Crosby-Stills film to close Sundance festival

By Bob Tourtellotte

LOS ANGELES (Reuters Life!) - The Sundance Film Festival on Thursday completed its lineup of world premiere and other feature films for 2008 highlighted by a closing night movie about classic rock band Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

A host of major Hollywood actors including Tom Hanks, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jack Black and Julianne Moore star in the festival's world premieres, and Sundance has expanded its awards for international films and filmmakers.

Festival director Geoffrey Gilmore said that for 2008, more than any festival since Sundance began giving awards to international movies, he and his staff traveled to more countries in pursuit of interesting foreign films.

"International is something we worked very hard on, and we feel that is reflected in the range of work we have," Gilmore said. "After three years of the competition, we've taken another step upward."

The festival, which was founded by actor Robert Redford as a showcase for movies made outside Hollywood, has become the premiere event for U.S. independent cinema and has built a strong reputation as a major event for foreign filmmakers.

Sundance gets underway on January 17 in Park City, Utah, reaches a climax on the second Saturday in a ceremony where directors, writers and others are honored, and ends on January 27.

"CSNY, Deja Vu" plays on the festival's final Friday night, and Gilmore promised more than simply concert footage of the band that rose to fame in the anti-Vietnam War era with hits such as "Teach Your Children" off their 1970 album, "Deja Vu."

The movie is described as an examination of the band's "connection to its audience in both political and musical terms" in the festival's promotional material.