The Sundance Film Festival is currently in full swing, having begun on 22nd January, and wrapping up on 1st February. This year, something particularly special is in the air at Salt Lake City, as the festival is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. That's right, the Sundance Film Festival has been running for 30 years! Starting out back in 1985, Sundance screened 86 films with the help of 13 staff members. Last year, the festival showcased 186 films of 12,218 that were submitted. That sort of growth has helped Sundance become one of the biggest independent film festivals in, not only North America, by the world.

Kevin Bacon at The Sundance Film Festival, 2015 (Credit: Larry Busacca - Getty Images)
Kevin Bacon at The Sundance Film Festival, 2015 (Credit: Larry Busacca - Getty Images)

This year, 54 first-time filmmakers are having their films premiered at the festival, but there are plenty of well-known faces there, as well, as 200 films are being shown this year for the monumental anniversary. For the 12th year running, The Village at the Lift has been set up in Park City with a café, restaurant, nightclub and photo studio. And this photo studio has seen a host of celebrities for the festival flocking in to pose for pictures in promotion for their various films, taken by Larry Busacca.

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Alexande Skarsgard at The Sundance Film Festival, 2015(Credit: Larry Busacca - Getty Images)
Alexande Skarsgard at The Sundance Film Festival, 2015(Credit: Larry Busacca - Getty Images)

Amongst those who posed in the were Ewan McGregor, star of 'Last Days in the Desert' in which he portrays Jesus Christ; Ethan Hawke, Emile Hirsch and Avan Jogia, the cast of 1980s-set coming-of-age film 'Ten Thousand Saints'; Saoirse Ronan, the star of 1950s romantic 'Brooklyn'; Jason Schwartzman, star of 'The Overnight'; Slash - the lead guitarist for Gunz N' Roses; and Kevin Bacon, star of 'Cop Car'.

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Nick Nolte at The Sundance Film Festival, 2015 (Credit: Larry Busacca - Getty Images)
Nick Nolte at The Sundance Film Festival, 2015 (Credit: Larry Busacca - Getty Images)

So with all this excitement (and  an awful lot more) it's easy to see how the Sundance Film Festival has expanded into the juggernaut it is today, and it looks more than likely that it'll continue to show off the very best of independent filmmaking for another thirty years at least.

Saoirse Ronan at The Sundance Film Festival, 2015 (Credit: Larry Busacca - Getty Images)
Saoirse Ronan at The Sundance Film Festival, 2015 (Credit: Larry Busacca - Getty Images)

Slach at The Sundance Film Festival, 2015 (Credit: Larry Busacca - Getty Images) 
Slash at The Sundance Film Festival, 2015 (Credit: Larry Busacca - Getty Images)

Jason Schwartzman at The Sundance Film Festival, 2015 (Credit: Larry Busacca - Getty Images)
Jason Schwartzman at The Sundance Film Festival, 2015 (Credit: Larry Busacca - Getty Images)

Emile Hirsch, Ethan Hawke and Avan Jogia (Credit: Larry Busacca - Getty Images)
Emile Hirsch, Ethan Hawke and Avan Jogia (Credit: Larry Busacca - Getty Images)

Michael Shannon at The Sundance Film Festival, 2015 (Credit: Larry Busacca - Getty Images) 
Michael Shannon at The Sundance Film Festival, 2015 (Credit: Larry Busacca - Getty Images)

James Franco at The Sundance Film Festival, 2015 (Credit: Larry Busacca - Getty Images)
James Franco at The Sundance Film Festival, 2015 (Credit: Larry Busacca - Getty Images)

Ewan McGregor at The Sundance Film Festival, 2015 (Credit: Larry Busacca - Getty Images)
Ewan McGregor at The Sundance Film Festival, 2015 (Credit: Larry Busacca - Getty Images)

Winona Ryder at The Sundance Film Festival, 2015 (Credit: Larry Busacca - Getty Images)
Winona Ryder at The Sundance Film Festival, 2015 (Credit: Larry Busacca - Getty Images)