PARK CITY, Utah (AP) 鈥� Thousands of cinema lovers, Hollywood celebrities, industry executives and filmmakers from around the world have arrived in a very snowy Park City, Utah, for 10 days of movie watching.
The , the world鈥檚 premier showcase for independent film, kicked off Thursday with a starry gala honoring festival veterans such as Kristen Stewart and and numerous world premieres.
Nineteen films played on day one, including documentaries about Brian Eno, Lollapalooza and Frida Kahlo, Yance Ford鈥檚 inquiry into policing in America, 鈥淧ower,鈥� as well as the mock government experiment 鈥淕irls State.鈥� In fiction premieres, some lucky ticketholders were among the first to see Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck鈥檚 80s-set 鈥淔reaky Tales鈥� or 鈥淭helma,鈥� featuring June Squibb as a Los Angeles grandmother who gets scammed and goes on a mission to get her money back with the late Richard Roundtree.
The festival has always been a major sales market for studios and distributors looking for films to fill their slates, including both theatrical and streaming releases. But in the aftermath of the , sales this year could be even more robust. The theatrical release calendar for the first half of the year was 鈥渄ecimated,鈥� producer Jason Blum noted at the opening day press conference. Around 80% of the 91 features playing do not yet have distributors.
鈥淭he one positive thing about the strike is that movies that might have struggled shouldn鈥檛 because there鈥檚 so many holes in the release schedule," Blum said. 鈥淚 hope that a bunch of Sundance movies end up in theaters quickly."
Festival director Eugene Hernandez added that 鈥渢hese films are ready for their audience.鈥�
Blum, a Sundance board member, has had a longstanding relationship with the festival going back to the premiere of 鈥淩eality Bites" in 1992, which he said he almost missed because he was trapped 鈥渋n a snowbank with Ethan Hawke.鈥�
Over the years, Blum has experienced both sides of the acquisition coin at Sundance, as the one buying films (including, he laughed, one of the least successful acquisitions ever, 鈥淗appy, Texas鈥�) and the one selling them (like Damien Chazelle's 鈥淲hiplash.鈥�) He also brought Jordan Peele's 鈥淕et Out鈥� to the festival and said the response to that first screening 鈥渟tarted the whole thing.鈥�
The main hub of activity remains in Park City, where many of the shops and restaurants on Main Street have been transformed into a hub of branded lounges from various sponsors and media partners. In addition to the venues playing movies around the clock, there are various talks and panels on everything from the legacy of Sundance to making your first feature. There will also be screenings in Salt Lake City, and, beginning on Jan. 25, online showings of select films for virtual festival passholders.
Slightly outside of town Thursday, some of the festival鈥檚 most well-heeled attendees gathered at the DeJoria Center in Kamas, Utah, for an opening night fundraising gala in which Nolan, Stewart, and 鈥淭he Eternal Memory鈥� director Maite Alberdi received tribute awards.
Eisenberg gave the award to Stewart, who he has worked with on three films: 鈥渢wo gentle talkies and one aggressive shoot 'em up,鈥� he said.
鈥淜risten is one of these rare performers where she is so committed, so authentic, so feeling, that you almost want to make sure she鈥檚 okay at the end of the day,鈥� he said.
Stewart has been coming to Sundance for 20 years and this year has two films debuting: Rose Glass鈥檚 crime thriller 鈥淟ove Lives Bleeding,鈥� which is heading to theaters in March, and 鈥淟ove Me,鈥� with Steven Yeun, in which a buoy and a satellite fall in love.
鈥淢y whole life I have loved this festival,鈥� Stewart said. 鈥淚 knew that in my bones this was just like a place full of 鈥榶es鈥� in a world full of 鈥榥o.' I couldn鈥檛 even understand why, but I knew it."
Robert Downey Jr. also was on hand to toast his 鈥淥ppenheimer鈥� director, who, he said, 鈥渋s a bit blue because a terrible tragedy has befallen him and I don鈥檛 mean to bring this up and I know it鈥檚 very personal: He has become recognizable on the street.鈥�
Nolan won a screenwriting award for 鈥淢emento鈥� after it screened at Sundance in 2001. Both that film and 鈥淔ollowing,鈥� which played 鈥渦p the hill鈥� at Slamdance, were independently financed before he and his wife and producer Emma Thomas went on to have great successes with studio films.
But Nolan said he doesn鈥檛 think he has ever been an independent filmmaker, insofar as filmmaking is dependent on other people, from the crew to those who help get a movie out to the world.
鈥淎 lot of people know it came to Sundance, a lot of people know that it was a hit and enabled so much more that came after it for us,鈥� Nolan said.
But, he said, not a lot of people know that earlier, when the film was finished, all the independent distributors passed on buying it and the filmakers found themselves in 鈥渢errible limbo鈥� for a year not knowing whether it would ever be seen by an audience.
"It was an appalling position to be in, but so many people became so important in that moment," Nolan said. 鈥淭hese people who saw the film, believed in it and stood by it, those are the people you depend on as a filmmaker. You can't get anywhere without them."
The film festival runs through Jan. 28.
Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press
