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Arts Specialist Carole Mikita reportingThe 2003 Sundance Film Festival opens tonight with a premiere here in Salt Lake City.
The filmmaker and stars of tonight's movie are at a pre-screening party at the Salt Lake Art Center.
This opening night is different from the rest of the festival screenings and parties. It looks and feels more like a Hollywood event with cameras flashing and stars arriving. Tomorrow, it all moves up the mountain to a calmer atmosphere.
Festival-goers started arriving today. The signs are up everywhere.
Those in the know say that if you want to get the true feel of the event, Main Street is the best place to be. This year it will look more like the 'party central' that went on during the Olympics.
"Outdoor music and hospitality events are being somewhat replicated with the Sundance Film Festival. So I think overall, probably Main Street is the best place to get that look and feel as it relates to a true Sundance event," says Bill Malone with the Park City Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Tonight's premiere is a film titled "Levity," and it has quite an award-winning cast, including Billy Bob Thornton, Morgan Freeman, Holly Hunter and Kirsten Dunst. The story is one of redemption, about a man who leaves prison after 22 years and returns to the neighborhood where he committed the crime to try to come to terms with his past and find himself while helping others.
Robert Redford is expected to be on-site to welcome everyone.
