Sundance Institute announced the expansion of Sundance Institute Art House Project, a partnership with art-house cinemas nationwide to build audiences and develop a supportive community of theatre owners committed to independent film. This year's Art House Project includes a specially selected series of short films from the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, a film tour of an acclaimed documentary, and a convergence of art-house theatres from across the nation to be held in January.

"We created the Art House project to go to the heart of where independent spirit lives all year," said John Cooper, director of programming for the Sundance Film Festival. "Our organizing principle is to increase the market for film exhibition by expanding the number and effectiveness of community-based, mission-driven theatres in local communities, large and small, nationwide.”

Sundance Institute Art House Project unites the country’s best independent theatres to promote the growth and appreciation of cinema culture in local communities nationwide. Each of the participating theatres is acclaimed for their innovative programming and their engagement with their local arts scene.

Participating theatres include the BAM Rose Cinemas in Brooklyn, NY; the Belcourt Theatre in Nashville, TN: Broadway Centre Cinemas in Salt Lake City, UT; Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, MA; the Enzian Theater in Orlando, FL; the Hollywood Theatre in Portland, OR; The Loft in Tucson, AZ; the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor, MI; the Music Box in Chicago, IL; and the Pickford Cinema in Bellingham, WA.

This year’s Sundance shorts program includes: MAN (directed by Myna Joseph), FCU: Fact Checkers Unit (directed by Dan Beers), Sikumi (directed by Andrew Okpeaha MacLean), I Love Sarah Jane (directed by Spencer Susser), W. (directed by The Vikings), Spider (directed by Nash Edgerton), Your Truly (directed by Osbert Parker), Dennis (directed by Mads Matthiesen) and My Olympic Summer (directed by Daniel Robin).

As part of a newly initiated film tour, Margaret Brown's The Order of Myths traveled to six Art House Project theatres: the Michigan Theater, Ragtag Cinema, Belcourt Theatre, the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, International Film Series and the Jacob Burns Film Center. This acclaimed documentary traces the oldest Mardi Gras celebration in America. Against an opulent backdrop, director Brown uncovers a tangled web of historical violence and elusive forces that keep this tradition organized along racial lines.

The Art House Convergence is presented in cooperation with the Sundance Institute Jan. 13-15, 2009 in Salt Lake City. At the Convergence, art-house theatres from all over the U.S. will gather just before the Sundance Film Festival, providing an opportunity for these cinemas to network and discuss successful marketing, programming and business models as well as current issues facing independent theatres.

Panel sessions will discuss ways to use the not-for-profit business model to grow audiences for art-house films, new film distribution paradigms, and innovative marketing techniques.