15. "The Castle"
Director: Rob Sitch
U.S. premiere: Sundance 1998

Perhaps the largest distribution deal bestowed at Sundance to a film you've probably never heard of, this Australian comedy collected $6 million from Miramax during the Weinsteins' most infamous Park City spending spree in 1998. ("Next Stop Wonderland" at $6 million and the direct-to-video "Jerry and Tom" at $2.5 million were among the other beneficiaries of the brothers' open wallet.) But the film's backstory was as much an underdog tale as the film itself: the tale of a tow truck driver who battles the expansion of an airport that threatens to evict him from his home was shot in 11 days with $750,000 cobbled together with personal financing, and became the highest-grossing Aussie film of 1997 before making its way to the festival. Featuring a young Eric Bana, it was a crowdpleaser at Sundance too, leading to the Miramax deal and a big studio directing gig for Aussie TV star-turned-director Rob Sitch. Unfortunately, Miramax test screened the film for over a year before laying it at death's door (i.e. releasing it a week before "Star Wars: Episode I") in 1999. "The Castle" made only $800,000 in the U.S., and while Sitch's follow-up, "The Dish" did slightly better on U.S. shores, he never found crossover success. --Stephen Saito

14. "The Big Kahuna"
Director: John Swanbeck
U.S. premiere: Sundance 2000

Premiering as his "American Beauty" Oscar campaign was in full swing, Kevin Spacey's participation in "The Big Kahuna" (as both star and producer) seemed, in 2000, to further solidify the impression that American indie cinema was the place where real actors went to do real work. In fact, his decision to co-headline John Swanbeck's adaptation of Roger Rueff's play about wily salesmen holed up in a Midwestern convention center even secured him a Sundance award: the Piper-Heidsieck Tribute to Independent Vision. Buoyed by strong word of mouth, the film was bought by Lionsgate for $1.5 million, and the company soon laid out an ambitious 40-market release schedule. Any dreams of being a newfangled "Glengarry Glen Ross," however, were dashed soon after the film opened to mediocre reviews and general audience indifference. With only a $3.15 million domestic gross, Swanbeck's directorial debut was soon forgotten, as was the case with Swanbeck himself, who -- like so many other heralded new talents -- has yet to deliver a sophomore effort. --Nick Schager

13. "The Tao of Steve"
Director: Jenniphr Goodman
World premiere: Sundance 2000

I remember hearing big things about "The Tao of Steve" after its showing at Sundance in 2000. Writing from Park City, the Hollywood Reporter wasn't crazy about it, calling it "a thirtysomething version of 'American Pie,' " but nevertheless observing that the female Sundancers loved its story of a schlubby lothario and his Steve McQueen-based philosophy of cool. Star Donal Logue won a special jury prize for his performance as lead character Dex, and the story of the film, directed by first-timer and New Mexico native Jenniphr Goodman and co-written with her sister Greer and the model for Dex, their friend Duncan North, had the kind of interesting platform that distributors and marketers love -- the end credits note: "Based on a story by Duncan North. Based on an idea by Duncan North. Based on Duncan North." Sony Pictures Classics bought the hype and the film (which cost $1.2 million to make; Good Machine was a co-producer), hoping the Hollywood Reporter was right and it might perform well with "upscale urban audiences." Released in August of 2000, the film grossed a not-appalling $4.3 million in the U.S., but was still considered a disappointment. Goodman has not directed since, although one can't help but assume that Duncan North's game continued to improve. --Michelle Orange

12. "The Chumscrubber"
Director: Arie Posin
World premiere: Sundance 2005

A cynical satire of generational familial tension that blatantly rehashes the ensemble suburban alienation of "American Beauty" and the volatile teen brooding of "Donnie Darko," director Arie Posin's $6.8 million, quirk-overloaded debut was almost shut down repeatedly in the middle of production due to lack of funds, according to the Hollywood Reporter. That a middling film with the worst title in Sundance history still survived and garnered "must-see" buzz in Park City is indeed a feat, but perhaps it had less to do with its recognizable cast (Jamie Bell, Glenn Close, Ralph Fiennes, Carrie-Anne Moss, etc.) and more with its built-in joke on the tongues of every Sundancer: Mike Mills' similarly themed and named "Thumbsucker" was also at that year's fest, and also co-starred Lou Taylor Pucci. (Thumbscrubber! Chumsucker! Fuddruckers!) Newmarket/Picturehouse bought it anyway -- perhaps after finding back-loaded evergreen success with "Donnie Darko" on DVD -- and launched it in smaller cities like Orlando and Milwaukee, skipping New York and L.A. entirely. A bizarre strategy at best, the bomb was set (less than $50,000 grossed theatrically), and if Posin thinks his sophomore project will be easy to get off the ground, he's out of his chumscrubbin' mind. --Aaron Hillis

11. "Polish Wedding"
Director: Theresa Connelly
World premiere: Sundance 1998

If the much buzzed-about "Paper Heart" gets a distribution deal at Sundance this year, it will likely be on the strength of Michael Cera's rising star, something Fox Searchlight had to have considered when it took a chance on writer/director Theresa Connelly's autobiographical film that happened to star a similarly upward-bound Claire Danes. While the film would portend a cold streak for Danes, who was seemingly invincible coming off of "Romeo + Juliet" and "My So-Called Life," it was neither fish nor fowl to audiences outside of Park City's snowy plains, playing to an older crowd than Danes' fanbase and alienating the Polish community, who took offense to the double meaning of the film's title, which alludes to the central conceit of a young Polish-American girl hurrying her wedding to avoid having a baby out of wedlock. Despite warming the hearts of the parka-clad crowds at Sundance, the film's glow faded when critics like Roger Ebert noted it "float[ed] above reality" and it took in less than $700,000 at the box office. Connelly hasn't directed since. --SS

Check out all of the 2009 Sundance coverage at IFC.com and SundanceChannel.com.

[Photos: "The Castle," Miramax Films, 1999; "The Big Kahuna," Lionsgate Films, 2000; "The Tao of Steve," Sony Pictures Classics, 2000; "The Chumscrubber," Newmarket Films, 2005; "Polish Wedding," Fox Searchlight, 1998]