Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
PARK CITY — When filmmakers, actors and movie lovers all gather in one place, interesting things are bound to happen.
The Sundance Film Festival has always allowed a unique interaction between entertainers and the public. As the 2014 festivities begins, we took a look back at some of the quirky moments festivals of the past have brought us.
The camel-induced traffic jam
Park City's snowy Main Street isn't the natural habitat of a camel, so when a bold director decided to ride one down the street to promote his movie, it wasn't surprising that cars got backed up behind him. Director Next Anyextee was trying to make up for the fact that his film, "Egypt Through the Glass Shop," didn't make it into the festival by handing out flyers. The man and camel were escorted to their truck and livestock trailer, according to police.
Sundance Skippy
One Utahn takes celebrity sightings to the next level and tries to make celebrities fans of him. Nicknamed "Sundance Skippy," Skippy Jessop spends every day of the festival in Park City looking for actors and actresses to befriend. He even prepares for the occasion by bringing gift baskets for the celebrities with items like oven mitts, rape whistles and Justin Bieber valentines. He claims to have seen success, with 'NSync member Joey Fatone sending him a text on his birthday.
The director who picketed his own premiere
When the Wetsboro Baptist Church announced they were going to protest the release of the controversial movie "Red State," director Kevin Smith decided to fight fire with fire and picked up a picket himself. The church targeted the film because they claimed it "mocked the servants of God." According to the Los Angeles Times, Smith and a team a teenagers wielded signs with humorous messages in a face off with the church.
The Banksy murals
Banksy's murals have been getting a lot of attention since they were recently vandalized, but when he first made Park City his canvas it came as a surprise. The graffiti started showing up before the release of the film "Exit Through the Gift Shop," which follows a shop owner who tries to find Banksy. The murals drew crowds and prompted people from all over the world to call shop owners with pleas to preserve the work instead of painting over it. Works painted on public property were covered with a fresh coat of paint, but the graffiti on stores like Java Cow remained.
