Sundance Film Festival, one of the premier film exhibitions in the United States, kicked off its 41st iteration on January 23. Over the next week, filmmakers, critics, cinephiles and more will flock to Park City, Utah, to see some of this year’s most highly-anticipated independent films. It’s a grand affair for pretty much everyone involved; anyone who’s been to a film festival knows there’s an almost indescribable energy in the air, and that the audiences at festival screenings tend to be the most reactive, community-driven and engaged ones out there.
This year, Ampersand is represented at Sundance by performing arts writer/editor Ona Martini, critic/entertainment reporter Casey Loving and film writer/co-editor in chief Divya Subbiah. And for all three writers, this will be their first time attending Sundance. So, ahead of the departure, they sat down to parse through their thoughts.
Ona Martini
As I gear up for what I expect to be quite an adventure, I can’t help but feel a giddy combination of nerves and excitement. This is my first film festival experience and while I can’t be certain of what to expect until I get to Park City, there is a lot to look forward to. I tend to thrive in a fast-paced environment and am aiming to pack my schedule, but Sundance is no joke. With tens of thousands of in-person attendees, the festival is going to be buzzing with life, and I can’t wait to be a part of it.
My ultimate goal is to do my best to maintain variety in what I see, but I don’t think that will be much a challenge. The program features well-known filmmakers and actors, as well as fresh names and faces. While there are many films I’m hoping to see, I’m especially looking forward to covering “Peter Hujar’s Day.” The film is a biographical drama by Ira Sachs, based on a real conversation between photographer Peter Hujar (Ben Wishaw) and writer Linda Rosenkrantz (Rebecca Hall) in 70′s New York City. The title puts it simply: The film will portray a day in Hujar’s life through an intimate retelling of the events that took place, capturing the downtown art scene and what it meant to be a part of it. The film’s unique means of telling a familiar story drew me in initially and I’m looking forward to sharing the experience with other artists, movie-goers and critics. I could go on and on endlessly about the plethora of other films I’m excited for — but, I will refrain for now.
As someone who is relatively new to the world of film criticism, I feel incredibly fortunate to have the chance to go to Sundance. My love for indie film has led me to regard this festival as the pinnacle of moviegoing — particularly when it comes to seeing work by new voices showcasing unique perspectives. I’m thrilled that I get to share this trip with my wonderfully talented Annenberg team (their support definitely helps ease my nerves). The bottom line: I know this experience will shape me, not just as a critic and an artist, but as a person. And luckily, I have a pretty decent winter coat.
Casey Loving
I held my first printed film review in my hands when I was 15 years old. A freshman in high school, I immediately began reviewing movies for the school newsmagazine. When the first issue of the year went to print, it included my thoughts on one of my favorite movies of the year: “Sing Street.” When I wrote the review, I doubt I knew that “Sing Street” premiered at Sundance. I can’t even remember if I knew what Sundance was at the time.
I do, however, remember being a kid who was just getting interested in film, making an effort to expand his horizons beyond blockbusters. I remember walking to my local theater, astounded that a Kansas cinema was screening an indie Irish musical. I recall dragging my brother along, using his job at the movie theater to get comped tickets. Above all, I remember thinking, “Where do I find more movies like this?”
Every year, gems arrive at Sundance, waiting to be discovered. As I obsessively watch as many 2024 releases as possible to prepare for awards season coverage, I am struck by how many phenomenal films premiered at the festival last January under my radar: “A Different Man,” “Black Box Diaries,” “Daughters,” “Dìdi,” “Ghostlight” and “My Old Ass.” These are some of the year’s best films, and Sundance helped them find a greater audience.
I’ve come a long way since seeing my first review in print (I hope, at the very least, that I’m a better critic). At USC, I have been given the incredible opportunity to attend Sundance as a member of the press — something 15-year-old me never dreamed of. I am beyond grateful for the chance to watch and discuss the films of this year’s festival. I cannot wait to chase the feeling of being a kid again, discovering “Sing Street” for the first time.
Divya Subbiah
In June of 2023, I went to my first-ever film festival screening at Tribeca Film Festival. I had a friend who was interning with the festival, and another who happened to have a free pass — long story short, I ended up at a screening of Ethan Berger’s “The Line,” on the last day of the festival.
My memory of the event is a blur (I enjoyed the film, and recall a packed house with people even sitting on the steps of the theater inside Village East Cinema). But I do vividly remember this: The energy in that room was absolutely infectious. It was the perfect audience, audibly reacting to shocking moments, and not a single phone or talking-related disturbance. This experience planted one of many seeds of my interest in film criticism and festivals. It led me to covering a few films at New York Film Festival in 2024, and it’s the memories of those two festivals that have me so thrilled and grateful to be attending Sundance next week.
As both a filmmaker and a critic, going to Sundance is the dream, on many levels. I’ve always thought of it as the arbiter of independent cinema in the United States. Which isn’t to say that other independent films don’t exist outside of it or at other festivals, just that films that do well at Sundance tend to be, well, good — or at least worth talking about. There’s a long list of films I’m eager to see, but I’m particularly looking forward to covering “Rebuilding,” an environmental drama by Max Walker-Silverman in which a rancher (Josh O’Connor) seeks a way forward after a wildfire takes the family farm.
It goes without saying that I’m mildly nervous about what Park City has in store for us, given our relative novice and the fact that frankly, it’s going to be incredibly cold. But I also know that the excitement I feel when I think about that same infectious theater energy that I’ve been lucky enough to experience multiple times now makes my worries melt away. At the end of the day, I’m nothing but thankful to be going, and can’t imagine a better team to be going with.