Sundance Promises to Return to Indie Roots

(andPOP) - Sundance is hanging on to its indie cred.

Reuters reports that the film festival wants to downplay the glitz and glamour this year after criticism that the attendance of too many Hollywood stars have made Sundance too commercial.

The Sundance Film Festival, backed by Robert Redford's Sundance Institute, is the top venue for independent filmmakers to showcase their work. Held in Park City, Utah, the 10-day event begins today, with 120 movies lined up.

Festival director Geoff Gilmore wants small films to be able to find the right distributors. "I've always cared about expanding the market, not catering to it," he said.

However, the promise of low-budget, high-quality movies with famous actors has lured many a studio to Sundance. Successful films from last year's festival include March of the Penguins and The Squid and the Whale.

One of the most anticipated titles is the beauty pageant spoof Little Miss Sunshine, starring Steve Carell. The opening-night film Friends With Money also packs considerable star power, with Jennifer Aniston and Frances McDormand toplining the comic drama.

Other films generating buzz include Michel (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) Gondry's The Science of Sleep, the turn-of-the-last-century thriller The Illusionist with Edward Norton, and Winona Ryder's comeback movie The Darwin Awards.

There are also plenty of controversial political documentaries to provoke discussion. Among them are two films about the Iraq war.