This morning, the Sundance Institute sent a message of hope that the 2025 Sundance Film Festival can be “healing and catalytic” in the wake of the wildfires that have swept through Los Angeles over the past week. One part of the festival that will no doubt discuss the reverberations of the tragedy and how it affects Hollywood will be the annual public conversations that pepper the festival. Now titled “Beyond Film,” this year’s lineup includes many familiar names attending the festival this year including Olivia Colman, Steven Yeun, Celine Song, Marlee Matlin, and former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, among others.
In a statement, Kim Yutani, Director of Programming remarked, “We are thrilled to announce the Beyond Film lineup for the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. The conversations at these events further amplify the ways in which our audiences can engage with the themes and ideas within this year’s Festival Program. We look forward to featuring the inspiring voices of filmmakers, artists, and politicians to connect even more with audiences.”
Beyond Film will feature conversations from various participants, including artists from films screening in the 2025 Festival, including Mstyslav Chernov (“2000 Meters to Andriivka”), Chloë Sevigny (“Atropia,” “Magic Farm“), Olivia Colman (“Jimpa”), Steven Yeun (“Bubble & Squeak”), Jacinda Ardern (“Prime Minister”), Marlee Matlin(“Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore”), Eva Victor (“Sorry, Baby”), Katarina Zhu (“Bunnylovr”), Rashad Frett (“Ricky”), Théodore Pellerin (“Lurker”), Gregory Nava (“El Norte”), Isabel Castro (“Selena y Los Dinos”), and Cristina Costantini (“SALLY”).
This year’s programming will include a live podcast recording of “Visitations” with hosts Elijah Wood (“Rabbit Trap”) and Daniel Noah (“Rabbit Trap”). There will also be conversations featuring panelists such as the aforementioned Song (“Past Lives”), Nicole Perlman (“Guardians of the Galaxy”), and Daniel Kaluuya (“Judas and the Black Messiah”).
Ania Trzebiatowska, Beyond Film Program Curator added, “Beyond Film programming is a dynamic and inspiring part of the Sundance Film Festival experience, designed to spark what can only be described as collective effervescence. We invite our audiences to step beyond the screens — whether attending in person or joining from home — and to connect deeply with artists and their stories.”
For admission to Cinema Café and The Big Conversation events, arrive at least 30 minutes early, as seating is limited and on a first-come, first-served basis.
Here is a current list of the events announced to date:
POWER OF STORY
The Sundance Film Festival’s Power of Story conversation looks to deepen public engagement with the art of storytelling, delve into cinema culture, and celebrate artists whose work propels and reinvents the form as we know it. By contemplating the future of storytelling, we explore how revolutionary narrative experiences will reshape culture through artistic discovery, emerging media, and the reassertion of independence in filmmaking.
Power of Story: On Success
Tuesday, January 28, 3–4:30 p.m.
Egyptian Theatre, 328 Main St, Park City, UT
This year, the Power of Story conversation will convene a group of artists, thinkers, and culture makers to talk about the meaning of success. We’ll examine what success truly means, how it’s shaped by socioeconomic and political factors, and how these influences affect the ways we measure, appreciate, and define success. By addressing the roles of privilege, opportunity, and systemic barriers, we aim to foster an honest, critical, and inclusive dialogue about success and its complexities.
Featuring: Mstyslav Chernov (2000 Meters to Andriivka), Celine Song (Past Lives), Chloë Sevigny (Atropia, Magic Farm), and Daniel Kaluuya (Judas and the Black Messiah)
CINEMA CAFÉ
Friday January 24–Friday, January 31, 2025
Filmmaker Lodge, 550 Main St, Park City, UT
The doors are open again at Cinema Café, where the culture of conversation is reinvigorated. Our series of informal chats brings together special guests for thought-provoking encounters and fascinating dialogue. Previous Cinema Café guests have included Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Tessa Thompson, Jane Campion, Eugenio Derbez, Lena Dunham, Norman Lear, Kumail Nanjiani, Zazie Beetz, Saoirse Ronan, Spike Lee, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Radha Blank, Ira Glass, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Bassem Youssef, Charlie Kaufman, Ice-T, Nick Hornby, Winston Duke, Samantha Power, Steve Coogan, Roger Corman, D. Smith, and many others.
Cinema Café is presented by Audible
Cinema Café: Olivia Colman (Jimpa) and Steven Yeun (Bubble & Squeak)
Moderated by Kim Yutani (Director of Programming, Sundance Film Festival)
Friday, January 24, 11–11:45 a.m.
Cinema Café: Jacinda Ardern (former Prime Minister of New Zealand and Subject, Prime Minister) and Marlee Matlin (Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore)
Moderated by Sudeep Sharma (Programmer, Sundance Film Festival)
Saturday, January 25, 11 a.m.–noon
Cinema Café: Fresh Faces
Eva Victor (Sorry, Baby), Katarina Zhu (Bunnylovr), Rashad Frett (Ricky), and Théodore Pellerin (Lurker)
Moderated by Ash Hoyle (Programmer, Sundance Film Festival)
Tuesday, January 28, noon–1 p.m.
Cinema Café: Gregory Nava (El Norte) and Isabel Castro (Selena y Los Dinos)
Moderated by Stephanie Owens (Programmer, Sundance Film Festival)
Wednesday, January 29, 11 a.m.–noon
Cinema Café: Visitations Live Podcast with Elijah Wood (Producer, Rabbit Trap) and Daniel Noah (Producer, Rabbit Trap)
Elijah Wood and Daniel Noah of indie production company SpectreVision will host a live taping of their podcast Visitations.
Thursday, January 30, 11 a.m.–noon
THE BIG CONVERSATION
The Big Conversation tackles science, art, culture, and the movements that are fueling today’s independent artists. A compelling selection of speakers discuss topics centered on the themes of this year’s program and explore broader trends in art and culture. In considering how artists make meaning of the world, we’re reminded how the big conversations connect us to the big ideas.
The Big Conversation: Breaking Barriers
Monday, January 27, 11 a.m.–12:15 p.m.
Filmmaker Lodge, 550 Main St, Park City, UT
Pushing the boundaries of human knowledge and capability has never been a frictionless endeavor. Whether barriers are scientific or technological, or whether they’re exemplified by broader cultural and social challenges faced by scientists, engineers, and mathematicians, they are united in being the dramatic engine of many fascinating, complex narratives in film and television — including this year’s SALLY. In this talk, storytellers and scientists delve into the art and science of breaking barriers.
Supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
Featuring: Cristina Costantini (SALLY) and Nicole Perlman (Guardians of the Galaxy)
FILM CHURCH
Friday, January 31, 2–3:30 p.m.
Filmmaker Lodge, 550 Main St, Park City, UT
What could be more divine than 11 days of film watching? Finish off your Sundance Film Festival experience by sharing a near-spiritual occasion with a group of film lovers. Join us as we wrap up with a variety of special guests, including filmmakers who took home awards that morning. All will be forgiven.
Hosted by Eugene Hernandez and Kim Yutani
