Emerging talent just isn’t confined to narrative and documentary feature films. As the Slamdance Film Festival celebrates its 15th anniversary in 2009, 86 short films in four different competition categories - documentary, narrative/experimental, animation and music video, which is a new classification this year - will be showcased and be eligible for a grand yury award. All accepted entries have been selected to screen by the shorts programming committee comprised primarily of Slamdance alumni filmmakers.

Slamdance’s short films have generated an impressive lineage. Some notable alumni to come out of Slamdance’s previous shorts line-ups include Gina Prince-Bythewood (The Secret Life of Bees), Mike Mitchell (Shrek Goes Fourth), Seth Gordon (Four Christmases), Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite), Matt Nix (Burn Notice), and Rian Johnson (The Brothers Bloom).

In addition to the four jury competitions, Slamdance also has two out-of-competition shorts categories, which are the Anarchy Online Film Competition and $99 Specials. Each month, from March through November, three short films (10 minutes or under) are selected to play online here. Anarchy is open to all types of films and the winner is determined by site visitors via online voting. Each month’s winner screens at Slamdance, competing for a prizes and a Slamdance Sparky Award.

The $99 Specials are produced by Slamdance and directed by Slamdance alumni. Slamdance gives $99 to these alums, and sets them loose with the latest in filmmaking technology. Ninety-nine days later they return with a five-minutes-or-under short film experiment. In a profession where it’s not always easy to practice the filmmaking craft, the intention of the $99 Specials is to do exactly that – and to keep the filmmaking process heading in the right direction. $99 Specials are shown at the festival in January and online here.

Slamdance is pleased to expand its short film slate by showcasing special programs in partnership with CurrentTV, LUNAFest, and Real Ideas Studio. For the second year, Slamdance and CurrentTV teamed up for “A Chance at Slamdance 2009,” which received an increase of more than 40 percent in submissions this year. This program will showcase five short documentary films created by CurrentTV viewers as a special screening at the festival. New this year, Slamdance is also proud to feature a screening of LUNAFest short films showcasing exceptional storytelling by, for, about women.

Slamdance has additionally established a partnership for the 2009 festival with Real Ideas Studio, which is offering selected students a chance to film behind the scenes at Slamdance and in Park City. Real Ideas Studio student films created during the festival in this immersion program will be showcased at Slamdance on the final day of screenings.

“Short Films, more than any other type of filmmaking, really allow artists to experiment, to find their voice, and to tackle topics that are taboo and untouchable, and are proud to include that powerful creative energy to our festival,” says Sam Roberts, the festival’s director of film competitions/co-chair of shorts programming.

Working toward a goal of providing a truly supportive and enriching learning environment for filmmakers, Slamdance is hosting a number of new events this year to expose filmmakers and attendees to the best opportunities, resources, and companies for independent creatives. Based primarily in the Festival’s expanded Technicolor Filmmaker Lounge at TMI, these events include daily Filmmaker Technology Demos sponsored by Media Distributors and Panasonic, themed days to focus on current issues important to independent film, such as Do-It-Yourself Marketing and Distribution Day sponsored by Spout.com.

Also new this year is Slamdance’s recently formed online venture with Indieroad.net, a website created by a team of veteran entertainment and business executives to address the lack of robust distribution options available to promising new talent in the independent film field. Through a combined Slamdance/Indieroad.net site, Slamdance films will stream anytime throughout the festival period. Bringing the festival to a worldwide audience for the first time, this ground-breaking partnership will allow audiences, press and buyers the opportunity to see the festival films from a location of their choosing, even if they cannot physically attend. Each online viewing of a Slamdance film or shorts will cost $9, and one-third of this amount for each film viewed will go directly to the filmmakers.

Also, for the first time, Slamdance will be screening select music videos. “Besides being biased to the format due to my own history, adding a music video line-up this year seemed like a no-brainer, what with the paradigm shifts in the music industry and the artists’ easy access to talented low-budget filmmakers,” said the festival’s Drea Clark, executive director/ chair of music video programming. “We were really looking for a full range: experience, technique, musical genre, performance capture, narrative and animation. Music video has long been one of the most envelope pushing mediums around, and I’m excited with the broad spectrum of talent that’s represented in our premiere outing in this arena.”

The music video programming is beginning auspiciously. Among the artists and filmmakers who are in this year’s competition are Blonde Redhead, whose “Top Ranking” video was directed by Mike Mills, who directed Sundance’s Thumbsucker (2005) and stars Miranda July (Me And You and Everyone We Know, Sundance 2005). Also, featured will be director Patrick Daughters, who is a rising star in music video and whose previous Feist clip “1, 2, 3, 4″ was nominated for a Grammy. Feist is a well-respected name in the indie-pop world, gaining fame and outside interest when her track “1, 2, 3, 4″ launched the new iPod commercials.

Also, director Chris Milk made a name for himself doing multiple award-winning videos for Kanye West (”Jesus Walks”, “Touch the Sky”) and was the 2008 MVPA Director of the Year. His video at Slamdance, for Grammy award winners and certified platinum recording artists Gnarls Barkley, is the only in the music video category to feature dialogue overlaid over the entire video — a rarity in the format, and approved by the artist and label.

As it does every year, Slamdance will run concurrently with the Sundance Film Festival. Slamdance and the box office will be headquartered and films will screen at the Treasure Mountain Inn, 255 Main Street, the Festival’s headquarters since 1998. For more information and for a complete listing of films in the Festival, visit here or call 323/466-1786. Festival passes are now on sale on the web site and individual tickets are now available online.