Can You Still Talk About Sundance?

Alternatively Titled The Plot Twist That I Did Not Expect.

If you are recapping Sundance after its first weekend, it’s already too late. This was my first year covering Sundance as press for Look Behind The Look, and I was thrilled to be invited to events, press lines, and lounges… but all that glitters is not gold. The goal of receiving a press pass is that you will pump up and amplify the parties, premiers and restorations, but despite the fear that I will never be accredited again, I can share with you what really happens. My homework is late, but upon reading this in full, you will see why…

This year, the festival was free of a lot of hype. It has been a ridiculously morbid start to the year politically, environmentally and for the business. My family and I attend Sundance every year- we stay with family and seek inspiration while evaluating the temperature of the business at the fest. We always have a great time fueled with the fire to spend another year drudging uphill developing our projects. But this year, of course due to the tragedy of the wildfires in part, the line-up was lukewarm and the attendance was very low. Only a few films quietly sold, and the only thing that I noted myself was that MUBI was an interesting presence once again buying Alex Russell’s Lurker. I’m telling you keep your eyes on MUBI. They know what is good.

Stomping around the lounges is just as challenging as press as it is as a civilian, and you still remain 2 minutes behind the action everywhere you go. My husband and son ditched me for the Salt Flats and other-worldly skiing while I attended a fundraiser at Meredith Mark’s store on main. If you are reading this you know I value The Housewives of Salt Lake City as much as I value David Lynch, and I make no apologies for it. Meredith was raising funds for NephCure and it was a lovely evening. I’m too old to be mean to bully my way in to places and and screenings, and it turns out, it seems the trend in publicists is to treat everyone with kindness and as equals. Guess what- this method works. Even if you are saying “no” to me, if you are kind, I think well of your event and venue. If you are mean and rude, the negativity travels much more quickly.

I had the pleasure of seeing Selena y Los Dinos from director Isabel Castro which was the Winner of the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Archival Storytelling. It was an incredible celebration of Selena’s undeniable talent and the sold out audience erupted with love at the end of the film as the family took the stage for the Q&A.

I also saw Sugar Babies which is Rachel Fleit’s third (and in my opinion her best) film. It’s a polarizing film that I look forward to discussing with you all. It examines a TikTok celebrity, Autumn, finding a way to thrive financially in a part of Louisiana that is stripped of resources and opportunities. While you find yourself rooting for this charismatic, infectious, and highly intelligent entrepreneur, you will also experience a moment where you realize what you are watching is indeed not so innocent and casual and actually… infuriating.

One note- just because you are press doesn’t mean you are confirmed for any screenings. You still need to be deemed worthy which I totally get, but those lack of confirmations can’t help but sting and make you feel like a teenager finding a date for the prom.

With an agenda full of more screenings including the premier of Kiss Of The Spider Woman, (which STILL hasn’t sold as of 2/10) and the restoration of Unzipped (a film that inspired me to do actually everything I find myself doing in my career) and panels like the one where Quentin Tarantino dropped the news that he would be writing his first play (which was a headline that was treated as though it was sending shock waves throughout Hollywood… a sign of the small amount of action taking place at the fest this year), we left the Sugar Babies screening upon receiving the worst news imaginable. In the interest of keeping things real, and at the risk of over-sharing, we found ourselves having to leave the festival immediately due to the shocking and unexpected loss of a family member. My husband’s sister passed away tragically on the first Sunday of the festival and let me tell you, she would’ve loved that we were at the iconic festival at the time of her passing. It’s difficult to make sense of the timing of this event, or even register that it happened at all- two weeks later we are still in shock. Of course we left Main Street immediately due to this news and now you know my true excuse for providing this recap so late… apologies to you… but truly… there was no rush to recap the strangest Sundance I have ever experienced.