For the first time in two years, Sundance Film Festival opened it’s “doors” by having in-personal events. Festival goers were sort of experiencing Sundannce virtually for the past two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, however, now the beloved festival is back in action. Here are the highlights from weekend 1 in Park City, Utah.

Justin Min, Sherry Cola, Randall Park and Ally Maki at the IndieWire Sundance Studio, Presented by Dropbox on January 21, 2023 in Park City, Utah. Photo credit: Anna Pocaro for IndieWire

IndieWire Studio Presented by Dropbox:

Rosalie Craig, Emilia Clarke and Sophie Barthes at the IndieWire Sundance Studio, Presented by Dropbox on January 20, 2023 in Park City, Utah. Photo credit: Clayton Chase for IndieWire

IndieWire editors conducted interviews with the creative teams behind the festival’s biggest hits, and plenty of prominent cinephiles also showed up to support the cause. Collaborations with Adobe and the ACLU gave the stars an opportunity to promote the values they hold dear, reminding audiences of the transformative power of storytelling.

Chase Sapphire on Main:

Actress Anne Hathaway, left, of “Eileen” poses with Brooke Shields of “Pretty Baby” at the Los Angeles Times Studio presented by Chase Sapphire during the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023, in Park City, Utah.

Chase Sapphire hosted a slew of the most-hyped celebs – such as Jonathan Majors (wearing Maison Margiela), Haley Bennett (wearing Batsheva), Taylour Paige (wearing Marine Serre), and more – as part of the Magazine Dreams cast party at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. The star-studded event included the cast, directors and producers of the film celebrating their work among festivalgoers, who had exclusive access to the evening.

Women at Sundance Celebration:

Dakota Johnson looked uber chic during the Women at Sundance panel. Moderator Pat Mitchell was joined by filmmakers Maryam Keshavarz, Noora Niasari, and Sierra Urich to discuss how the centuries-long, rich traditions of art and storytelling ingrained in Iranian culture shaped these three dynamic women and their own artistic works. The conversation explored what it means to be an artist of Iranian descent during this specific time against the backdrop of the world’s first-ever women-led revolution.

MSNBC's Stephanie Ruhle then hosted a conversation with Dakota Johnson about the unique opportunities and challenges of working in the film industry behind and in front of the camera as women. The conversation had a a specific focus on the bold choices taken and the impact made on the industry.

Eileen Panel:

Film talent included Anne Hathaway, Thomasin McKenzie, Shea Whigham, Marin Ireland and director William Oldroyd who attended the premiere’s press line.

Anne Hathaway talked about the respect she has for Eileen director Oldroyd and how she trusts him to tell complicated stories especially about females. She recalled being asked ‘Are you a good girl or a bad girl?’ when doing press as a sixteen year old and said “My sixteen year old self wanted to respond with this film.”
Thomasin Mckenzie when asked by an audience member if having to do dialect work affects her process as an actor at all. Mackenzie responded saying that she is a very proud New Zealander so she loves her accent but it helps her get into character—it’s such a fun challenge, and helps her to move past feeling so self conscious of herself and helps her focus on the character instead.