12 Sundance Movies That Made It Big: From Napoleon Dynamite to Beasts of the Southern Wild

Precious won Festival awards before Oscars, The Blair Witch Project also got its start in Park City

By John Boone Jan 17, 2013 8:15 PMTags
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What happens in Park City doesn't stay in Park City.

Because those chilly Utah slopes are where the anual Sundance Film Festival takes place (the 2013 fest opens tonight), aka the place to launch your indie flick and maybe, just maybe, earn some early Oscar buzz (like, say, Academy Award winner Precious and current nominee Beasts of the Southern Wild).

And if you don't get nominations, maybe you'll get a franchise (like...Saw).

Before all those big buzz movies kick off this year's Festival (screenings start this weekend), it's time to look back at the flicks that have made it big at Sundance past.