Katie cooks, summer camp kids sing, Mac is back and Patricia Clarkson is everywhere. Welcome to the just-announced 2003 Sundance Film Festival slate.

Robert Redford's annual wingding set beneath the slopes of ski-mad Park City, Utah, has stocked up with plenty of alterna-flicks to keep the indie set happy and enough A-list power to make Hollywood pursestrings unloosen.

Among the subjects in the ultra-competitive dramatic feature category: a murderous ex-pop singer, an urban hermit, dwarves, nightclubs, truck stops, drag racing and a song-filled summer camp. And there's the requisite fare about troubled teens and sexual hijinks.

One thing many of the entrants do have in common however is star power. With films starring the likes of Kevin Spacey, Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, Mel Gibson, Billy Bob Thornton and Morgan Freeman, the competition looks more like an Oscar after-party than an art-house showcase.

Some early buzz-worthy entries are already emerging. Wayne Kramer's The Cooler stars William H. Macy, Alec Baldwin and Maria Bello in the story of an Ivy Leaguer sent in by the Mob to run a casino. Peter Hedges' all-digital Pieces of April, has Katie Holmes playing an ostracized young woman trying to make good with her family by cooking Thanksgiving dinner. And there's the celluloid return of Macaulay Culkin in Party Monster, where he plays a murderous club kid.

Also making a big splash at the 2003 fest will be Patricia Clarkson. The veteran actress, who won an Emmy this year for playing the hippy aunt on Six Feet Under, will be in no less than five films at Sundance: Pieces of April, All the Real Girls and The Station Agent in the dramatic competition and Bend It Like Beckham and Baroness and the Pig in the world cinema slate.

All told, the 2,012 feature entries marked a 25 percent increase over the 1,740 flicks submitted for this year's fest. The number of short films entered was also way up, from 2,100 a year ago to 3,345 considered for the 2003 competition--a whopping 62 percent increase. Organizers say the increase can be attributed to affordable digital cameras and home desktop editing systems, with digitally created films accounting for a quarter of all entries.

Here's a rundown of the features competing in the drama category:

Party Monster--a film by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato starring Culkin, Seth Green and Natasha Lyonne in the true story of New York scenester-turned-murderer Michael Alig. Pieces of April--Peter Hedges' comedy-drama about a woman cooking up a Thanksgiving feast for her family. All the Real Girls--David Gordon Green's tale of a swinging young man who falls in love with his best friend's little sister. Quattra Noza--Joey Curtis' story of rivalry, love and war set against the backdrop of illegal car racing in Southern California. The Mudge Boy--Vincent D'Onofrio stars in this story of a father and son who bond following the death of someone close to them. What Alice Found--A. Dean Bell's exploration of the world of truck stops focusing on a young woman who meets a friendly RV couple. Die Mommy Die --Mark Rucker's adaptation of a play about a murderous ex-pop singer. The Cooler--Wayne Kramer's story of a man sent by the Mob to shake up a casino's management. The Technical Writer--Scott Saunders tale of an urban hermit who gets dragged out of his shell by his neighbors. Rhythm of the Saints--director Sarah Rogacki's examination of a New York girl who fights danger in her own home. American Splendor--Shari Springer and Robert Pulcini's tale of comic book creator Harvey Pekar. The Station Agent--Tom McCarthy's gritty story of a dwarf who takes up residence in an abandoned New Jersey train depot. The United States of Leland--Spacey, Don Cheadle and Ryan Gosling star in Matthew Ryan Hoge's account of a troubled teen who murders a disabled boy. Camp--Todd Graff sets this Fame-like musical-comedy in a summer camp. Dopamine, Mark Decena's tale of a repressed computer animator who falls in love with a creature he creates.
Thirteen--Catherine Hardwicke directs Holly Hunter and Deborah Unger in the story of a rebellious 13-year-old.

Meanwhile, the documentary category boasts a number of biographical films, ranging from legendary poet Charles Bukowski and novelist Gore Vidal to portraits of famed war photographer Robert Capa and record producer Tom Down. The Weather Underground offers an account of '60s radicals and A Decade Under the Influence features conversations with influential film directors of the 1970s.

The American Showcase category, which typically focuses on more high-profile fare, will offer up the feature helming debuts of actors Salma Hayek and Matt Dillon.

Also playing in that category is Laurel Canyon, a musical-drama from director Lisa Cholodenko (High Art) featuring Frances McDormand as a pot-smoking L.A. record producer at odds with her straight-laced medical-student son played by Christian Bale and Buffalo Soldiers, filmmaker Gregor Jordan's look at U.S. soldiers in peacetime Germany starring Ed Harris, Scott Glenn and Joaquin Phoenix.

The 2003 Sundance Fest unspools January 16-26.