A tapestry of world premieres for indie films and episodic programming, Sundance presents cinematic pieces that inspire, intrigue, and, nearly a year later, become fixtures during awards season. This year’s slate includes passion projects from a myriad of top Hollywood talent who decamped to Park City, Utah, for screenings, panels, and parties. Amidst ongoing talks of a location change for 2027 and beyond, the snow-covered mountain town and its picturesque Main Street drew in an unprecedented level of A-list talent.
The Celebrating Sundance Institute Gala, held at the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley, recognized two 2025 Academy Award nominees. In town as a cast member of Sophie Hyde’s moving Jimpa, Olivia Colman presented Cynthia Erivo with the festival’s Visionary Award. Director James Mangold, nominated for A Complete Unknown, was bestowed with the festival’s second-ever Trailblazer Award. Tessa Thompson, Glenn Close, and many others dazzled at this festive opening night fundraiser.
On hand for the debut of her new film, Kiss of a Spider Woman, Jennifer Lopez made a surprise appearance at the TAO Park City annual pop-up and regaled guests with a performance of mega-hits “All I Have” and “Feelin’ So Good.” The venue—complete with a custom Casamigos ice luge and a Hendrick’s Alpine installation—saw Lil Jon DJ the night before with Post Malone in attendance, alongside Jon Hamm, Zach Braff, Niecy Nash-Betts, and more.
To celebrate Ira Sachs’ latest Sundance entry, Peter Hujar’s Day, Marc Jacobs, Bookmarc, and The Standard Hotels hosted a cocktail hour for Linda Rosenkrantz, the author of the acclaimed book on which the film is based. Stars Ben Whishaw and Rebecca Hall were in attendance. Sarah Jessica Parker, who is in Park City as the executive producer of The Librarians, a powerful documentary about book banning, moved from venue to venue in support of the project.
Of course, the films were the star of weekend one, with their casts as megaphones for potential theatrical runs or streamer acquisitions. Challengers star Josh O’Connor, featured this year in Rebuilding, Benedict Cumberbatch from this year’s Max Porter adaptation, The Thing With Feathers, Logan Lerman and Molly Gordon of Oh, Hi!, Juliette Lewis of By Design, and Emily Watson, Finn Wolfhard and Helena Zengel of A24’s imaginative The Legend of Ochi, all brought an additional buzz to independent movies and the snowy town itself, from its Rendezvous Cinema Center to the iconic Egyptian Theatre and even the apres-ski moments of The Vintage Room.
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