The Filmmaker Lodge at 550 Main Street is the place for indie filmmakers and the general public to gather when the festival-going gets rough. Located on the second floor of what is normally the BPO Elks Building, the Lodge is "really the one place at Sundance, beyond the streetlife and the films, that makes you feel like you're actually at Sundance," says Steve Lickteig, a Washington, D.C.-based filmmaker.

According to venue manager Jon Henry, the Lodge, with its oversized couches and leather chairs, its coffee bar and daily 4 p.m. happy hour, is "a comfortable place where people can both network and relax."

Beside the bustling coffee bar, exhibitors include the Center for Asian American Media, the International Documentary Association (IDA), and Women Make Movies. Filmmaking partners Geeta Patel and Senain Keshgi say they would not have been able to make their last film, "Project Kashmir," without the camaraderie at the Lodge. "It's like walking into a room of other people just like you and suddenly realizing you're not a freak," says Patel. "Like that old Blind Melon music video with the bee-girl, you know?"

Not just filmmakers but folks of all stripes, says Sundance's Jon Henry, are welcome into the relative beehive of activity. Although when the hive is too full, admission is limited to credentialed festival-goers. The most frantic times are the daily cocktail hours sponsored by the likes of PBS and the Discovery Channel. That's when it's best to head elsewhere when searching for a drink and a place to rest your weary feet.

Upcoming panels include:
The Latin Resurgence
Wednesday, January 23rd, 2:00pm
Stories That Must Be Told: Today’s Human Rights Documentary Movement
Thursday, January 24th , 10:30AM
Producing Native Cinema
Thursday, January 24th , 2:00pm
Critics Cornered?
Friday, January 25th, 10:30 am
The Double Bottom Line: Too Good to be True?
Friday, January 25th at 2:00PM