Sundance launches new film-and-arts festival in London

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Tired of Sundance snow? Get ready for some fog instead.

Starting next year, the Sundance Institute, the Robert Redford-led group behind the Sundance Film Festival, is launching a four-day London version of its annual showcase of independent film. Sundance London will be held April 26-29, 2012, and will include movies, live music, panels and other cultural programming, the institute said in a statement Tuesday. As with the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, the focus in London will be on American filmmakers and artists, and the event in Britain will include films shown at January 2012’s Utah festival.

Sundance London will be presented with AEG Europe and held at the O2, the city’s live-performance arena and entertainment district. London is also hosting the Summer Olympics in July 2012.

‘It is our mutual goal to bring to the U.K. the very best in current American independent cinema, to introduce the artists responsible for it, and in essence help build a picture of our country that is broadly reflective of the diversity of voices not always seen in our cultural exports,’ Redford said in a statement.

Sundance Institute executive director Keri Putnam said in a statement that Sundance London ‘should make for a rich and rewarding festival experience and provide the artists with a unique and memorable opportunity.’

-- John Horn