I’ve never been to Sundance (hint, hint, The Dissolve powers that be), so I can very easily dismiss it completely. What’s Sundance? Who’s Robert Redford? I don’t even know! What I do know is that those who can’t casually fly to Park City and waltz about in thermal leggings for a full week can get a taste of the #Sundancelifestyle at the upcoming Sundance Next Fest, a weekend-long extension of Sundance’s Next section (responsible for launching Dissolve favorites like Obvious Child, Compliance, and Appropriate Behavior).

Now in its third year, the fest “celebrates the renegade spirit of independent artists” by pairing five new indie films (drawn primarily from the 2015 Sundance Film Festival official program) with either a complementary music act or in-depth conversations between the filmmakers and the people who inspire them. This year’s fest will be held Aug. 7-9 at The Theatre at Ace Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, meaning there are no thermal clothes required. But you can still wear them if you want to. It’s your life. 

Last year’s fest was chock full of awesome, indie things: Father John Misty graced the crowd with a solo acoustic performance at the premiere of Life After Beth; Warpaint performed at a screening of A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night; and after a screening of Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter, filmmakers David and Nathan Zellner engaged in a live discussion with Werner Herzog, then watched as he battled an entire clan of bears with one hand and a bolt cutter (I’m guessing). Attendees included Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt, Kevin Smith, Jason Schwartzman, Elijah Wood, Maika Monroe, Alicia Silverstone, Dane DeHaan, Adam Scott, and Molly Shannon, among others.

Next Fest’s 2015 program will be announced this summer, and tickets will go on sale then, as well. For more info, visit Sundance.org/next or feel free to trek into the arctic with several dogs, find Werner Herzog, and ask him if he’s coming back this year. (He will appreciate your initiative.)