PARK CITY, UTAH — Actors, directors and brands have once again descended on the Sundance Film Festival, turning the charming ski town into a Hollywood mecca for 10 days. The festival's attendance has never been higher — and its digital presence has never been larger.
YouTube has an interactive pavilion set up on Main Street, with an entertainment lineup ranging from sessions on fundraising techniques to an experimental Google Glass booth. An art exhibition from renowned artist Doug Aitken highlights storytelling via digital and social media. Companies such as Motorola and Oculus Rift will be showing off their wares.
See also: Netflix Earns First Oscar Nomination
Clearly, the festival isn't just for film lovers any more. It's come a long way since actor Robert Redford launched the event in 1978, which aimed to bring more filmmakers to Utah. That year, it debuted A Streetcar Named Desire and Deliverance). Zach Braff's Garden State follow-up Wish I Was Here is perhaps the most highly-anticipated movie at Sundance. It was mostly (and controversially) funded via crowdsourcing platform Kickstarter.
Not headed to Sundance? You can still absorb everything from afar. Here’s a look at how to attend from the comfort of your own (likely much warmer) home:
New to the festival this year is the #Sundance Spark hub, which (in partnership with Twitter and social agency Wayin) monitors and displays the social conversation in real time. This offers a fascinating look at what people are discussing by highlighting social stats, tweets, Vine videos and photos taken at events and premieres. It also ranks the top most-discussed films on Twitter.
The stunning data visualization will be also shown on 18 screens throughout official Sundance venues — whether it’s displayed on monitors or projected onto walls. Filmmakers and attendees are also encouraged to tweet out perspectives, checkins and share pictures associated with the hashtags of the films.

The video-sharing site has already posted 15 short films on YouTube. You'll be able to cast for the 2014 Sundance Film Festival Shorts Audience Award, which will be announced live on Jan. 25. YouTube also takes you behind the scenes of several films with what it's like to be a filmmaker preparing for Sundance.
The Sundance Film Festival is kicking off its first-ever daily broadcast show Live@Sundance with live coverage of artists, films and events, including final awards ceremony hosted by Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally.
Live@Sundance has an interactive twist: Viewers at home can tweet questions to the hosts and guests using hashtags #Sundance and #live. It will be hosted by Shira Lazar (founder of web series What’s Trending), Casey Niestat (creator of the HBO series The Neistat Brothers) and Jimmy Conrad (host of YouTube’s KickTVshare).
Sundance has you covered across all social media platforms — but what you see on what site will differ from the other. Its Tumblr is decked out with nostalgic images of past festivals, while the Instagram account features timely snapshots of what’s happening in Park City — like this one:

Worth your follow: Twitter accounts (@SundanceFest and @SundanceFestNow); Sundance on Facebook; Pinterest; Instagram; Google+; and Tumblr.
News site @NowThisNews will be behind the round-up video pieces for Instagram and Vine.
For the sevenths year in a row, the @SundanceFest Twitter handle will be overthrown by a bevvy of guest tweeters. Mark your calendars, film fans.
Thursday, Jan. 16: @RoseMcGowan
Friday, Jan 17: @JennySlate
Saturday, Jan. 18: @Georgetakei
Sunday, Jan. 19: @KatieCouric
Saturday, Jan. 25: @VogtRoberts
Saturday, Jan. 25: @Nick_Offerman

Image: Sundance

Film enthusiasts can stay connected to Sundance via the festival’s official iOS and Android apps. Users can check out the program, learn more about the films and the festival's history, peruse photo galleries and connect with others via social media sites.
Sundance sends out what it calls “Insider” emails each day with exclusive coverage from film premieres and profiles on filmmakers. Sign up here
It’s always a bummer when a movie is getting a ton of buzz and it doesn’t come out in theaters for months –- you’re likely to forget the title by then anyway. Now a platform called GoWatchIt notifies you when the film is ready for release.
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BONUS: 30 Movies Turning 30 in 2014
"Red, it took me 16 years to get here. You play me, and I'll give ya the best I got." - Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford)
"We make sacred pact. I promise teach karate to you, you promise learn. I say, you do, no questions." - Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita)
"Having a luck dragon with you is the only way to go on a quest." - Falcor
"Back off man, I'm a scientist." - Dr. Peter Venkman (Bill Murray)
"Did you ever get busted for bopping?" - Ren McCormack (Kevin Bacon)
"You can't really dust for vomit." - Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest)
"That ain't lake Minnetonka." - The Kid (Prince)
We can only imagine the hospital rooms that were filled with people who said, "Oh that's easy, I can totally do that head spinny thing."
"Uh oh." - Gizmo
"Read it and weep. I always do." - Joan Wilder (Kathleen Turner)
"I'm staying! You hear that, New York? THE FROG IS STAYING!" - Kermit
"I say we blow the f*ckers up." - Booger (Curtis Armstrong)
"Hi, come on in! Drugs to the right, hookers to the left." - Ryko (Michael Dudikoff)
"Can I borrow your underpants for 10 minutes?" - Farmer Ted (Anthony Michael Hall)
"I don't understand. All my life I've been waiting for someone and when I find her, she's... she's a fish." - Allen Bauer (Tom Hanks)
"C'mon! We're all going to die, die standing up!" - Jed (Patrick Swayze)
"I'll be back." - The Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger)
"It's okay, kid. It's me." - Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford)
"Forgive me, Majesty. I am a vulgar man! But I assure you, my music is not." - Mozart (Tim Hulce)
"Disturbing the peace? I got thrown out of a window! What's the f*ckin' charge for getting pushed out of a moving car, huh? Jaywalking?" - Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy)
"Don't move, dirtbag!" - Laverne Hooks (Marion Ramsey)
"For as long as a single man is forced to cower under the iron fist of oppression, as long as a child cries out in the night, or an actor can be elected president, we must continue the struggle." - Hillary Flammond (Lucy Gutteridge)
"He who can destroy a thing, controls a thing." - Paul Atreides (Kyle MacLachlan)
"I have been and ever shall be your friend." - Spock (Leonard Nemoy)
"Teriffic. I'm about to get killed a million miles from nowhere with a gung-ho iguana who tells me to relax." - Alex Rogan (Lance Guest)
"I'm your boyfriend now, Nancy." - Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund)
"Outlander! Outlander! We have your woman!" - Isaac (John Franklin)
"If I do something bad, will you still love me?" - Charlie McGee (Drew Barrymore)
"A repo man spends his life getting into tense situations." - Bud (Harry Dean Stanton)
"Thoughtcrime is death." - Winston Smith (John Hurt)
Image: Sundance Institute