On January 28, 2010, The Michigan Theater will be one of just eight theaters nationwide to be included in the first-ever Sundance Film Festival U.S.A. - which will, for one night during the 10-day annual festival in Park City, Utah, offer far-flung premiere screenings of current Sundance selections.

Eight filmmakers and their films will be dispatched from Park City to locales across America, providing audiences the opportunity to experience screenings from the prestigious Sundance Film Festival in their hometown art houses and engage in live conversation with festival artists. Selections for these traveling films and filmmakers will take place shortly after the programming announcement in December.

“The concept behind Sundance Film Festival U.S.A. is to ignite dialogue as people across the country engage in a collective film experience,” Sundance founder Robert Redford stated in a press release. “It is an extension, really, of the work we have done for decades: supporting the independent voice, bringing artists to the table and inserting art more and more into the social context of how we live. We hope by speaking with artists about their work and experiencing the festival as it is happening, audiences will be inspired to share opinions, discuss the key issues of our day and reflect on the role art plays in social change.”

In addition to Ann Arbor's Michigan Theater, other participating theaters reside in Brookline, Massachusetts; Brooklyn, New York; Chicago, Illinois; Los Angeles, California; Madison, Wisconsin; Nashville, Tennessee; and San Francisco, California.

Jenn McKee is the entertainment digital journalist for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at jennmckee@annarbor.com or 734-623-2546, and follow her on Twitter @jennmckee.