Posted: Wed., Jan. 23, 2008, 5:05pm PT

Sundance's slippery slope

Filmmakers walk line between art, commerce

By Bill Higgins

Colin Firth and Saffron Burrows at the 10 Directors to Watch bash at Sundance.

Thesps Patricia Clarkson and Rufus Sewell at the Stein Eriksen Lodge on Monday.

Quentin Tarantino and Dennis Hopper at the Ray-Ban Visionary Awards.

Thesp Andie MacDowell at Sundance.

Michael Keaton with Fortitude Agency partners Ben Press and Michael McConnell.

Director Jason Reitman is flanked by Lionsgate's Jon Feltheimer and Michael Burns at the William Morris Independent party.

Fest director Geoff Gilmore raises a glass at the fest's Competition Dinner at the Shop.

Virginia Madsen at Monday's 'Diminished Capacity' premiere.

Directors Johan Renck and Nadine Labaki at Variey's 10 Directors to Watch party on Monday.

'Brothers & Sisters' actors Matthew Rhys and Dave Annable.

Women in Film president Jane Fleming hands over a prize check.

'Choke' actors Sam Rockwell and Brad William Henke with director Clark Gregg at the film's Monday premiere.

Jodie Foster and Daniel Barnz at the Variety/Women in Film party on Monday.

AnnaSophia Robb and Charlize Theron at the 'Sleepwalking' premiere on Tuesday.

Amid the film-school-at-spring-break socializing, the lost condo keys and the swag fatigue, there's always this thought at Sundance: Somewhere there's a movie festival going on.

At Monday's Variety 10 Directors to Watch party, fest director Geoff Gilmore said, "The line we walk is between art, culture and business. The standard is not how we work as a marketplace but how we present a festival that's rich and enjoyable."

Gilmore offered this comment while waiting for his car at the Stein Eriksen Lodge and taking a call from fest founder Robert Redford, which is the Sundance equivalent of being near Moses when the burning bush ignites.

Inside the Stein, the 400-strong crowd included Jodie Foster, Andie MacDowell, Colin Firth, Danny Glover, Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson. USC School of Cinematic Arts topper Elizabeth Daley said Sundance is key for the film industry because "this is where both sides of the family, art and commerce, get together. They might not always play nice, but they both need and want to be here."