But all festival fans, from big-name producers to Utah fans eager to bask in Hollywood's reflected glory, had one thing in common - money to spend.
A study conducted by the University of Utah's Bureau of Economic and Business Research in conjunction with the Sundance Institute, the festival's organizer, indicates this year's 11-day event generated $42.7 million in economic activity for the state, up 3 percent from the previous year.
"Just based on the feel of this year's festival, we suspected that we were in for another gain [in economic impact]," said Jill Miller, managing director of the Sundance Institute. "The numbers that we are seeing now bear that out."
The latest figures suggest that 46,771 independent film lovers attended the Sundance Film Festival in January 2005, or 10,115 more than the previous year. Moreover, 67 percent of those at the festival were from out of state with nearly half attending for the first time.
And while this year's attendees - particularly those from outside Utah - kept a tighter hold on their wallets and pocketbooks than in years past, the state more than made up for it in national and international media coverage boosting Utah's visibility as a premiere destination.
"It is the equivalent of a big convention - as much of a boost for tourism as it is a film festival," said Bill Malone, executive director of the Park City Chamber Bureau.
One-third of all festivalgoers skied for an average of three days, according to the Sundance Institute.
Yet Park City wasn't the only area to experience an economic bump from out-of-state spenders. The entire Wasatch Front benefited as a result of the film festival, said Alan Isaacson, a research analyst at the Bureau of Economic and Business Research.
Isaacson pointed out there there was a noticeable amount of travel between the various festival venues in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance Village.
"Over two-thirds of [those] attending the Film Festival were visitors to Utah and their spending represents an addition to Utah's economy that would not be present . . . in the absence of the Film Festival," said Isaacson in a prepared statement.
Over the past decade the economic impact of the Sundance Film Festival, which showcases the best and latest work of independent American and international filmmakers, has increased more than 250 percent from $12 million in 1995 to $42.7 million this year.
Sundance 2005: Spending by the numbers
* $19.8 million on accommodations
* $11.5 million in restaurants
* $3.6 million on transportation
