INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVALS, like the Sundance Film Festival, are widely recognized in the film industry as a major place to discover new talent and acquire independently made films on topics that might otherwise be too controversial, too niche specific, or too original for a major studio-backed picture. One of the breakout hits of Sundance 2013, the comedy Don Jon, was directed by and starred Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Relativity Studios acquired distribution rights for $4 million, and the film (which had a $6 million production budget) earned $24.4 million in domestic box-office receipts. Daniel McFadden/© Relativity Media/Everett Collection