Sundance Festival Warns Against eBay Ticket Sales

Sundance Film Festival officials in Utah are discouraging people from buying their tickets for the event on Ebay. They aim to monitor the re-selling of tickets online, which is prohibited except through Sundance's website.

Traditionally, the festival, which begins on January 18th and lasts till the 27th, allows local residents to purchase tickets before they go on sale nationwide. Last weekend, more than 1,400 Utah natives were randomly selected for the opportunity to be part of a sale where they could buy up to 20 tickets. Sundance officials say tickets resold on the Internet can be deactivated before the film's showing.

This Saturday, two tickets for the first screening of Waitress, starring Keri Russell, sold for $385 and a second pair went for $255, the following half hour.

Patrick Hubley, Sundance's spokesman, stated, "We've contacted those sellers and informed them of our policy and what actions we are taking...I wouldn't advise people to buy tickets off of eBay or any other site."

To get around the restrictions, some vendors are advertising "free" tickets with the purchase of a film guide.

The Sundance Festival, which was created in 1978 with the name "Utah/US Film Festival," has become an important event for the screening of independent films. The screenings are shown in Park City and Ogden, Utah.