The Sundance Film Festival recently concluded its 40th edition, a milestone for the event that has come to define American independent cinema. While this year's event featured works from emerging filmmakers such as Jane Schoenbrun, Rose Glass, Sean Wang and Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio, there were also new films from Steven Soderbergh and Richard Linklater, established directors still closely associated with the early years of the festival. Sundance's legacy continues and extends far beyond the snowy mountains of Utah.
Starting with Sundance 2023, The Times has followed a group of filmmakers throughout the year to get a sense of the ups and downs of work at this particular moment in Hollywood and film history. They reflected a wide range of experiences, from entering the festival with distribution already underway to waiting, still, to announce how their films will be seen more widely by audiences.
“Polite Society” writer-director Nida Manzoor recalled the team’s gestures of respect and approval when she later wore her official Sundance hoodie on the set of her television series, “We Are Lady Parts.” Filmmaker CJ Obasi said he had continued to travel with his film “Mami Wata” virtually non-stop throughout the year. Erica Tremblay saw Lily Gladstone, the star of her film “Fancy Dance,” get nominated for an Oscar for her role in Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” even though Apple Original Films took more than a year. will be announced as distributor of Tremblay's film.
Despite their unique challenges and obstacles, we asked them all the same basic question: Is Sundance still important? From navigating the overwhelming emotions of being on land during the festival to the endurance test the following year, the answer from our participants was a resounding yes.
crow jackson (“All dirt roads taste like salt.”): I feel like it mattered. Momentum was generated at Sundance that the film was able to build on throughout the year. Even after Sundance, there were quite a few months where the film didn't play anywhere else. But it seemed the momentum of the Sundance premiere helped keep it in the conversation when it returned to the festival circuit. That's why I feel like Sundance was an important element of “All Dirt Roads.”
I wasn't a Sundance fellow, I didn't go to the labs. So performing at the film festival allowed me to be part of the community in a deep way, which I'm grateful for. The most important thing that experience taught me. [is] There's a big difference between imagining what the experience of being on the festival circuit will be and actually being there, the experience of going through it. That was the door that opened for this year.
Kristen Lovell (“The walk”): Sundance was very important for me in terms of recognizing myself as a filmmaker, establishing myself as a filmmaker. It has changed my life dramatically over the course of a year. It was definitely an unforgettable experience. This year I was able to travel more than ever in my life. I got to meet so many amazing people. It seems like he hasn't stopped since then.
I'll be honest, Sundance was a lot. It was the first time he had gone to the mountains of Utah. He was not prepared for the mountain air. I caught COVID while I was at Sundance, so I had a lot to reflect on while I was there in my hotel room. I had to stay five more days. Sundance was over. I was pretty much the only Sundancer. Then I told myself: I had been from the depths of the city to the top of the highest mountain. And it was such an incredible trip,
Zackary Drucker (“The walk”): Film festivals are more important than ever in a constantly changing and transforming industry in which companies are consolidating. It's been an incredible time of transformation in film and television, and film festivals are essential for emerging filmmakers to spread their work and have an audience. And without them, independent cinema would really be in danger. It's scary to think of a landscape where there were no film festivals. That's why I feel very responsible for elevating Sundance and being part of this community of storytellers. It is a very noble and often thankless pursuit, so having a space where we can gather, tell our stories and sit together is crucial. We are so fractured, in our physicality, in our realities. We rely heavily on social media and Zoom to connect. And so coming together is what makes us human. We are so relational, we are so social and all the obstructions of modern life keep us apart.
So I couldn't overstate the sheer joy of premiering to such an enthusiastic audience. I will remember that moment for the rest of my life. And moments of joy like that in life are rare. Having the opportunity to share your work is a revelation. And for “The Stroll” in particular, the Sundance premiere was the first time audiences saw the film. A very small number of people had seen it, maybe a dozen, just HBO executives and people directly involved in the film. So there is a kind of alchemy in cinema: what you put into the world is also a spell.
Nida Manzoor (“Polite society”): As time goes on, I learn more and more how much Sundance mattered. It was pure excitement and joy at that moment, like the dream of Sundance, to have your film premiere there. As a filmmaker, he has his own brilliance. But I think now understanding the platform he gave my film, the way he presented it to audiences, the kind of cinematic seal of approval that Sundance is, is very meaningful. And now, when you look at the film landscape, it's huge blockbusters that are released in a way that… a movie like mine that didn't have famous people in it, just wouldn't work. And I realized how important Sundance was in helping him break through and find the audience that he found. As cinema is changing and there are these impactful films with big directors and big stars, I have personally felt the importance of Sundance allowing my film to stand out when it did. So as I reflect on it, at the time it was excitement and joy, but now I feel the real-world reward of Sundance.
CJ Obasi (“Mommy Wata”): It was life changing for me personally. I can literally draw a map of my life before and after Sundance. It really was that drastic for me. It wasn't subtle at all. The kind of rooms I have access to now, the kind of people who saw my work in a certain way and now see it in a different way. They are simply different levels of transformation. I've heard different stories about people going to Sundance. Some may not have the dream experience they thought they would be. But that's life. Not everything always turns out exactly the way you want it, every time you want it. But I'll be honest with you, it turned out exactly how I wanted it. I'm not going to lie to you and tell you it didn't work. It worked perfectly for me.
Thembi Banks (“Young, wild and free.”): Of course, Sundance is still important. It will always matter. What I got out of this process was fulfilling a dream, which is to premiere at a very important festival, a very significant festival, and get support and community and the opportunity to show my work in a very special way that only Sundance can do in Utah. on that mountain So that in itself is still not lost on me and it's not something I'll ever get used to as far as being there and having that experience and checking that box and saying I accomplished something that was a big part of my list. of goals as a filmmaker.
As for what happens after Sundance, I did a lot of research, listening to interviews, and reading about a lot of my favorite filmmakers who went to Sundance and talked about reality. And it's not like, “Hey, you go to Sundance and then you're at the Oscars and you have $40 million in your bank account.” It's still an independent film, it's still difficult. And you still have to fight to get the next movie and the next, next movie. You still have to fight to let people know that you are capable of doing things and you still have to fight to pay your bills. When you premiere a very small film at Sundance, that doesn't mean you're suddenly rich. Knowing all of those things prepared me to understand that after Sundance there is a very specific, special kind of space that you occupy. It's beautiful, but still filled with the realities of being an independent filmmaker.
Erica Tremblay (“Elegant dance”): As someone who didn't go to film school, didn't have access to anything like that, my relationship with Sundance started years ago when I was at my first Indigenous Lab and they supported me to make my first short film. And that initial relationship blossomed into this really amazing community that included more labs, more mentoring, more access to things that I didn't have access to before. And what a special journey it has been to premiere my first short film at Sundance in 2020 and then return three years later with my first feature film. And being able to mark my journey as a filmmaker alongside this incredible and historic institution is a great gift.
And that's where you get this momentum. Without a doubt, I 100% got jobs last year because I was at Sundance. I have people reading because of the success of my film at Sundance, and for me, coming full circle, it's been a long year trying to find a home for the film. It is a lot of work. This is all a lot of work, but it makes you feel a little safer and less alone when you have this Sundance community behind you.
