The Stars Turned Out for Sundance’s 40th Edition—Inside the Festival’s Best Events
Amid a thrilling awards season, A-list celebrities and Hollywood icons swooped into the snow-lined streets of Park City, Utah for the 40th edition of the Sundance Film Festival. Throughout its illustrious four-decade history, Sundance has introduced industry redefining independent films, and acted as an accelerator for the talent behind them. Not only does the festival continue to program a slate of groundbreaking works—some of which are destined for next year’s awards season—it also draws a roster of marquee movie stars to events along Park City’s picturesque Main Street, as well as film premieres and after-parties all around the mountain town.
Sundance commenced with an official Opening Night Gala set to an upscale mountain chic dress code. Hosted by the Sundance Institute, the non-profit arts organization behind the festival, the glamorous gathering welcomed 500 guests—including Oppenheimer’s Christopher Nolan and Robert Downey Jr., as well as filmmaker Celine Song (who premiered Past Lives at Sundance in 2023), A Real Pain’s Jennifer Grey, and Kristen Stewart, who stars in two Sundance films this year, A24’s electrifying Love Lies Bleeding and the astonishing post-apocalyptic romance Love Me.
From midnight screenings at the Egyptian Theatre to après-ski celebrations at the Montage Deer Valley, glasses of Moët within the recently reimagined Vintage Room at the St. Regis Deer Valley, exclusive fetes at the UTA House, and media panels at The Asian American Foundation’s Sunrise Collective, Sundance sparkled with immense star power. Saoirse Ronan, star of the bleak, beautiful Orkney Islands-set feature The Outrun, made appearances at both the Acura House of Energy and Chase Sapphire on Main. Chrissy Teigen, Camila Cabello, Kerry Washington, Meghann Fahy, Lucy Liu, Alicia Silverstone, Colman Domingo, Dominic Fike, as well as Jason Schwartzman and Hollywood legend Carol Kane (both of the unexpected, engrossing Between the Temples) all came to support new projects.
As with previous years, LGBTQ+ films, figures, and events stepped into the Sundance spotlight. This included director Alexandra Hedison’s Alok, centered on the non-binary author and public speaker Alok Vaid-Menon, and the powerful short documentary’s subterranean after-party at Fletchers hosted by Meta, to GLAAD’s festive gathering in the Park City boutique of Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Meredith Marks, complete with her caviar brand and single serve glass bottles of Wander + Ivy wine, and writer-director Amrou Al-Kadhi’s unmissable feature debut, Layla, and the after-party at The Cabin.
On the top floor of the rustic Park City hot spot Grappa, acclaimed actor Jay Ellis gathered other stars, as well as directors and producers featured in the festival, including Winner’s Kathryn Newton and Danny Ramirez, for an exclusive dinner to celebrate the film community. “I’m fortunate enough to be a part of two projects at Sundance,” Ellis told Vogue. “One is Freaky Tales, directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. It’s a wild movie with an amazing cast that includes Pedro Pascal, Dominique Thorne, Normani, Jack Champion, Ben Mendelsohn, Ji-young Yoo, and the late Angus Cloud. I’m also here as a producer for Sue Bird: In The Clutch, a documentary on the athlete’s amazing career in the WNBA and all that she means to the world of sports and the fabric of this country.”
“The independent film community is full of brilliant people that I’m inspired by,” Ellis continued. “We don’t get a chance to celebrate ourselves that often, so to be back at Sundance, I just wanted to bring people together to congratulate everybody on their work—and maybe now we’ll all go and make a film together.”
This sentiment mirrors the collaborative spirit of the entire film festival, which acts as an undercurrent from 9 AM screenings to 1 AM DJ sets at Tao Park City, which welcomed Kieran Culkin, the transfixing star of Jesse Eisenberg’s A Real Pain, as well as My Old Ass’s Aubrey Plaza, Love Me’s Steve Yeun, and Malia Ann (Obama), who premiered her short film The Heart at Sundance. DJ duo Sofi Tukker and DJ Mel DeBarge kept guests dancing until the early hours, amidst glowing fridges filled with cans of poppi, and a Hendrick’s Gin winter chalet.
“Did I mention this is my favorite festival?” actor Emilia Jones said at the premiere of her latest Sundance film, Winner. Jones and dozens of other stars vocalized their belief in the power of independent film. And whether it’s quiet, poetic portraits like Good One, transformative pieces like Rashaad Newsome’s Being (the Daily Griot), or the exquisite directorial debut of artist Titus Kaphar, Exhibiting Forgiveness, it’s all worth celebrating.
Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock for1/17Christopher Nolan and Robert Downey Jr. at the Opening Night Gala
Vivien Killilea/Getty Images2/17Saoirse Ronan attends the Outrun premiere Party
