By John Solomon
How the government's punishing of the exposure of official wrongdoing can linger for years
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
For the first time, the Sundance Film Festival could do a boy-girl, boy-girl seating arrangement of directors in its U.S. dramatic competition _ and not run out of girls.
Sarah Polley, Julie Delpy and Michael Winterbottom will bring films to this year's Tribeca Film Festival.
There's a broader vibe than the usual Hollywood A-listers this year at the Toronto International Film Festival, one of the world's top cinema showcases and a prelude for contenders at the Academy Awards.
OPENING
"I feel like there's been a seismic shift since I had my first short film at Sundance when I was 20 and now going back today at 34," said Polley, who returns this time with "Stories We Tell," a documentary examining the secret life of her late mother _ and just who Polley's real father is. "My first time at Sundance, I spent the whole time just trying to find other female filmmakers. Now you see there's been huge progress."
"The audiences are so enthusiastic," Miss Polley said. "It's a great launching pad for a film. You get your optimum audience here. If a film's not loved by audiences here, it's probably not going to be loved by an audience anywhere, so it's a great first shot."
