The Sundance Kid must be kicking himself.

In its first official year of quasi-existence, the Wisconsin Film Festival courted Robert Redford to the shores of Lake Mendota so as to bestow him with the bafflingly eponymous “Cheesehead Award.” When the Academy Award winner and Sundance Film Festival founder backed out, setback after setback threatened to shut down the entire operation. The first Wisconsin Film Festival limped to its postponed opening, showing 30 free films to about 3,000 attendees.

Things have changed quite a bit since the earnest efforts of UW-Madison students James Kreul and Wendi Weger got things rolling four years ago, thanks in large part to the hiring of a professional director, one Mary Carbine. “[It’s important to remember] that UW students had an integral role in getting the Festival off the ground and still do today,” Carbine modestly states.

Though she is quick to acknowledge the invaluable aid of her countless volunteers, advisors and benefactors, Carbine would undoubtedly be a frontrunner for the world’s busiest woman between the months of December and March. An article by the Wisconsin Alumni Association described her activities during this period as “…blitzkrieg trips to film festivals around the country” to reputable festivals such as Toronto, Chicago and Sundance.

While Carbine and her cohorts solicit the cream of the crop from film communities across the country, they are sure to ground the Wisconsin Film Festival in its roots. Roughly one-third of this year’s program features efforts from locally-grown talent.

Sometimes the two worlds collide, as in the example of last year’s critically lauded “Thirteen Conversations About One Thing” from Madison natives Jill and Karen Sprecher. Other times, audiences are treated to sneak peeks of films that go on to become worldwide phenomena, such as Alfonso Cuarón’s “Y tu mamá también.”

So what’s a college kid to do this weekend if he just wants to check out a couple of cool flicks? Cabine offers the following advice:

“I’d encourage students not only to support the student screenings, but to check out films by emerging and first-time filmmakers, to give you a sense of what you can do, especially the Kino! program (grass roots, low-budget and raucously fun filmmaking from Montreal and Wisconsin), ‘Scumrock’ and ‘Robot Stories.’

“See a film about a country or culture different from yours (such as ‘Elsewhere,’ which takes you to 12 different countries), expand your mind and frame of reference by seeing an experimental film, or check out the late night programs like ‘Giant Spider Invasion’ or

‘Underground Rock & Roll in China.'”

Basically, pick a show (preferably one that isn’t sold out) and go to it.

If her advice seems a little scatterbrained, you must bear in mind that this is a woman who not only takes in hundreds of films in a matter of weeks but also tends to countless other minutiae. It’s no wonder, then, that the shape of Festivals to come is hard to gauge.

“Clearly the demand is there, but the Festival needs more professional staff and thus more money to really grow. But I think Madison could easily sustain a week-long or two-week Festival, no problem,” Carbine says.

Under Carbine’s guidance, last year’s Festival saw an estimated 18,500 patrons battle for entrance to 140 films. This year, the numbers and demand for tickets has only grown exponentially.

Next year, well, who knows about next year. You can count on more diamonds-in-the-rough, breakthrough efforts and intriguing filmmakers eager to discuss their intriguing films. And, maybe if we’re lucky, The Sundance Kid will get off his high-horse and mosey on over in the direction of the Dairy State.