As someone who braved the very slippery, snowy grounds, I can attest that this year’s Sundance Film Festival is bittersweet—primarily because it marks the last time that the late Robert Redford’s iconic program will descend upon Park City, Utah’s Lisa Barlow-run streets. (And though rumors swirled that last year would be Sundance’s final run in Utah, they’re actually moving the operation to Boulder, Colorado, next year. Really. They promise.)
What managed to brighten the mood during this somber final dance was the eclectic lineup of films headlining the festival’s programming, along with the of-the-moment themes that connected them. For one, there was a lot of sex talk: from Gregg Araki’s exploration of Gen Z prudishness in I Want Your Sex, to the Wizard of Oz-inspired tale Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass, which sets a small-town girl (played by Zoey Deutch) on a winding journey to hook up with Jon Hamm (it’s as wonderfully ridiculous as it sounds).
There was also plenty of Charli xcx to go around. On top of her meta mockumentary The Moment, the Grammy winner also appeared in the aforementioned I Want Your Sex, as well as the dark comedy The Gallerist alongside Natalie Portman and Jenna Ortega—begging the question: Who exactly is the Charli fanatic on the Sundance programming committee?
“I feel so grateful to have been a part of 3 films at this festival, each helmed by a director with a potent vision,” the Grammy winner shared on Instagram this week. “Thank you [Sundance] for championing these fucking fantastic filmmakers.”
But amid the Park City farewell tributes and pop-star-to-leading-lady pivots, there was also a solemn awareness that—just a few states over—tensions between Minneapolis civilians and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement presence had once again reached a fever pitch.
On day three of the festival, ICE agents fatally shot 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti during a protest in Minneapolis, prompting many high-profile names to address the agency’s increasingly violent enforcement tactics during the festival. Stars like Olivia Wilde and Natalie Portman sported “ICE OUT” pins during promotional appearances for their projects.
“It’s really impossible not to talk about what is happening right now and the brutality of ICE and how it has to stop immediately,” Portman said in an interview with Variety. “But also, there’s a beautiful community that Americans are showing right now. They’re showing up for each other, protecting each other, and fighting for their freedom. It’s a bittersweet moment to celebrate something we’re so proud of on the backdrop of our nation in pain.”
On Sunday, a group of anti-ICE protesters even gathered at Sundance’s epicenter on Main Street to call attention to the ongoing tensions.
The festival runs until February 1, and throughout the first weekend, a number of its biggest events unfolded at the Chase Sapphire Reserve Experience. The space hosted post-premiere fêtes for The Gallerist and I Want Your Sex, as well as in-depth panels with casts from films like Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass.
Ahead, check out photos of the stars who were bopping around Chase, and various premieres to celebrate modern independent cinema, including Jenna Ortega, Natalie Portman, and Alexander Skarsgård (who did in fact wear flip flops on a red carpet).
