Sundance is now a week old, having begun last Thursday. That makes this Day 8, and signs of burnout are everywhere. Park City sidewalks are no longer crowded. Traffic has thinned. And free back rubs commenced this afternoon at the press & industry offices.

Most sales activities have concluded, as expertly chronicled by Lincoln Center’s Eugene Hernandez in an indieWire blog: http://blogs.indiewire.com/eug/archives/buying_is_back_at_sundance/

Thankfully the sidewalks remain clear, spared the 19-inch snows that hit the Northeast last night. The mountain air is clear and brisk. Hard not to look up at the azure sky, breathe deeply and smile. Maybe that’s why Sundance screenings remain sold-out and hard to get into. As the industry tribe moves on, enthusiastic locals move in.

The newswires will of course instantly report Saturday’s award winners. But I’ve always maintained that each of the 120 long-form filmmakers whose magna opera (plural of magnum opus) are invited to this iconic festival has already hit the golden jackpot. They can proudly boast of a Sundance premiere. They can add Sundance laurels to their posters. How precious is this distinction? This year Sundance received 3,812 feature submissions. Only three percent made it.

Speaking of bleary eyes and flagging energy, this will be my final blog from Sundance 2011. Thanks for reading, and I hope to have the privilege to blog again from Sundance 2012.