Day 3. Saturday, January 25:
It is 2:10 AM as I’m logging in this entry, having just returned from a late-night premiere of Two Women by Chloe Robichaud. It was my first time at the Ray Theatre, a screening room that is located further away from Main Street and, from what a festival volunteer told me, seats a little over 500 attendees. I am equal parts exhausted and inspired. It has been a long yet fruitful day of sitting in on panels with industry experts, meeting with more talented and kind creatives, and visiting more company houses. It has also become the day I spent the longest time in traffic as I waited 45 minutes for a bus that never came. Snow finally fell for the first time since the festival’s start, which led to massive delays in transport and event start times.
But my oh my, did Main Street look so beautiful in the snow! Even in the colder weather, people were still waiting in long lines for various houses and screenings and chatting up their neighbors in line. Not once did I hear anyone complain about the 35-minute wait time that was ahead of their entry, and one woman even proclaimed, “Ah, that’s not too bad!” This air of cheerfulness and excitement was also present for my second interview of the festival so far with the director and cast of Brides — Nadia Fall, Ebada Hassan, and Saffiya Ingar.
The moment I walked into the hotel room, Saffiya screamed joyously as she learned that the Los Angeles Times had just posted a photo of the three of them on Instagram. She ran up to each of us in the room, including me, to show the photograph where they all looked so radiant and happy. I was touched by her thoughtfulness of including me, a stranger, in this celebratory moment. I rode that wave of warmth throughout our interview where, for the first time, I did not once feel self-conscious or out of place — mostly due to the graciousness and openness with which the three women welcomed me into their space.
After 20 minutes, I returned to the hotel lobby, absolutely buzzing from the conversation. Never again will I be in the company of all three women at the same place and same time, and by extension, everyone I was meeting at the festival. Exhausted as I am, I am grateful to have this opportunity each evening to memorialise how I’m feeling at this point in time. Years from now, I’ll have pictures and videos aplenty. But I’ll also have my words.
Follow Masala’s Instagram for more highlights of Sundance @masalamagazine