I am writing this from the floor of the Double Tree in Park City, eating grocery store sushi with about an hour to kill until I must enter back into that glorious place they call the Holiday Village Cinemas. I’ve only seen the inside of Theater One thus far, but for my next film, I get to venture into Theater Three!
I don’t know what I expected from Sundance. I don’t think it was necessarily anything glamorous, but this is definitely more boots-to-the-ground, nitty-gritty than I was anticipating. I feel like a soldier doing battle: I forgot gloves, and I’m really paying for it in this cold. Today, I’ve eaten an Impossible Whopper, a box of raspberries, and roughly 12 pieces of sushi. I have three different beverages in my brand new giant tote (thanks Sundance for the swag): a half-drunk Coke, a Fiji water, and a Sparkling Ice. I’ve made this Double Tree floor my home between films, jotting down my thoughts about each movie before heading off to dutifully get in line for the next one. Film festivals! A lot of standing around, I must say.
But readers, I’m having the time of my life! I’ve seen two movies today so far: “Magic Farm” and “Touch Me.” I’m still under embargo for both, so watch this space next week for more thoughts.
I’m tired, and I should probably buy more snacks (sorry to our dining editor Beth McKibben, but I foresee even more grocery sushi in my future, not one of Park City’s many wonderful restaurants), but I’m getting to do what I love in a beautiful place. And if what I love means sitting inside a dark theater in one of the most gorgeous places I’ve ever seen, so be it!
Last but not least: no celebrity sightings yet. At least I don’t think so – I passed by a woman who looked a LOT like Chloë Sevigny on the street, but I don’t think I have that good of luck.
? Scene, my weekly newsletter about movies, will be filled with more Sundance tidbits, so please subscribe here!
OSCAR NOMINATIONS
? Emilia Pérez,” a Spanish musical about a drug kingpin’s gender transition, led Oscar nominations with 13 nods, while “The Brutalist” and “Wicked” followed with 10 each. The 97th Academy Awards ceremony will be presented on March 2.