VOL. 23, NO. 12	JANUARY 23, 1998

A documentary by Katharina Otto, a graduate of Columbia College and the Film Division, is in the competition.

ive films directed by students and recent alumni of the School of the Arts' Graduate Film Division are being featured in the Sundance Film Festival—internationally regarded as the single most important showcase of American independent cinema—in Park City, Utah, until Jan. 25.

  "We are delighted that so many Columbia students and alumni are presenting their films at this year's festival," said Lewis Cole, chair of the Film Division. "Their participation is yet another illustration of the momentum that's been building in the film program, and is particularly exciting as we prepare for our major spring festival in April, sponsored by Polo Ralph Lauren."

  The films scheduled to be screened are:

• "Beautopia," by Katharina Otto, a Columbia College graduate who received her M.F.A. in 1992 from the film program, is entered in the documentary competition. Crossing the globe, the film follows four young models (from the Czech Republic, Germany, Great Britain and the United States, on the verge of capturing their dreams and becoming superstars. Balanced with interviews with established models Lauren Hutton, Elle MacPherson, Kate Moss and Claudia Schiffer, "Beautopia" contrasts the sobering reality of the business of beauty with its false promises, competition and rejection to the fairy tale images in the young models' heads.

• "High Art," by Lisa Cholodenko, a '97 alumna, is entered in the dramatic competition. Co-starring Ally Sheedy and marked by edgy, urban realism and dark, laconic wit, the film explores the interminglings of love and ambition, identity and addiction.

• "Breeze," by Barbara Sanon, a current student, follows a young girl as she embarks on a fantasy-like journey which takes her from girlhood to womanhood. The short film, which features an entirely African-American cast, has been screened at the New York Film Festival and at the Toronto Film Festival.

• "Melvyn Schmatzman, Freudian Dentist," by David Grotell, a '96 alumnus, is described as a sex comedy and was Grotell's thesis film.

• "The Absolution of Anthony," is by Dean Slotar, a current student.

  The Sundance Film Festival is a program of the Sundance Institute, a nonprofit arts organization founded in 1981 by Robert Redford to enhance the artistic vitality and diversity of American filmmaking.