It’s been announced that the Sundance Film Festival is coming to London in 2012, taking to the O2 entertainment complex in Greenwich from April 26th-29th. There’s been a of talk about extending the Sundance brand to other countries, and now they’re teaming with AEG (which owns the O2) to bring the festival to London.
According to THR, Sundance London will include film screenings, live music performances, panels and other cultural programming. Sundance founder Robert Redford says, “We are excited to partner with AEG Europe to bring a particular slice of American culture to life in the inspired setting of The O2, and in this city of such rich cultural history. It is our mutual goal to bring to the UK, 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.
While that does sound like he thinks Britain is some cultural backwater that never gets to see anything other than Hollywood blockbusters (I’d argue that the UK actually has a more vibrant arthouse scene than America does), the Sundance brand and experience should ensure there’ll be something interesting going on at the O2 next year.
The Sundance Institute will curate the film part of the new festival, while AEG Europe will use its industry-leading venue and marketing teams to stage and promote music and other related events.