Sundance Film Festival has been criticized recently for being too “mainstream” and “trendy,” but it’s still a great vacation spot for movie fans. Plus it puts Utah on the map as a place worth a plane ride. That, itself, is an achievement.

According to Hollywood Reporter, the 2007 festival, which will run from Jan. 18-28, has chosen the film to open the festival. Last year it was Nicole Holofcener’s Friends With Money; this year, it’s Brett Morgen’s Chicago 10, a documentary about the anti-war protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention.

The political film will display footage from the actual events, along with animated segments voiced by Hank Azaria, Mark Ruffalo, Dylan Baker, Liev Schreiber, Nick Nolte, Jeffrey Wright and Roy Scheider. Chicago 10 will also cover the 1969 Chicago Conspiracy Trial that happened after the demonstrations.

“We are particularly excited to be able to present a film that pushes the boundaries of many of the traditional aspects of documentary filmmaking, that speaks to audiences beyond what one might expect and that exemplifies the range of creativity and diversity that we support at the festival,” reported Geoffrey Gilmore, director of Sundance.

Does this mean the festival will be less about the money and more about displaying quality, important films? Well now, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.