Thousands of revelers will gather this week in Park City, Utah for the annual Sundance Film Festival. Some are old hands and others are visiting for the first time, but everyone’s got something to be excited about. We took the temperature of five of the festival’s movers and shakers to find out what they’re looking forward to, what they’ll be wearing and what it is that has them worried.
Ira Sachs
Director of Love is Strange
1. What’s your most memorable Sundance moment?
Seeing the legendary Seymour Cassel at a Sundance party when I was 16 years old. The festival was presenting a retrospective of all of Cassavetes that year, and I had just been transformed permanently by screenings of both Faces and Minnie & Moskowitz. At that point, besides Seymour, the only other celebrity I had ever seen in person was Link from The Mod Squad.
2. What films are you most excited to see this year?
The list is too long, and the best thing is about Sundance are the films you just walk into because you’re in the right place at the right time and someone has a ticket.
3. Describe your everyday festival “uniform.”
I have had a variety of outfits over the years, including in 1997, when I wore a pair of black leather Katherine Hamnett pants that I had gotten at Charivari and that I refused to take off until I got home from the festival. This year I’m bringing cords in many colors, button down oxfords, and an array of John Smedley sweaters from England I got especially with Park City in mind. I have a new hooded winter coat from J. Crew that I’m also happy with—my first new winter coat in about a decade.
4. What does your typical schedule look like?
After morning coffee with my condo-mates, including my husband Boris Torres, my co-writer Mauricio Zacharias and my producer Lucas Joaquin, I’m guessing each day will be pretty different. Our film screens at the Eccles on Saturday night, so there will be the hoopla around that over the weekend, and then the rest of the week I hope to see friends and movies. I always like to have a regular spot that I know I can drop by for a quick lunch. I find figuring out what to eat in any city other than New York a real challenge.
5. Biggest Sundance gripe?
I worry about falling on the ice. I did one year, and it was a bit like slipping on a banana peel, except not as funny.
Kate Flannery
Star of Cooties
1. What’s your most memorable Sundance moment?
The friendly, flirty snowball fight I had with Robert Redford. Well, actually I’ve never been to Sundance before so that is what I dream of doing when I get there.
2. What films are you most excited to see this year?
Cooties! Starring Elijah Wood. I play his mom. Does that sound really self-centered? But, seriously it’s an awesome movie.
3. Describe your everyday festival “uniform.”
Miniskirt, T-shirt and a pair of Uggs. Wait, that’s what I wear in in LA when it’s “cold”. I’ll be wearing a down jacket, ski pants and a turtleneck—oh, and sunscreen. I’m Irish and we burn.
4. What does your typical schedule look like?
I will be watching as many films as possible. I can’t wait.
5. Biggest Sundance gripe?
My biggest gripe? That it took me so long to get here.
Jeff Vespa
Official Sundance photographer and co-founder of WireImage
1. What’s your most memorable Sundance moment?
I’ve been going to the festival since 1995, but the standout for me is always is the festival in 2000. That year I went with my friend, photographer Randall Michelson. I built a website called sundancepix.com, which was a precursor to WireImage, and we sold our images online for the very first time. This was a crazy, time-consuming proposition since it was before digital and we were using film. But we got some amazing stuff that year: Ethan Hawke and Kyle MacLachlan having a snowball fight; Kate Hudson for her first movie, About Adam; Ben Affleck on crutches.
2. What films are you most excited to see?
Well, the movies I’m excited for everyone to see are the ones with the actors we chose for The Verge List Sundance 2014: Appropriate Behavior with Desiree Akhavan, Obvious Child with Jenny Slate, Young Ones with Kodi Smit-McPhee, Imperial Dreams with John Boyega, Hellion with Joshua Wiggins, I Origins with Astrid Berges-Frisbey and The Guest with Maika Monroe. Also Wish I Were Here, Zach Braff’s new movie that he made using a Kickstarter campaign. Really excited for him.
3. Describe your everyday festival “uniform.”
A Rag & Bone long-sleeve Raglan T-Shirt, Vince sherpa-lined hoodie, North Face Summit Series down coat, UGG Polson boots (they don’t look like UGGs). All black of course!
4. What does your typical schedule look like?
Portraits shoots all day at The WireImage Portrait Studio from around 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. This is exhausting since we schedule the casts from the films every 15 minutes. At night, if a friend has a film playing, I shoot the premiere and watch the film with them. Like last year’s Don Jon—I went to support Joseph Gordon Levitt. If I don’t do any of that, I go to sleep at 7pm.
5. Biggest Sundance gripe?
Trying to get food! This is the worst. All the restaurants are full so if you don’t plan ahead, you are screwed. Just answering this question freaks me out.
NEXT: A Festival First-Timer and Sundance’s Top Event Planner
