Some news from

Sundance Film Festival

Movie Stage

Robert Redford

Amy Redford directs

Quentin Tarantino

2008 Festival Winners

Frozen River, King of Ping Pong, Man on Wire

and Trouble the Water Earn Top Jury Prizes;

Audience Favorites Feature Captain Abu Raed,

Fields of Fuel, Man on Wire and The Wackness

see more on the winners

PASO ROBLES FILM FESTIVAL

Second generation actors are following in their father's footsteps at the Sundance Film Festival this year, with three films featuring the children of stars. "What excites me this year is the amount of new (independent) filmmakers," Sundance founder and actor Robert Redford said at the start of the festival, giving an unwitting nod to his offspring.

"There's a new spirit that seems to be emerging with new filmmakers," he commented. "Whereas some of the filmmakers of the past were connected with to the generation of baby boomers ... now there is a new group that is saying, 'We don't want to inherit anything before us. We just want to do something new.'"

Redford's daughter Amy is stepping out of her father's shadow and into her own limelight, making her directorial debut with "The Guitar" -- based on the true story of a young woman who discovers she has terminal cancer and decides to spend her last months on a self-indulgent wish fulfillment spree.

Death in Love

Mr. Super Size me himself...

Colin Hanks joins his famous father Tom in the cast of "The Great Buck Howard," doing a remarkable job of holding his own as a law-school drop out in search of a glamorous career in the entertainment industry, deflecting criticism from his father (played by Tom), who ironically disapproves of showbiz.

And Jason Ritter, son of late comedian John Ritter, is making his third appearance at Sundance, producing and starring in "Good Dick," about a young woman drawn from her isolated life by a doting video store clerk.

Today at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, Microsoft Corp., together with Sundance Institute presented the Microsoft HDi Grant to director Jason Kohn and producer Jared Goldman for their 2007 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize-winning documentary "Manda Bala (Send a Bullet)." Worth an estimated $100,000, the grant provides Kohn and Goldman with resources to author "Manda Bala" in pristine high definition and develop immersive interactive experiences using Microsoft's industry-leading HDi technology. HDi technology enables filmmakers to complement their work with features such as picture-in-picture director's commentary and character biographies that enhance the home viewing experience. The grant also includes support for production of the finished product on HD DVD along with other digital delivery scenarios.

"We put several years into making 'Manda Bala,' and this grant lets us explore the digital canvas of HD DVD and HDi and express the work we've done in entirely new ways," Kohn said. "Considering all the extra footage we have to work with and the award-winning capabilities of HDi on HD DVD, Jared and I are excited to get started."

Adriana Falcao

Adriana Falcao readies for a night on the town

Friday night on Main Street in Park City, Utah,

amid the Sundance Film Festival mania.

YouTube film contest winner at Sundance

Adriana Falcao, the winner of a recent YouTube film competition, is no stranger to the film industry.

A professional author and screenwriter in her native Brazil, she's contributed to some 15 scripts

But Falcao is totally new to making films specifically for the Web, as she did with Lacos (Ties), the six-minute short that not only made her the winner of YouTube's Project Direct contest, it landed her a nine-day stay here at the Sundance Film Festival. Her expenses are being paid by Hewlett-Packard, which sponsored the contest. In addition to the trip, she'll get the opportunity to meet with Fox Searchlight Pictures production executives.

Never in her life did she think she'd end up at the Sundance Film Festival, said Falcao, who spoke through interpreter and friend Joana Braga, who's also involved in the Brazilian film industry. Unlike other film festivals, Sundance, she said, is considered more on the cutting edge of new media.

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