A Sundance Party
The room is filled to the brim with people and overflowing with chatter. To get to my wine glass full of ginger ale, I have to squeeze through two filmmakers deep in a discussion about the impact of foreign films in America. Everywhere I look, there are people of all different shapes, colors, and genders. I had no idea this party would be this big. There are people wearing brightly colored bodycon dresses, crisp jackets, and boldly patterned ties, and I’m wearing a flannel and jeans. I’m overwhelmed, perhaps in a good way, by all the amazing people around me, who are using hands-on work to affect real change in their different communities.
Our job is to find the team of people who produced “Softie”, a documentary that will be shown at this same house as part of the annual Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Named after Boniface “Softie” Mwangi, the film follows him as he runs for office in a regional election in Kenya. We’ll be seeing the film on Wednesday afternoon, but as of right now, all we have are names to go off of. Lucky for us, almost everyone is wearing a Sundance lanyard, most of which tell us why they’re here. We find one of the women who helped organize the event, who tells us to seek out someone wearing a yellow patterned blazer. The hard part is finding the blazer through the thicket of people.
Eventually, we find her, and she leads us to the director of the film himself, Sam Soko. He’s a creator from Nairobi, Kenya; “Softie” is his first documentary. He doesn’t have much time to talk but assures us that he’ll be at the screening on Wednesday. I can’t wait to see the film and ask him plenty of questions about it.
The films that come to Sundance are independent, creative passion projects, and the array of topics they deal with is wide. The people behind the films are just as diverse. There are people from all around the world (including Kenya!) at this festival who are able to share their unique perspective on topics that I wouldn’t even know about had I not seen the film. As a young person who is interested in both media and social justice, this entire room of people is so inspiring to me. Especially considering the low percentage of women directing mainstream films, Sundance 2020’s lineup of 46% female directors is impressive and enchanting in equal measures.
Art isn’t meant to be constrained, and this is where film festivals just like this one shine. Even if it means hell for commuters, hipsters walking around in fur coats and sunglasses, and a whole lot of buses filled to capacity, Sundance is a force for good. A film can change the world if we give it the opportunity. The future is bright— and don’t let anyone tell you different.
