Ah, Sundance. I have such a love hate relationship with Park City every January. On the one hand, there’s the 10 days of movie binging set in a world of sequel-less, franchise-less original ideas. It’s great to meet filmmakers and discuss what it takes for the independent filmmaker to have a voice these days. But then, dear goodness, if you’ve ever been — it’s like the entire city unites in becoming the least welcoming place on the planet. There are thousands of visitors showing up to miles of no parking signs and 20$ parking mud lots.

But we’re movie fans, right? We roll up our sleeves for the chance at seeing something new, that makes us weep, or giggle, or think, or hopefully all three. And if you’re more organized than me, you get your appointments set out, plan your bus routes and avoid all the headache that is trying to navigate the festival.

What are we talking about?

Regardless, I recently submitted a first look at Sundance. These movies may be way off when it comes to quality, but if we’re talking a representation of the kinds of films you can experience, I think these five are pretty accurate. Check out the story at the link below:

5 movies that celebrate the spirit of Sundance