I've said multiple times in previous posts here that Nintendo should let their fans make all of their commercials for them.  The Wii U marketing has been terrible to non-existent so far.

But then I read this and got super, super stoked.  Did Nintendo finally listen to their fans?  Have they been working on something all along? I'm really liking the strategy and tone of this news.  I really hope this kicks off a massive Wii U marketing campaign that changes the game.

Nintendo to Walk the Red Carpet at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival

REDMOND, Wash., Jan 15, 2013 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Nintendo will host several events during this year's Sundance Film Festival, including a premiere party for the Wii U Video Challenge as well as the Nintendo Lounge, a gaming lounge that gives residents of Park City, Utah, and festival attendees the opportunity to experience and enjoy unreleased Nintendo games for the hit Wii U console and Nintendo 3DS XL hand-held system.

Kicking off the festivities on Jan. 17 is the Wii U Video Challenge premiere party, an event that showcases the talents of the next generation of filmmakers who made films about the next generation of video game consoles. At the event, Nintendo will premiere three short films that feature the exclusive game-play experiences of the Wii U console and New Super Mario Bros. U.

Leading up to this big event, YouTube filmmakers from all over the country were asked to create short films focusing on the unique game play of Wii U and the Wii U GamePad controller. From the pool of talented filmmakers, 12 were selected to participate in the 48-hour Wii U Video Challenge from Jan. 11-13. Forming three teams of four people each, the filmmakers created new films that showcased the fun and exciting game play of Wii U.

The short films made by the three teams will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in the Nintendo Lounge on Jan. 17 in front of film industry influencers, Nintendo executives and other VIPs. Films will be voted on by the live audience in attendance.

For three days starting Jan. 18, Nintendo opens the doors of the Nintendo Lounge to industry executives and celebrities. On Jan. 21, the gaming lounge opens to the public. The Nintendo Lounge offers the opportunity to take a break from the frigid weather of Park City, relax in a comfortable environment and play a collection of fun Wii U and Nintendo 3DS games.

Wii U video games featured in the lounge include recent releases like New Super Mario Bros. U, Nintendo Land, ZombiU from Ubisoft, SiNG PARTY, as well as the upcoming Rayman Legends from Ubisoft and Wii Fit U, the first installment in the Wii Fit series on Wii U.

On the Nintendo 3DS XL hand-held system, many different games will be playable. In addition to New Super Mario Bros. 2 and Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask, three not-yet-released games will be joining the all-star Nintendo 3DS lineup. For fans looking forward to anticipated sequels, Brain Age: Concentration Training, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate from KONAMI Digital Entertainment, Inc. will be available to play before they hit retail stores.

The Nintendo Lounge at Sundance is located at 738 Main St., Park City, Utah, 84060, and is open to Park City residents, festival attendees and out of town visitors on Jan. 21 from 1-5 p.m.

Remember that Wii U and Nintendo 3DS feature parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit http://www.nintendo.com/wiiu and http://www.nintendo.com/3ds .

Nintendo is not officially associated with the Sundance Film Festival.

About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii U(TM) and Wii(TM) home consoles, and Nintendo 3DS(TM) and Nintendo DS(TM) families of portable systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System(TM), Nintendo has sold more than 4 billion video games and more than 637 million hardware units globally, including the current-generation Wii U, Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo 3DS XL, as well as the Game Boy(TM), Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi(TM) and Nintendo DSi XL(TM), Super NES(TM), Nintendo 64(TM), Nintendo GameCube(TM) and Wii systems. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names such as Mario(TM), Donkey Kong(TM), Metroid(TM), Zelda(TM) and Pokemon(TM). A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo's operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, please visit the company's website at http://www.nintendo.com .

not a bad idea, as people hired by them have proven themselves completely useless

I really hope they pick up on their Wii U Marketing.
I've said this for quite awhile but I think that the "Wii would like to Play." Commercials for the Wii were brilliant. Why can't they do something like that again? Maybe even make a connection with that commercial by using the same actors in their new Wii U one?

brilliant idea!

This is what we want to see! Great initiative Nintendo!!

Brand confusion between Wii and Wii U may occur, though. You've got to be careful...

And I like the sound of this. A serious marketing push is needed, really. It's been lackluster at best so far.

I know, but all they would have to do is emphasis the new controller and the new console. That's something they haven't really done.

This is something but I'm confused, what is so amazing about this?

Will it be shown on T.V or something?

I only read about the first few paragraphs and was so happy I had to make a comment. Anyways, back to reading the rest of the post.

Really interesting and good idea, Sundance makes stuff that are 100x better that what you see on TV and movies (especially nowadays).