Sundance Film Festival-goers have much to discover

The 2025 Sundance Film Festival is a journey of discovery.

That’s what Sundance Institute Acting Chief Executive Officer Amanda Kelso, Festival Director Eugene Hernandez, Director of Programming Kim Yutani and Senior Programmer John Nein told a roomful of international press representatives Wednesday night at the Filmmaker’s Lodge in Park City.

The gathering on the night before the festival’s opening day gave the four a chance to talk candidly about this year’s festival that runs through Feb. 2.

“This is such an awesome annual tradition that we have of having everyone coming together in Park City and discovering and celebrating artists,” Kelso said at the start of the evening. “We say our mission is focused on uplifting underrepresented voices. So, we’re looking at stories of people who maybe never have been here before, and we’re excited that you are here to be part of that celebration.”

Hernandez said this year’s submissions topped 16,000 films, which encompassed features, shorts and episodic work from around the world.

“The program we will share with you in the coming week is ready to meet this Sundance audience,” he said. “These films will delight. They will entertain. They will provoke. They will inspire, and they will engage. We know each of these films in our festival will spark a conversation.”

Hernandez noted that in addition to the 150 selected films set to screen throughout the next few days, artists from around the world have been arriving at the festival.

“It’s exciting to have this opportunity to spend this time together discovering global stories that this team has brought together,” he said.

Nein said the area of the festival he’s most passionate about is the International Program, which comprises a third of the selected films.

“These (show) different ways of storytelling,” he said. “They are personal. They are artful. They are emotional. They are layered, and they give us a really different way of thinking about what’s happening in the world — all the world around us.”

Sundance Film Festival 2025 logo
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Over the years, Nein has seen an increase in international submissions.

“One of the reasons why these works in the festival are being represented by major global sales companies is the recognition in how we are thinking about this landscape — how it’s shifting and how we can bring visibility to these films and these stories. It’s about discovery. It’s about breaking talent. It’s about creating visibility and opportunity.”

Yutani said the stories in the selections are the foundation of the Sundance Film Festival.

“(They are) exactly the type of storytelling we need at this moment,” she said.

Yutani is excited on behalf of those who will premier and screen their creations at the Eccles, Library, Ray, Egyptian, Redstone theatres.

“These will be transformative moments that these filmmakers — producers, directors, writers, production designers, actors — are going to have,” she said. “(These) whole teams will leave this festival different people. And I think that’s really extraordinary.”

Amanda Kelso, Sundance Institute’s acting chief executive officer, gives remarks during a press reception that kicked off the 2025 Sundance Film Festival on Wednesday at the Filmmaker Lodge. Credit: Clayton Steward/Park Record

While the Sundance Film Festival is a celebration of discovery, this year’s event is also a time when the public and film industry can come together in support of the wildfires that have taken at least 24 lives and destroyed thousands of homes in the Los Angeles area, Hernandez said.

“We stand with all of our friends and colleagues at this tragic moment, but at the same time come together in the coming days to continue looking ahead,” he said. “We’ve been working hard to provide direct support and resources to our community who are in need right now. During the festival you will see on our screens a slide that will enable you to click a QR code to get more information about how to support organizations that help first-responders.”

The fires are a “devastating reminder of how fragile everything can be,” Kelso said.

“My heart weighs really heavy for the people who have been impacted, including the people who are part of our community here,” she said. “With all of that, what’s amazing is how we can all come together. This is almost a moment of healing. It’s a moment to remind us of why it’s important for us to be together. Thank you for taking the time.”

Sundance leaders Eugene Hernandez, Kim Yutani, Amanda Kelso and John Nein share a laugh after taking a selfie on the stage of the Cinema Cafe on Wednesday evening after giving remarks during the press reception to kickoff the festival. Credit: Clayton Steward/Park Record
John Nein, the Sundance Film Festival’s senior programmer and director of strategic initiatives, right, shared his thoughts about the upcoming fest and mentioned how exciting it was for some filmmakers to have their films in their first in-person Sundance, having had films in the online versions during the pandemic previously. Credit: Clayton Steward/Park Record
Sundance Film Festival Director of Programming Kim Yutani addresses the room on Wednesday evening during a press reception on the eve of the start to the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Among the remarks, Yutani mentioned a number of films and joked about the number of inquiries about where the festival might move after 2026. No decisions have been made about that yet. Credit: Clayton Steward/Park Record
To kick off the Sundance Film Festival 2025, a press reception was held by Amanda Kelso, the Sundance Institute’s acting CEO; Eugene Hernandez, director of the Sundance Film Festival and head of public programming; Kim Yutani, Sundance Film Festival director of programming; and John Nein, Sundance Film Festival senior programmer and director of strategic initiatives. Credit: Clayton Steward/Park Record
Sundance leaders Eugene Hernandez, Kim Yutani, Amanda Kelso and John Nein pose for a photo on Wednesday evening. Credit: Clayton Steward/Park Record

Sundance Film Festival-goers have much to discover

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