Masala at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival

By Nimarta Narang

Day 1 - Thursday, 23 January: 

“To experience Sundance, you have to experience waiting in line,” said Nate Shu, a programmer for the Boston Asian American Film Festival. He shared this little nugget of wisdom with me when we met over breakfast. I had asked for tips to navigate the festival as press for the first time, and as he had been a couple of times now, he gave me plenty: Be prepared to be out in the cold for a while as you wait in lines for movies, attend as many events as you can, and make friends while you wait.  

The 2025 Sundance Film Festival is taking place from January 23 – February 2 this year. This season could very well be one of the last years the festival is held in Park City, Utah, as there is confirmation that Sundance will be moving elsewhere very soon. With this awareness, I trudged in the early morning, pre-coffee, to pick up my press badge a mere 15-minute walk away from my accommodation. The journey felt more like 30, partly because of the cold but mostly because I stopped to gaze at all the Sundance banners, posters, directions, and labels in awe. I stared at people’s merch—be it the beanie that sat atop their heads, the totes they carried around like prizes, or the badges they adorned. I noticed that Park City was mentioned in almost every single branding — a city that held decades of cinema history after the festival relocated to Park City in 1981 after starting in Salt Lake City in 1978. And here I was, a visitor for one of its last years serving as the home to Sundance. 

As it was the first day, the pace of the festival felt like the calm before the storm that would be a weekend full of programming, screenings, panels, and parties. I took the opportunity to walk down Main Street by myself, which for the duration of the festival will be only pedestrian accessible. There were people laughing down the hill taking pictures with different buildings sporting banners of the Hollywood staples — Variety, UTA, IndieWire Studio, and much more. Each corner held a vibrancy that echoed in the films that would be debuting at the festival. Whatever fatigue I was feeling from jet lag awoke to the energy surrounding me. 

I was lucky enough to have a ticket for the premiere of LUZ, a film by Flora Lau, in the iconic Egyptian Theatre. It was in the small alley next to the theatre where I waited in the notorious line. As Nate promised, it was cold. It also took a long time. But I didn’t mind. Above me were flags of different countries displayed along the length of the alley. The French fries I had bought just 10 minutes prior invited friendly conversation, and I was sure to make a friend. 

At the conclusion of the premiere, director Lau shared that the film took eight years to complete as it was halted during COVID-19. But her dedication persisted as she stood celebrating the achievement next to a select group of the cast and producers on stage. She said it was all worth it as she was now here at Sundance, a festival touted as the largest independent film festival in the United States. The premiere of a film set in both Hong Kong and Paris and featuring a diverse cast also showed how far the festival has come in embracing cinema from all over the world. 

Even though it is my first time at Sundance, I cannot imagine it without the snowy mountains and hilly streets that make up the landscape of the festival. Each small talk mentioned the chilly weather. Everywhere I look, I see people clad in winter gear and scarves. The dedication people have to show up each year, even in the face of such weather, shows how important the festival has become. As I try to prepare myself to be in the company of some of the most talented people in the world in the course of the next week, I’m also preparing to say goodbye to the setting that has become synonymous with Sundance. The beanie shared with the press even has the design of the snowy mountaintops. So, if I do not come back to Sundance in Park City ever again, I will at least be able to wear the snowy mountaintops every winter in its honour. 

Follow Masala’s Instagram for more highlights of Sundance @masalamagazine