Sex, Lies and Videotape

Steven Soderberg, Laura San Giacomo, Andie Macdowell and Peter Gallagher talk about making "Sex, Lies and Videotape"

EMPIRE AVENUE, PARK CITY

Earlier today I attended a 20th anniversary screening of "Sex, Lies and Videotape." This film quite literally changed the landscape for independent cinema when it came out in 1989. At the time, the filmmakers didn't really realize what they had. In fact, they weren't even certain that an audience would show up for the screenings as they had no posters or advertising. But by the second screening it was clear the film had found a voice. It went on to win the Audience Award for drama at the festival and soon landed the Palme d' Or and the best actor award for James Spader at Cannes. Suddenly, for good or bad, Sundance was on everyone's radar.

Screened from Steven Soderberg's personal print, the film was followed by one of the best Q&A sessions I've encountered at Sundance. Soderberg, joined by Andie Macdowell, Peter Gallagher and Laura San Giacomo reminisced quite casually about their experiences shooting a film with nearly no budget and no idea where it would ultimately take them. It's what you really want from those silly featurettes on a DVD, as opposed to the typical "praise the director and cast" creations that you typically get. Great insight into the creative process as well as some fantastic stories about how they all ended up working on the film.