Yahoo Lifestyle Daniel Kaluuya, Marlee Matlin, Celine Song, Steven Yeun & More Set For Beyond Film Talks At Sundance
The Sundance Film Festival has unveiled the 2025 lineup for its Beyond Film series of talks and events.
Notables participating, with films in the festival, include Chloë Sevigny (Actor, Atropia and Magic Farm), Olivia Colman (Actor, Jimpa), Steven Yeun (Actor/Producer, Bubble & Squeak) and Marlee Matlin (Subject, Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore), to name just a few. Celine Song, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker behind Past Lives, and Oscar-winning actor Daniel Kaluuya (Judas and the Black Messiah) will also be on hand.
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Beyond Film talks fall under the program strands of Power of Story, Cinema Café, Film Church, and The Big Conversation, all of which are free to attend, with the exception of Power of Story. Talks will take place in person from January 24–31, 2025, with most offerings to be available to audiences online the day following the in-person event.
Sundance announced just this morning that the festival will, in fact, move forward this year, amid the wildfires devastating Los Angeles County. Amanda Kelso, Acting Sundance CEO, and Eugene Hernandez, Director, Sundance Film Festival & Public Programming, acknowledged ongoing losses as a result that are “hard to fathom and deeply emotional,” while committing to press ahead. “Sundance exists to discover artists, celebrate their work, and support storytelling that connects people through the power of film and we know that coming together as a community can be both healing and catalytic,” they said.
Sundance will take place in person in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah from January 23–February 2, with a selection of titles available online from January 30–February 2. For the Beyond Film lineup, read on.
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)
Moderated by Stacey Wilson Hunt (Contributing Editor, The Hollywood Reporter)
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: 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.
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
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