Sundance Today: K-Stew Still Rules; Aaron Paul, Mitt Romney, and Robert Redford Impress; ‘Dinosaur 13’ Acquired

(Photo by George Pimentel/Getty Images for Sundance Film Festival.)

People We’re Buzzing About

Kristen Stewart: No vampires were in sight, but Kristen Stewart still stirred up quite a frenzy among her large fan base with her appearance at the festival in connection with her starring role as a guard in Guantanamo Bay drama Camp X-Ray. [MTV News]

Aaron Paul: Riding a wave of interest following in the wake of Breaking Bad’s finale, Aaron Paul proved to be a big hit with his new film, Hellion. He plays a husband still grieving over the loss of his wife and struggling to raise his two sons. Social media lit up with the news of his arrival, and his growing star charisma probably had something to do with it. Young Josh Wiggins, who plays one of his sons, also got a lot of buzz for his performance. [EW.com]

Mitt Romney: Former governor and presidential candidate Mitt Romney is the subject of Mitt, a new documentary that premiered at the festival. Romney attended the gala presentation held in Salt Lake City, along with members of his family and many Utah dignitaries. Asked about his cooperation with filmmaker Greg Whiteley, Romney joked that he probably would have said no if Michael Moore requested such access. [Deseret News]

Robert Redford: Sundance Institute President — and festival figurehead — Robert Redford sat down with the media for his usual opening day comments on Thursday, but this year’s event was a little different, in that it came hours after Redford missed out on receiving an Academy Award nomination, widely expected for his superb work in the drama All Is Lost. Redford said, in part: “I think we suffered from little to no distribution. And so as a result, our distributors either… I don’t know why. They didn’t want to spend the money, they were afraid. I don’t know why. Or they just were incapable. But whatever, we had no campaign to help us cross over into the mainstream. Would it have been wonderful to be nominated? Of course. But… I’m not disturbed by it, or upset by it.” [HitFix]

Around the Web

Frank: Michael Fassbender stars as a singer who never takes off his big plaster head in the movie titled Frank. To promote the movie, paper “Frank” masks were handed out at the screening on Friday, which some filmgoers chose to wear around the festival. [Boston.com]

Dinosaur 13: Lionsgate and CNN Films made the first deal of the festival, acquiring distribution rights to Dinosaur 13, a documentary “about the discovery of the Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton named Sue and the ensuing legal fight over control of the bones.” The film debuted on Thursday night and sparked interest among multiple distributors, leading to a deal that was completed early Friday morning. Lionsgate plans a theatrical release later this year. [Los Angeles Times]

Laggies: A comedy-drama about a twenty-something woman who is coming to terms with her need to grow up, Laggies stars Keira Knightley and Chloe Grace Moretz. Unfortunately, the movie’s world premiere suffered a blackout about two-thirds of the way into the screening. The screening came back to life within moments, but “one scene was skipped entirely.” Much of the cast and crew were in attendance. [The Hollywood Reporter]

The Babadook: Unusual title aside, it seems that the dark horrors of The Babadook struck a nerve. One reviewer, a parent himself, noted: “In those moments where I am feeling most frustrated or helpless, I can tell myself how much worse things could be. And now, when I’m really at my wit’s end, I can always just think of The Babadook and thank god that things will never go this wrong.” The film follows a mother, still grieving over the loss her husband, as she deals with raising her son, a rather odd little boy. Jennifer Kent wrote and directed. [HitFix]

My Own Private Sundance

A curated selection of tweets from festival attendees: