Sundance the Night Away

Slip into the sights and sounds of the hottest independent film festival in the country: The Sundance Film Festival.  Each year celebrities, filmmakers and socialites unite in Park City, Utah to heat up the icy atmosphere with hot parties and a gaggle of makeshift films that set the stage for the year's innovative Hollywood blockbusters.

According to VARIETY, this year's breakout films include "Push: Based on the Novel of Sapphire" and "Cold Souls." "Push," centers on the life of an illiterate African-American teenager pregnant with her second child. It scored the grand jury prize and audience awards in the U.S. dramatic competition at the festival, and has already been backed by Oprah Winfrey and filmmaker phenom Tyler Perry, according to VARIETY. The film "Cold Souls" has been purchased by Samuel Goldwyn, which features an actor who gets into the business of the black market soul trade. The film stars Academy Award nominated actor Paul Giamatti.

Once just a festival for fellow actors and filmmakers to showcase their work, the Sundance Film Festival has transformed from its low-profile, low-budget beginnings in 1978. Now, while the films and acquisition deals are the draw of the festival, the high-end parties and expensive swagalicious suites come a close second to luring celebs to this snow-packed town.

Normally, the red velvet ropes at these parties and suites are nearly impossible to bypass. But, when you're kicking it with the MEN7 crew, there's always instant access. At the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, there were a few hotspots during the day and night that stole the show.

Before celebs hit the parties they sift through the swag suites scooping up thousands of dollars worth of freebies.

Celebs strolled over to the Village at the Yard where popular gifting lounges were housed. At the Fred Segal Fun suite, guests racked up on fleece pea coats, K-Swiss athletic wear, Lisa Freed earrings and Retro Brand T-shirts and baseball hats, according to Vanity Fair Magazine. At the Gatorade "G" Gym, celebs left with Nike bags and t-shirts after a hardcore workout with celebrity fitness gurus Kathy Kaehler and Gunnar Peterson.

At the popular Oakley House, celebs snatched up jackets, hoodies, sunglasses, goggles and snow pants, and video game fanatics like Benjamin Bratt and Zoe Kravitz raced to the Rock Band Lounge to grab and play Rock Band 2 and score some jewelry from Lia Sophia.

The Kari Feinstein Lounge showered celebs with Mac computers, vacation getaways and Reebok NFL gear and electronics, while the Hollywood Life House was the place for an impromptu photo shoot after a complimentary tanning session.

At nightfall, celebs like Kevin Bacon and Virginia Madsen headed to the Kenneth Cole Party to be honored for their commitment to independent film and party the night away alongside an open bar.

DJ AM spun hits for the young Hollywood crowd at Axe Fix Club, Richard Gere, Wesley Snipes and Don Cheadle hosted a "Brooklyn's Finest" party and other stars and filmmakers headed to Island Def Jam's "House of Hype" lounge to wind down after a party-packed evening.

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