Toast New Friends and New Films at the Airbnb Haus

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 16, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Airbnb, the world's leading community-driven hospitality company, returns to The Sundance Film Festival for its second year as a sponsor. On the heels of launching the #OneLessStranger campaign, Airbnb has created a space for guests visiting Park City to relax, unwind, and connect through creative workshops, collaborative art projects, and featured speakers.

Open to the public daily from 10am-3pm, January 23 through January 31, Airbnb invites all festival-goers to enjoy a warm cup of coffee from San Francisco-based Four Barrel, and to partake in a creative workspace where strangers become friends.

Located at 591 Main Street, the Haus will emulate an artist's live-and-work studio, designed to accommodate a varied schedule of events* including:

• Strangers Drawing Strangers: Interactive installation by San Franciscan artist-in-residence Ivan Cash (known for his 'Snail Mail My Email,' 'Last Photo' and 'Selfless Portraits' projects) where participants draw each other from Polaroid photos. Cash will also host two experimental workshops designed to bridge the gap between technology and humanity.

• HBO's "Togetherness": A public screening of the new HBO comedy series, Togetherness, followed by a Q&A with the show's creators, the Duplass Brothers. The show follows four adults nearing 40, living under the same roof and struggling to keep their relationships and their dreams alive.

• 'Sweet' Comedy Show: Seth Herzog, creator of New York's popular 'Sweet' show and warm-up comedian for 'The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon',will host an off-the-cuff experimental comedy show with some famous friends along with handcrafted cocktails and an after-party.

• StorySLAM with The Moth: A storytelling hour with two-time Emmy-nominated Brian Finkelstein and producer Sarah Austin Jenness of The Moth, an acclaimed non-profit organization dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling. The show will explore the theme of strangers, with audience members able to share their own relevant and personal stories, or just enjoy the unscripted and surprising show.

• Indiewire Live Podcast: Chief Film Critic Eric Kohn and Editor at Large Anne Thompson of Indiewire, a site for independent film community and industry news, will host a live edition of their podcast "Screen Talk," covering Sundance buzz, interviewing filmmakers and cast members, and concluding with an in-depth Q&A.

• #OneLessStranger films: To celebrate the spirit of hosts and guests, Airbnb gave community members the chance to showcase their interpretation of belonging. Community members were encouraged to create short films, inspired by the concept of #OneLessStranger.  The winning films will be on display, with the filmmakers on hand to answer questions and connect with the film community.

*Events may be subject to change

All events at the Haus are open to festival attendees as well as the general public. For the specially curated events, Haus access is limited and guests may attend on a first come, first serve basis. For more information on events taking place at the Haus and to RSVP, visit airbnb.com/sundance.

About Airbnb:
Founded in August of 2008 and based in San Francisco, California, Airbnb is a trusted community marketplace for people to list, discover, and book unique accommodations around the world – online or from a mobile phone.  Whether an apartment for a night, a castle for a week, or a villa for a month, Airbnb connects people to unique travel experiences at any price point, in more than 34,000 cities and 190 countries.  And with world-class customer service and a growing community of users, Airbnb is the easiest way for people to monetize their extra space and showcase it to an audience of millions.

The Sundance Film Festival®
The Sundance Film Festival has introduced global audiences to some of the most groundbreaking films of the past three decades, including Whiplash, Boyhood, Rich Hill, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Fruitvale Station, Little Miss Sunshine, sex, lies, and videotape, Reservoir Dogs, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, An Inconvenient Truth, Precious and Napoleon Dynamite, and through its New Frontier initiative has showcased groundbreaking media works by artists and creative technologists including Chris Milk, Doug Aitken, Palmer Luckey, Klip Collective and Nonny de la Pena. The Festival is a program of the non-profit Sundance Institute®. 2015 Festival sponsors to date include: Presenting Sponsors – HP, Acura, SundanceTV and Chase Sapphire Preferred®; Leadership Sponsors – Adobe, Airbnb, Grey Goose® Vodka, LensCrafters, Southwest Airlines and YouTube; Sustaining Sponsors – Blundstone Australia Pty Ltd, Canada Goose, Canon U.S.A., Inc., Chobani, LLC, Omnicom, Stella Artois® and VIZIO. Sundance Institute recognizes critical support from the Utah Governor's Office of Economic Development, and the State of Utah as Festival Host State. The support of these organizations helps offset the Festival's costs and sustain the Institute's year-round programs for independent artists. sundance.org/festival

Sundance Institute
Founded in 1981 by Robert Redford, Sundance Institute is a nonprofit organization that provides and preserves the space for artists in film, theatre, and new media to create and thrive. The Institute's signature Labs, granting, and mentorship programs, dedicated to developing new work, take place throughout the year in the U.S. and internationally. The Sundance Film Festival and other public programs connect audiences to artists in igniting new ideas, discovering original voices, and building a community dedicated to independent storytelling. Sundance Institute has supported such projects as Beasts of the Southern Wild, Fruitvale Station, Sin Nombre, The Invisible War, The Square, Dirty Wars, Spring Awakening, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder and Fun Home. Join Sundance Institute on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

SOURCE Airbnb