Weber High School teacher Jill Lunceford has volunteered at the Sundance Film Festival for the past 12 or 13 years. She's lost track.

"I do it for the movies," said Lunceford, who is posted at Ogden's main box office.

The history and world civilizations teacher loves the festival because it provides a rare chance to see independent films in her hometown, which doesn't have a theater that regularly shows non-mainstream films.

"The festival gives the people of Ogden a lot of exposure to independent films; the opportunity just isn't there," Lunceford said, adding Ogden is a conservative place. "At times we feel rebellious depending on the film selection. We don't like it when people walk out, but we think 'Oh good, we shocked someone.'"

She also enjoys the relationships she's built with fellow volunteers.

"We have a really strong group of alumni volunteers here," Lunceford said. "It's kind of like a high school reunion when we all see each other again."

If movies are the heart of the Sundance Film Festival, the army of 1,590 volunteers are the muscle.

"They do everything," said Sundance volunteer coordinator Emily Aagaard.

They take tickets, run theaters, direct moviegoers to venues, and ensure the festival runs smoothly so the focus is on the films -- not logistics.

Without them, the Sundance Film Festival might not exist, or at least, it wouldn't be as accessible to the average film fan.

"I can't imagine the cost of hiring a manpower force with that many people," Aagaard said. "It certainly wouldn't be $15 a ticket."

This year, about 3,000 people applied to volunteer. Of those selected, about 60 percent are locals; 40 percent are from outside Utah, even outside the country.

The volunteers are as different as the films: a dental assistant from Toronto, an aspiring screenwriter from Idaho, West Valley City's planning commissioner. What they have in common is a desire to be immersed in the festival.

"People use their vacation time to volunteer; they fly out here," Aagaard said. "I know a woman from here who sent her husband and kids to California for 10 days so she could volunteer."

Lunceford sees all the movies (usually about 12-14) that screen in Ogden, and if she has time on the weekend, she'll try to catch a few more in Park City or Salt Lake City.

"The one downside of working in Ogden is we don't get a lot of celebrities that come down," she said. "We're kind of out of the limelight."

After the festival ends, Lunceford uses some of Sundance's teen-friendly films in her classroom as teaching tools.

She said her favorite Sundance memory is from two years ago when she had a "good conversation" which Amy Redford, Robert Redford's daughter, who spent time during her childhood in the area because her grandmother lived there.

Lunceford plans to work Sundance every year until she retires and moves to a warmer climate.