Internet Crowd Gets Ready to Schmooze at Sundance.

RUBBING elbows with the creme de la creme of independent filmmaking and studio heavyweights at the Sundance Film Festival this week will be a new crowd -- the Internet set.

For the first time in the festival's history, the online industry is descending on Park City in search of publicity and synergy. Closely attuned to Hollywood, many Los Angeles-based Internet companies are helping lead the charge.

"Sundance is about the cutting edge and the independent artist, which is very much what the Internet is all about," said Lisa Crane, president and chief executive of West Hollywood-based Soundbreak.com, an online alternative radio station. "It's a natural, logical fit."

The Soundbreak.com team will conduct interviews with available luminaries, combing through the film festival entrants' soundtracks to discover new recording artists and, of course, promoting the company and its DJ personalities.

For Hollywood.com, a movie-oriented online company also based in Santa Monica, Sundance will be its official coming-out party. It has built a 36-foot geodesic dome, dubbed the "Home Dome," in downtown Park City. Hollywood.com will host VIP and networking receptions at the dome, as well as preview its new online initiatives. And like many of the online festival participants, the company will be streaming its coverage of the film festival over its Web site.

"We see Sundance as our first really big launch in the Hollywood community," said Stewart Mitchell, Hollywood.com vice president of marketing. "We are as much an entertainment company as an Internet company, and Sundance is an excellent opportunity to network with the who's who in Hollywood."

Another Internet company swinging its way through the film festival is Warner Bros.' Entertaindom, which is sponsoring the Sundance Interactive Lounge, along with Sun Microsystems and ShowBiz Data. Entertaindom also is streaming coverage of Sundance goings-on via its eponymous Web site.

ReelPlay, a Santa Monica Internet company that specializes in movie trailers and information targeted at distributors, also will be touting its presence -- not to mention new products -- at the festival.

In addition to the Internet flavor being injected by dot-com invaders, the festival itself is embracing the digital. For the first time, Sundance has accepted digital film submissions this year and will have a special screening for them.