Robert Redford founded the Sundance Institute as a workshop for aspiring screenwriters and directors in 1981. The institute began hosting its own little film festival in 1985. Early on, Sundance spotlighted small cinematic gems such as “Smooth Talk” (1986) and “River’s Edge” (1987). In 1989, Steven Soderbergh’s starkly shot exploration of sexual repression, “sex, lies, and videotape,” captured Hollywood’s attention and put indie film on the pop landscape for good. In the 1990s, Sundance continued to serve as a breeding ground for visionaries who wanted to make small, quality movies such as John Sayles’ “City of Hope” (1991) and Victor Nunez’s “Ruby in Paradise” (1993). But it also became an event at which directors deemed “hot”–like Quentin Tarantino and Edward Burns–were turned into studio-backed powerhouses overnight. (The best example may be Darren Aronofsky, who made “Pi” (1998) and is now at work on the next in the “Batman” series.)
Herewith, a year-by-year look back at the movies that made Sundance shine.
