Spotted: Stars stock up at Sundance gifting suites
As the Sundance Film Festival gets underway, the celebs make the most of the many gifting suites scattered across the town of Park City, Utah.
Spotted picking up some new electronics – including laptops, tablets and cell phones – were James Franco, Karina Smirnoff, Naomi Watts, French actress Julie Delpy and even rapper Lil John.
Down at the UGG booth singer Skylar Grey and actresses Jane Seymour and Kristen Bell were seen stocking up of winter boots.
Reality star Paris Hilton and Twilight actress Judi Shekoni were spoilt with jewels, clothes, drinks and other luxuries – even free meals from celebrity chefs like Ludo Lefebvre, Susan Feniger and Top Chef winner Richard Blais.
Festival founder Robert Redford reflected on the changing dynamic of the event and how the Hollywood freebie trend eventually took over his small independent film gathering.
The festival first started in 1984 as a way for him to showcase art house films he funded through his Sundance Labs, Redford said at the opening news conference last week.
After a few years, his small gathering began gaining world-wide attention and by the 90’s had spawned what we now know as the modern-day indie film industry.
By becoming popular, the festival turned into a must-attend event for the Hollywood elite, who brought along their practices of red carpets, paparazzi – and worse – gifting suites.
“We were suddenly besieged by the ambush mafia,” he said.
“Fashion houses would come in and they would take over the houses on Main Street and pay three times the rent to get the space. Then they bring celebrities in to give them free stuff. Pretty soon you had Paris Hilton, and she didn’t have anything to do with the films. I said, ”What movie is she is in?”
Redford said he spent those years making sure he kept the heart of the festival from being ruined, and he eventually got a reprieve.
“The recession hit and those people went away. And now we can focus again.”
The best boost comes in the form of social media promotion, some of which is heavily contrived.
“At the Oakley house,” model Alessandra Ambrosio tweeted as she received free gear and free snowboarding lessons courtesy of the sporting goods company on Saturday.
Paris Hilton’s boyfriend, model River Viiperi also got some freebies which he plugged via his Twitter account.
“Sensitive skin? Tired of dry skin? Try this! #Feet #hands #face @BioxideaUSA masks for everything! #Works i love it!!” he tweeted Sunday, along with a series of photos of himself using the product.
