'Adventureland' at Sundance, Day 5

Pictured from left: cast members Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Wiig, Kristen Stewart and Bill Hader and director Greg Mottola attend the premiere of "Adventureland" during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah Jan. 19. (Peter Kramer/Associated Press)

Dawn Keezer, director of the Pittsburgh Film Office, will send dispatches of her experiences from the annual Sundance Film Festival, which runs through Jan. 25:

WOW!! "ADVENTURELAND" is amazing. It is smart, funny and Pittsburgh looks great. OK, got that out of the way, now I will tell you the rest. The world premiere of "Adventureland" was last night at Sundance. It was a sold-out screening at the Festival's largest venue, Eccles Theater. All of the stars were in attendance including Kristen Stewart (better known now as Bella from "Twilight", but she did "Adventureland" first), Jesse Eisenberg, Ryan Reynolds, Margarita Levieva (yes, the same one from "Spread"), Martin Starr, Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig. Directed by Greg Mottola ("Superbad"), "Adventureland" is set in Pittsburgh at Kennywood Park. (renamed: Adventureland) The park looks great, as do all the local extras.   

I was able to grab Greg for a few minutes prior to the movie (see photo below). I went to the "press line" (didn't even know one existed until a volunteer saw my credential and pointed me down the stairs). This is where the stars come in and speak with press, get photos taken etc. Greg saw my Steelers shirt and walked right over. He was very complimentary of Pittsburgh and our local crew. He told me (as he also told the audience later) that he had originally written this film to be set in his hometown of Long Island N.Y., but when Pittsburgh was suggested, he jumped at the chance to come here. He hopes to come back with another film someday, too, which is great.

The Q&A portion was a lot of fun, the audience was happy and excited about the movie and Greg did a great job answering all of the questions with funny answers. There were obviously some other Pittsburghers in attendance as one woman asked the question I was trying to get my seatmate to ask, "Why Pittsburgh and why Kennywood?" (it is way too obvious for me to ask the questions that plug the Pittsburgh region) Greg gave a great answer, he gave a shout-out to Carnegie Mellon (where he was an art student) and talked about how much he loved shooting in Pittsburgh. He also said that the wardrobe was easy for the movie as most people still had their 80's clothes and hairstyles! (he was quick to point out he meant no disrespect and I really believe he didn't) Greg also mentioned the PA Tax Credit program and what an important part it played in their decision to shoot in the Pittsburgh region.

"Adventureland" producers, Ted Hope and Anne Carey, were in attendance. They co-own This Is That production company which has produced such films as "The Savages", "Thumbsucker", and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind", to name a few. I got a chance to say hello after the screening. They couldn't say enough nice things about Pittsburgh and hope to be back soon with another film for our Region.

Greg Mottola did get the "Quote of the Day." Someone in the audience asked Greg what the inspiration was for the film as it was based on a true-story. He replied with a story about being out drinking with friends and talking about the real "Adventureland" and the experiences he had there. He then laughed and added, "proves that getting drunk is not always a waste."

I was a panelist in the morning for Entertainment Partners Domestic Incentive Panel. I was joined on the panel by film commissions from Utah, New Mexico, Louisiana, Georgia,Illinois, New York and Philadelphia. Yes, we tell people that PA is so large that both Philly and Pittsburgh need to be there. There were about 75-100 people in the room to learn more about each state's film incentive program and how they could best take advantage of it for their next project. Incentives really are the name of the game anymore, without them, there would be no work. This was really evident when it was pointed out which states do not have any sort of incentive for the film industry and therefore, have no work. The audience asked a lot of great questions. The focus seemed to be on the concern with the economy and what was going to happen with the incentive programs in each state. I, along with Sharon Pinkenson, director of the Philadelphia Film Office, told them our program was strong and would be continuing this next fiscal year. The film industry brought in over $300 million in new money to PA's economy in fiscal year 2007-08 and we fully expect that trend to continue.

I next stopped by Nickelodeon's "SpongeBob SquarePants" suite at a place called "The Yard." It is a place where companies are located promoting their products to press and celebrities. This was Sponge Bob's first Sundance, but will not be his last. SpongeBob has gone "green" and has partnered with various environmental nonprofits, like the National Resource Development Council (NRDC) to spread the word about saving the environment and most importantly, the oceans (SpongeBob's home).

My favorite story I heard at SpongeBob was that Slash of Guns N Roses had stopped by with his wife and kids. He told the SpongeBob representatives that SpongeBob was the only reason he was at Sundance and he had to bring his kids to see SpongeBob. Some of you reading might remember that Slash has both a Pittsburgh and a Steelers connection. Back when Kordell Stewart was the quarterback, he was called "Slash" because of his ability to play quarterback and wide receiver. The two "Slashes" appeared in some ESPN commercials, which were made in Pittsburgh, of course.

My Steelers clothes are still garnering lots of attention. People walk by and say "congratulations!" I say "thanks and go Steelers," even though I didn't do much to make them win except yell really loud!

Tomorrow is my last day at the Festival. It will start very early with Robin William's film "World's Greatest Dad" at 8:30. It was produced by Jennifer Roth, who produced "Smart People" in Pittsburgh. I am hoping to get to say hello.