Sundance Film Festival

Ready for His Digital Close-Up: The NYT’s Media Dude, David Carr, Talks About “Page One”

Kara Swisher in Media on June 15, 2011 at 11:35 am PT

A documentary about the New York Times and its fight to survive the onslaught of the Internet called “Page One: Inside the New York Times” opens Friday. So, it seemed like a good idea to talk to the film’s star, media columnist David Carr, to find out what he thinks will happen to the Gray Lady in the multi-colored digital future.

The Stylings of Hulu Head Jason "Jerry Maguire" Kilar Over the Years

Kara Swisher in News on February 4, 2011 at 10:43 am PT

After reading Hulu CEO Jason Kilar’s most excellent recent blog post taking aim at how television and cable companies (i.e., his bosses) deliver and the follow-up piece by MediaMemo’s Peter Kafka (“Is Jason Kilar Trying to Get Fired?”), BoomTown had an intense feeling of déjà vu. That’s because–even though what he wrote put the knickers of the Hollywood/New York bigwigs who own the premium video service into a series of ever more painful knots–it is a variation of things Kilar has been saying for quite awhile now.

Viral Video: "Page One" at Sundance

Kara Swisher in News on January 20, 2011 at 12:39 am PT

One of the more interesting movies at the 11th Sundance Film Festival, which opens today in Park City, Utah, will be “Page One: A Year Inside the New York Times.” The documentary is by Andrew Rossi, who spent a year following reporters and editors at the newspaper, even as the media landscape shifted dramatically due to the impact of digital technologies.

Exclusive: SnagFilms Snags $10 Million in Funding at $50 Million Valuation

Kara Swisher in News on January 16, 2011 at 4:15 pm PT

SnagFilms, the online video distribution site for professional documentaries, has nabbed $10 million in funding from Comcast’s investment arm and New Enterprise Associates, and will also now be distributing fictional independent releases. That and the new investment giving SnagFilms a valuation of $50 million should be big news at the 11th Sundance Film Festival, the famous independent film gathering opening in Park City, Utah, on Thursday.

The "Catfish"–A.K.A. the Other Facebook Movie–Dudes Speak!

Kara Swisher in News on September 3, 2010 at 10:37 am PT

Last night, BoomTown got to grill some “Catfish”–as in the three young hipsters responsible for the new documentary about a twisted online romance on Facebook. That was for a Q&A after a screening in San Francisco, where I got to talk to Ariel Schulman, Henry Joost and the film’s subject, Nev Schulman, about how they decided to make this rumination about identity in the digital age.

"Catfish": The Other Facebook Movie Speaks Real Truths About the Social Network (Plus Video!)

Kara Swisher in News on August 17, 2010 at 8:15 am PT

Last night, BoomTown attended a press screening of a new film, due out this fall, in which Facebook plays a big role. No, not that movie. Instead of a semi-fictional film–that would be “The Social Network” from Sony–this one is a documentary, called “Catfish,” about a man who has a real-life encounter of the you-could-not-make-this-up kind on Facebook.

The One-Year Report Card of Yahoo's Carol Bartz–Deal-Making: Incomplete

Kara Swisher in News on January 25, 2010 at 9:24 am PT

Sorry for the break in grading Yahoo’s Carol Bartz on her one-year anniversary as CEO. But BoomTown was swanning around the Sundance Film Festival in Utah this weekend, went partying with those boozy Hollywood types and ended up in Provo with the crazy gals from “The Runaways”! I wish! Actually, running away from issuing any grade for deal-making for Bartz is a pretty good way to put it. Because today, after much thought, I have to give the Yahoo leader an incomplete for deal-making.

Social Media Storytelling at Sundance: MySpace, YouTube and Oprah Dudes–Also, My Twitter-Hating Mom–Discuss!

Kara Swisher in News on January 25, 2010 at 7:01 am PT

On Friday, BoomTown was back at the Sundance Film Festival for the fifth time for my annual techie panel at the famous independent film confab. This year, we opened the New Frontier on Main series with a session titled “Spotlight on Social Media: Successful Strategies for Storytellers.” Here are my interviews on this and more with three of the panelists, as well as thoughts from my mother, who most recently was bashing Twitter in this column. She’s at it again, although she said she would be happy to watch a movie via magic glasses.

Education Documentary Featuring Bill Gates Gets First Distribution Deal at Sundance

Kara Swisher in News on January 25, 2010 at 1:03 am PT

Bill Gates was at the Sundance Film Festival this weekend–not just to sample some of the fare at the well-known independent film festival, held annually in Park City, Utah, but also to appear at the screening of a documentary about the crisis in public education in which he appears and that scored the first distribution deal at the event. The worldwide rights for “Waiting for Superman,” directed by Davis Guggenheim and produced by Participant Media, were sold to Paramount Vantage, a unit of the Viacom movie studio.