David Lynch, Alexandria Jones, Isabella Rossellini, Dr. Ruth (1988)

David Lynch had a tiny part in the 1988 Sundance film Zelly and Me.

John Sayles and Robert Altman (1988)

John Sayles and Robert Altman together in 1988.

Robert Redford (1988)

Sydney Pollack and Robert Redford (1989)

Director Sydney Pollack and collaborator Robert Redford in 1989.

Clint Eastwood (1990)

Clint Eastwood honored his A Fistful of Dollars director Sergio Leone in 1990. The Italian filmmaker had died a year earlier.

Clint Eastwood (1990)

At the 1990 fest, Eastwood remembered Sergio Leone: "Sergio was not afraid to attack American mores."

John Cusack (1991)

John Cusack (center) at the 1991 fest.

Todd Haynes (1991)

Haynes' feature film debut, Poison, took the Grand Jury Prize.

Saundra Saperstein, Nicole Guillemet and Steven Soderbergh (1992)

Soderbergh, pictured in 1992, made a huge splash at the fest three years earlier with Sex, lies, and videotape.

Quentin Tarantino and Ronna Wallace (1992)

Quentin Tarantino with Reservoir Dogs producer Ronna Wallace during the director's first trip to the fest.

Robert Rodriguez (1992)

Robert Rodriguez and his debut, El Mariachi, premiered at Sundance in 1992.

Michael Stipe, John Cooper (1992)

REM's Michael Stipe (center) and John Cooper (right) — the then programmer of Sundance.

John Turturro (1992)

John Turturro was awarded the Piper-Heidseick Award for Independent Vision in 1992.

Faye Dunaway (1992)

Faye Dunaway (right) in 1992.

Sam Shepard (1993)

Sam Shepard discussing his Western Silent Tongue.

Denzel Washington (1993)

Washington was honored with the Piper-Heidsieck Tribute to Independent Vision in 1993.

Robert Redford (1994)

Robert Redford met with Native American filmmakers at the 1994 fest, which featured a program to showcase Native and Indigenous films made around the world.

John Pierson (1994)

Producer John Pierson at the '94 fest.

Kevin Smith (1994)

There wasn't an iota of nudity in Smith's Clerk's. But the dialogue was so outlandishly and inventively profane, the film ended up getting slapped with an NC-17 rating. For Miramax, which bought the movie after Harvey Weinstein caught its final screening at Sundance, the harsh rating turned out to be a PR bonanza. Writing the opening chapter in Miramax's guerrilla marketing playbook, Weinstein hired O.J. Simpson lawyer Alan Dershowitz to spearhead a publicity blitz that made the movie a cause celebre well before it hit theaters. The MPAA ultimately reconsidered and changed Clerks' ratings to R.

Edward Burns (1995)

Edward Burns brought his first film, The Brothers McMullen, to the fest in 1995.

Mark Wahlberg (1995)

Mark Wahlberg brought The Basketball Diaries to Sundance in 1994.

Scott Hicks (1996)

Hicks (right) held the debut of biopic Shine at the 1996 fest.

Parker Posey (1997)

The actress won the Sundance Film Festival Award for Special Recognition for The House of Yes.

‘Smoke Signals’ Director Chris Eyre (1998)

Chris Eyre won the Filmmaker's Trophy, while his Native American dramedy Smoke Signals took the Audience Award at the 1998 fest.

Darren Aronofsky (1998)

Darren Aronofski brought Pi to the 1998 festival.

Syndey Pollack and Gwyneth Paltrow (1998)

Syndey Pollack (far left) and Gwyneth Paltrow (far right) in 1998.

Tom McCarthy, Bobby Cannavale, Oliver Bokelberg, Peter Dinklage (2003)

The The Station Agent gang took the fest's Audience award.

Morgan Spurlock (2004)

Super Size Me would go on to become a big hit after Spurlock won the Grand Jury Prize for directing the film.

‘Napoleon Dynamite’ (2004)

Napoleon Dynamite sold to Fox Searchlight and Paramount at Sundance.

Melvin Van Peebles and Mario Van Peebles (2004)

Melvin Van Peebles and Mario Van Peebles took BAADASSSSS! to Park City in 2004.

‘A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints’ (2006)

Director Dito Montiel's film won him a Director's Award and earned the cast a Special Jury Prize. From left: Channing Tatum, Chazz Palminteri, Montiel, Robert Downey Jr. and Shia LaBeouf.

Sam Rockwell, Brad William Henke and Clark Gregg (2008)

Director Clark Gregg and his stars brought their black comedy Choke to the fest in 2008.

Banksy Paints the Town (2010)