Photo By Steve Ramos

On the fence of fame: (L-R) Actress Lynn Chen, director Alice Wu and actress Michelle Krusiec look for their light-hearted mother/daughter drama Saving Face to launch their film careers.

PARK CITY, UTAH -- Pack Your Sundance Bags. For a publicist heading to the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, this means confirming that the mountains of swag -- short for "stolen without a gun" -- and bags of promotional freebies arrive in Park City by Day One so the buzz building over their new consumer products can begin with the first film screening.

Sundance packing for filmmaker Alice Wu, who comes to Park City for the first time in support of her mother/daughter drama, Saving Face, covers more than just clothes and a toothbrush. Her top accessory is her film, and the realization that she needs to promote it as best as possible in order to boost its chance at a successful release. (Sony Classics releases Saving Face in May.)

Wu's final screening was Jan. 24, which means she has the rest of the festival to learn how to snowboard and figure out how many pairs of jeans to select at the festival gift houses. Let the buzz-building and critic campaigning begin in earnest.

Three on the Fence
Director Alice Wu and costars Michelle Krusiec and Lynn Chen break out with Saving Face

Veteran actress Joan Chen (The Last Emperor) could be the famous face that brings a marquee boost to the bouncy mother/daughter drama, Saving Face, but the film is about the next generation of Asian-American film talent: Michelle Krusiec, who plays Wil, Chen's high-achieving daughter, co-star Lynn Chen, as a pretty ballet dancer who captures Wil's heart, and Alice Wu, who makes her directing debut with the film.

Wu says she based the script on her own coming-out experiences with her mother. So far, the festival response has been enthusiastic, but Wu is concerned about a different audience -- her family and friends in the close-knit Asian community of Flushing, Queens.

"My biggest fear is how my mom's friends are going to take this film, because I am writing about characters I really love and, at the same time, I grew up in a very strict Confucius household and one of the greatest sins you could do is reveal any secrets about your family."

Friends Forever
Naomi Watts and Rebecca Rigg in Ellie Parker

The story of Ellie Parker, a struggling L.A. actress trying to further her career, first came to Sundance in 2001 as a short film. Watts was not yet the star she is today, and the small movie generated little attention. Flash forward three years, and Watts' showbiz clout enables her to re-team with friends Scott Coffey (Ellie Parker's director) and actress Rebecca Rigg, for a feature-length treatment of Parker's tale of humiliating auditions. This time, everyone is paying attention.

"This film is not my diary, per se," Watts says, sitting alongside Rigg. "But I've been on auditions like Ellie's. It's hard and humiliating, but I promised myself I wouldn't return to Australia with my tail between my legs."

The New, New David Schwimmer
For an established "friend" like David Schwimmer, at the fest with director Matt Mulhern's life adrift drama, Duane Hopwoood, he comes to Sundance with little to prove in terms of career success. His goal is to convince festival audiences of his dramatic potential, playing a divorced alcoholic as scruffy as the casual jeans and boots he wears for an afternoon interview.

Asked if comic actors like himself are equipped to handle the demands of drama, Schwimmer answers with a resounding yes.

"I believe that," he says, smiling. "I know that comedy is not something you can learn. It's innate. It's about timing, and I believe that a comic actor can do drama. I directed a TV pilot last year, and I learned firsthand that you can't teach comedy to a dramatic actor if they don't already have that talent within."

The Big Deal -- Hustle & Flow
The morning of Jan. 24 began with news of the largest deal in Sundance Film Festival history -- Paramount Picture's $16-million buy for writer/director Craig Brewer's Memphis drama, Hustle & Flow, about a pimp (Terrence Howard) trying to change his life and become a rapper.

The big money deal -- $9 million acquisition for Hustle & Flow and a commitment to finance two more of producer John Singleton's films at $3.5 million each -- was finalized in the early hours. Brewer's heavy eyes reflect someone who's been up all night.

But lack of sleep did not stop Brewer and his leads, Howard and Taryn Manning, from celebrating the film's good fortunes in an early afternoon interview.

"We have climbed the mountain," Howard said, with a preacher's passion. "Like all trips up the mountain, it is hard and painful. You fall down a number of times. But once you're on top, and you look down on the valley where you were before, it's worth everything. We have the biggest sale in Sundance history -- end of story."