Chapter 56: I Need a Moment

The next morning, Simon and Janet flew to Utah. As the plane took off, Janet broached the topic of the previous day's discussion: "So, how did the talk with Fox go?"

As the plane stabilized, Simon unbuckled his seatbelt, his mind replaying the rapid succession of expressions on Peter Sanders' face when he saw Simon's age on his driver's license. Shaking his head with a smile, he said, "You know, I was hoping for a revenue-sharing deal, but Sanders insisted on a buyout. Looks like it'll have to wait until after Sundance now. Hopefully, the situation will look a bit different then."

Simon had elaborated on his distribution strategy to Peter Sanders, using his young age as a promotional angle. Sanders seemed somewhat tempted but ultimately did not agree to the deal, nor did he offer a new price.

Simon suspected that Sanders' reluctance was due to his limited authority.

In major Hollywood studios, most decisions are typically made by a few top executives, and although Sanders was a vice president with certain responsibilities, the final say in film matters rested with the CEO, Ronald Goldberg.

Janet, who had merely asked out of curiosity, was not disheartened by Simon's response and suggested, "We could just distribute it ourselves if it comes to that. It might even be a good learning experience."

Simon smiled and nodded in agreement.

Handling the distribution himself was indeed possible but would be a tremendous time sink.

It had taken Simon only four months to produce "Run Lola Run," but managing the distribution across various channels could take a year or two. Moreover, the ultimate returns might not even match what he could have made by selling the film outright to a studio.

After some light conversation, Simon opened a copy of "The Hollywood Reporter" he had brought on the plane. Just as he was about to flip through it, something occurred to him, and he turned to Janet: "Hey, I've been wondering why Catherine has been looking at me so strangely these past few days."

Janet blinked innocently and replied, "Hmm?"

Seeing Janet's feigned innocence only made Simon more suspicious. He stared at her intently and asked, "Did you say something to Catherine?"

Janet's eyes flickered guiltily as she protested even more innocently, "What could I possibly say about you? I don't care to talk about you."

"That's exactly how I know you said something," Simon, now certain, playfully waved his rolled-up newspaper, "Come clean—what bad things did you say about me?"

Seeing Simon brandish the newspaper, Janet shrank back in her seat but defiantly tilted her head, adopting a martyr-like tone, "I didn't say anything!"

Her loud protest attracted the attention of everyone in the cabin.

Feeling the collective glare of passengers judging him as a domestic abuser, Simon sheepishly sat back down and unfolded his newspaper, pretending to read.

Moments later, Janet snuggled up to him again and playfully scratched at him. Seeing no response, she hesitated before whispering, "I... I just told Kate about how you tormented me all night on Christmas Eve."

Confused, Simon asked, "How did I torment you?"

Janet raised her hand and wiggled her fingers in front of him, murmuring, "You know, five times."

It took a few moments for Simon to understand the implication of "five times," and when he did, he slumped back in his seat, overwhelmed by the urge to jump out of the plane.

All was lost.

He'd been ruined.

To think he'd been branded as an overindulgent beast in Catherine's eyes.

Though he had committed to Janet, no one would want to be viewed like that by others.

"Why me?"

Seeing Simon's deflated expression, Janet cuddled closer and whispered, "Don't worry, Simon. I told Kate I didn't mind."

Exasperated, Simon said weakly, "Did you also tell her about the time you took care of me all night when I suddenly got sick with a fever and refused to go to the hospital? How you were the perfect girlfriend?"

Janet blinked, confused, "Wait, wasn't it me who got sick?"

Simon weakly waved to a passing flight attendant, "Miss, could I change seats? I need a moment to myself."

...

After landing in a snow-covered Salt Lake City, Simon and Janet rented a car and drove for nearly an hour along mountain roads to reach Park City, the venue for the Sundance Film Festival.

Sundance started in the late 1970s as a film screening event in Salt Lake City before moving to Park City.

Founded by Robert Redford, the festival was not originally intended solely to support independent cinema; Redford had purchased a ski resort in Park City and, after poor business results, sought to mimic Aspen's success by hosting cultural events to boost tourism and support indie films.

Over

 the next two decades, Sundance's influence grew significantly, helping launch the careers of many renowned Hollywood directors.

But in 1987, Park City was still relatively unknown, and Sundance had not yet achieved significant prominence.

Due to the time difference as Utah is in the Mountain Time Zone, it was already past noon when Simon and Janet arrived in Park City.

Janet had booked accommodations at a resort east of Park City, where quaint wooden cabins were nestled among the trees, each beautifully constructed and conveniently connected by smooth asphalt roads.

Of course, these weren't cheap.

Simon, practically penniless with his credit cards maxed out, had to cover the resort expenses, albeit reluctantly under Janet's insistent that he sign on her IOU.

Simon mused that if he didn't start making money soon, he might have to pay off his debts using Shi'er Westeros as collateral.

After settling in and having lunch, the couple hurried to the Sundance Institute at the base of the western ski area in Park City to complete necessary festival paperwork and submit the film copy of "Run Lola Run."

Interestingly, Simon was definitely the last participant to submit his film.

By December of the previous year, Sundance had already announced the films selected for the narrative and documentary categories. If not for a personal recommendation from Robert Redford, the festival's chairman, coupled with less competition back then, "Run Lola Run" would likely not have qualified for participation.

After completing the registration, Simon stepped out of the institute just as Robert Redford and his group approached from the parking lot.

"Hey, Simon, you finally made it. David was just asking about you."

Warmly greeting Simon, Redford introduced him and Janet to his companions, all judges for this year's festival.

Simon knew that Sundance had only two categories at the time, with five judges each, totaling ten. Redford was accompanied by only four people, clearly not the full panel.

And hearing their names—David Anson, Randa Haines, Kit Carson, Jane Benicks—Simon recognized they must be film industry professionals, though he was unfamiliar with them.

This wasn't surprising; even many years later, Sundance's judges tended to be 'obscure' compared to those at major festivals.

As introductions were made, Simon shook hands with the group, particularly noting David Anson, who had mentioned him earlier.

"We're about to watch the shortlisted films. Since you've just handed in your copy, it's a great time to start with yours. Everyone's quite curious about your movie."

With that, after a few words of advice, Redford led the other four into the institute.