The SundanceFilm Festival is opening its doors to international documentaries, launching asection of approximately eight films from around the world beginning at nextyear's event which will take place Jan 16-26, 2003 in Park City, Utah.The international documentary section will co-exist with the World Cinemaprogramme which features some 32 international dramatic features.

The festival hasset a deadline of Oct 11 for completed documentaries to be submitted for thenew section, with submissions also considered for Frontier, Native Forum andPark City At Midnight sections of the festival. The documentaries will also beeligible for the World Cinema Audience Award.

Diane Weyermann,director of the Sundance Institute Documentary Programme, and Geoffrey Gilmore,director of the Sundance Film Festival, will oversee the selectionprocess."The diversity of work from around the world in documentaryfilm is astounding," says Weyermann."It will be a pleasure tointroduce these projects to American audiences through the Sundance FilmFestival."

Over the lastfew years, Sundance has scored some impressive world premieres of non-US filmssuch as Intacto, Bloody Sunday, Saving Grace, Intimacy and The Full Monty.