Atomfilms.com, one of the big forces in this shorts wave, is running its operation out of well-staffed Winnebago parked on the strip. Interviews and deals transpire on the RV's faux leopard-skin covered bed. "Last year, we were the only Internet company at Sundance to acquire a whole bunch of shorts," says Mika Salmi, Atom's Finnish founder and CEO. "This year, there are five other companies."
"Shorts Frenzy" at Sundance Thanks to Web Boom
Park City, Utah. There's a new new thing here at
Sundance 2000. Sure, major studios still clamber
to pick up the few "buzz" features that don't
already have distribution deals. But thanks to a
bunch of dot-coms that have set up shop on
Sundance's Main Street thoroughfare, this year
there's also a burgeoning new market for
previously neglected short films.