If MTV says Sundance is independent, then that is what people will believe. Unless they are presented with an alternative, which is what TromaDance aims to do. Last year, Lloyd Kaufman founded TromaDance in response to the horrid treatment he believed independent filmmakers received from Sundance. If your film does not have HBO, Miramax, Satan or some other mega conglomerate name attached, or if you don t have the right Public Relations agent, you probably wont be accepted. That s how it seems to me.
Independent filmmakers sell their houses, their cars, and their kidneys to make their art.
Then Sundance asks them to pay an entry fee, so that a selection committee can judge them. However, in my opinion, the selection committee has already made their decisions. In other words, Sundance is fixed in favor of Miramax and Time Warner, the ones who can grease the palms of the selection committee. Lloyd Kaufman has been there, and he knows where these exploited independent filmmakers are coming from. Therefore, TromaDance was founded on the strict policy of no entry fees, no admission fees, and no VIP preference.