Sun sets on Sundance London

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jan/16/sun-sets-on-sundance-london

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Organisers have cancelled the 2015 Sundance London film festival, the UK leg of the annual celebration of independent film-making founded by Robert Redford.After a three-year run at the O2 arena in Greenwich, London, the most recent in April last year, the film and music festival is to take a break. It is thought the three-day event may have struggled to attract audiences to the O2, a huge corporate space far from central London’s traditional arts hubs.

A spokesperson for Sundance Institute said

We loved connecting with the vibrant community of film-makers and audiences in the UK, and following a successful three years with The O2, we continue to explore our options for Sundance London. Though we are not confirmed to host public events in London this year, we hope to be able to return very soon.

Last year’s event played host to 21 films and featured an emphasis on musical documentaries, with screenings for Alex Gibney’s Finding Fela (about the Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti) and on-site discussions featuring contributions from Edwyn Collins and Jarvis Cocker. Frank, starring Michael Fassbender was the opening night film, and other programme highlights the feature-length cut of Michael Winterbottom’s The Trip to Italy and Amy Poehler comedy They Came Together.

Discussing the festival’s London debut in 2012, Redford praised the UK capital’s “vibrant arts community”. He said: “Seeing what comes of nurturing a broader global community for new voices and varied perspectives in American independent film and music seems a worthy 21st century endeavour.”