atlantic, I didn't know what to expect, but after two short days I found myself reinvigorated and rejuvenated, pumped up and full of the possible.

Redford's commitment to alternative media has never been more needed as we find ourselves dangerously close to the edge of conformity and dogmatic thinking in our mass media environment. The first night my jet lag was instantly cured by the wonderful feature film "Little Miss Sunshine," which received a standing ovation from the audience and was instantly snapped up by a studio. The next day I was invited to Redford's lunch for the film and documentary makers. His talk was a real morale boost for the attendees and it was great to see all these thriving and incredibly talented artists. I collected a haul of DVDs to take back to CNN for possible collaboration. This was quality with a heart and appeal.

The most thought provoking highlight of my trip was a Sundance Film Festival panel titled, "Brave New World: Entertainment and Social Change," moderated by Pat Mitchell, featuring Dan Glickman, president of the Motion Picture Association of America, Jeff Skoll, founder of eBay and Participant Productions; film financier and Redford partner Jake Eberts; co-founder of October Films Bingham Ray; and the Sundance Kid himself. The panel focused on whether Hollywood can truly impact social change and whether emergent technologies and interactive distribution models play a role in shaping social consciousness. Redford joked, "I'm a cynical optimist," as he spoke about the growth of films that both inform and entertain Sundance and his own roles in films such as "The Candidate"and "All The President's Men." Glickman noted that he ran for office after watching "The Candidate" and argued that, "The image of this country is identified with entertainment. Never underestimate the power of films to change your life and drive social change."

Bingham Ray highlighted political films such as Skoll's "North Country," "Syriana" and "Good Night, and Good Luck," and Focus Features' "Brokeback Mountain," a "resurgence of films saying things to people that matter.

Rarely have so many films had so much impact." Two Sundance documentaries moved audience members so much that one wrote a $10,000 check for a school in Ethiopia following the screening of "Black Gold," a film that tracks the coffee trade. Another wrote a check for $25,000 to a foundation that aids displaced Sudanese youth following the screening of the Grand Jury and Audience Award winner, "God Grew Tired of Us"'

For those of us who believe in the cutting edge, in the possibility of our mass media to do good while doing well, this was heady stuff, a rare gambol in the garden of Eden.