Encounters of the Humankind
by Karen Pecota

Encounters with kindred spirits at a film festival can be inspirational, especially while learning about their journey and their love for storytelling through the moving picture. Below are a few of my accounts of joyful and unexpected interactions this year at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.

Bret and Erika One of the greatest aspects of participating in film festivals is the connection to people you meet and engage with in interesting conversations on either a personal or professional level, or simply as a film buff. To present festival coverage for my outlet that is somewhat diverse, I enjoy attending talks or panels presented. I learn fascinating aspects of the filmmakers’ artistic journeys. It’s rare for their road to be an easy one.

I attended two talks and had the opportunity to sit next to a sweet young couple, by happenstance, for both events. The couple slipped into the first talk unassumingly as the session had begun, so my usual before-hand chat didn’t happen.

At the session’s close, they hurriedly made a dash for the door.

Waiting again in the Filmmakers Lodge, at the entrance door for the second talk, I hoped to be the first to grab my preferred seat at the end of any row. It’s my favorite place for most screenings or talks, just in case I need (or want) to leave early. Luck happened and I nabbed my end seat. Two people followed me into the row and took the seats right next to me. I remembered them and said, “Oh! I sat next you two in the talk prior.” The young lady mentioned, “Oh! Yes, I remember you too because I noticed your notebook as you were frantically taking notes. I figured you were serious about capturing more than the essence of the talks.” We laughed and introduced ourselves. Bret and Erika mentioned that they were thrilled to be at the festival being first timers. Bret stated that he was a scriptwriter in Los Angeles, and Erika grew up in the Seattle area. The more we talked we discovered lots of common ground—especially our love for Germany. Erika and Bret would be traveling to Germany in the summer to visit family and learning German was a priority. I suggested that they contact our son, Kevin and his wife, Amy, when they return to Los Angeles. Both couples have Germany and the film industry in common, so why not reach out and make a new friend in the industry?

Meeting Bret and Erika was delightful. It was a joy to my festival experience. A new contact, one never knows what will come out of it.

Encounters with kindred spirits at a film festival can be inspirational, especially while learning about their journey and their love for storytelling through the moving picture. Below are a few of my accounts of joyful and unexpected interactions this year at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.

WRONG THEATER I got a ride to my first film one morning to attend a very early screening. I arrived at the theater and entered the tent to get in line; the tent was empty except for a volunteer waiting for her shift to begin. She asked if I was a volunteer and I replied that I was here to get in line for the next film but was surprised by the empty tent. Not surprisingly, she noted that I was at the wrong theater and told me to run to the bus stop, located on the other side of the building, to catch a ride to the designated theater that was a couple miles away.

I did as I was told and ran as fast as I could in the freezing cold weather. A bus was waiting. I approached it and jumped on! Right behind me was a festival attendee going to the same screening. Whew! We both made it…

We exchanged laughter and a sigh of relief. We were on the right bus. While walking to the tent for the correct screening, we introduced ourselves. Fascinating conversations transpired with the attendee Bobby, a long-time Sundance festival volunteer, and myself. I gleaned several tips from these two mates while waiting in line.

Bobby mentioned that he was staying at the local hostel. When he booked the hostel, his suspicions of low-bar accommodations were on his mind. He shared, “I was pleasantly surprised.” Adding, “Upon arrival, I knew this must be a good place after seeing so many people with special festival badges, including those of the press and industry. I was confident I’d be in good hands. I knew that these people were privy to the best places to stay that would be affordable, accessible and nice.”

The volunteer shared the rumor that so many attendees were talking about of the festival hub possibly moving away from Park City and possibly heading back to its origin in Salt Lake City. Disappointed, I hoped it’d be simply a rumor. However, if realized, the festival local will lose its intimate charm hidden within Utah’s historic mountain range. Only time will tell if this rumor turns to the affirmative.

THE FAMILY The group was thrilled that their “scout” was at the front of the outside line next to the heater. I was introduced to the group and found out that they were all family members and had been long time Sundance Film Festival attendees, Sundance Institute supporters, and regular visitors to Park City at other times in the year.

My husband arrived as I was sharing some tidbits with the group about films I had previously screened. He sarcastically exclaimed, “Wow! You all are so intent on listening …like as if it was Jesus’ speaking!” Everyone laughed! From that point on, our conversation together The Eccles Theater is the main venue for film watching at Sundance Film Festival. It is the largest theater and the most desirable. This venue showcases films for public viewing followed by a Q&A (question and answer session) after the films. The hope for all film attendees is to secure tickets for this venue.

If you want to secure a seat in a preferred location in the theater, one must get in line early, preferably an hour or so before the doors open. Why? One wants to wait in line inside a heated tent. If you miss the early-bird lineup, you will be standing in a line outside, in the freezing cold weather until the doors open which can seem like eternity.

Excited to have secured three tickets for a premiere called WINNER at the Eccles Theater, my husband and I arrived early to sell our third ticket to someone in the waitlist line. I headed to the regular line to get in the tent, while he went to sell the ticket. It was early so we thought we’d both get in the tent. Oddly, we were not early enough! Myself and two others just missed getting into the tent. Rats! The three of us begrudgingly were directed to the spots at the beginning of the outside line, where we were able to stand next to the tall outside heaters. YAY!

I was third in line standing next to a man who was looking for his group to arrive and to join him, as I was keeping an eye out for my husband. We began to chat when he spotted his people, waved in their direction to let them know where he was waiting, and then asked if I’d mind if they joined him. I was more than happy to oblige, as my plus-one would be arriving shortly. with Jerry, Lisa, and Joe Donini from Summit, New Jersey, and Jack and Jayne Runk from Cincinnati was simply delightful as we chatted about our lives, background, interest in film, and Park City. It felt like family.

UNION director Stephen Maing Grabbing my preferred aisle seat in the theatre to screen ETERNAL YOU, a vacant seat is next to me, so I make sure that I do not sprawl out over into that area in case someone is brave enough to sit next to a journalist taking notes in a dark theater during the film. I keep my backpack, coat, snacks, and notepad confined to the area around my seat.

Just before the film begins, a nice man asks to sit in my neighboring vacant seat. I oblige and ask if he is OK with sitting next to me as a notetaker during the film. I mentioned I’d try not to disturb him. He was cool with it and said it would not be a problem. I thanked him. The film begins!

After the film, we exchanged our impressions of the film’s content. During our conversation, I found out that he was the director, Stephen Maing, of the documentary film UNION, showcasing at the festival. We talked about his journey as a filmmaker. I would screen his film the following day, so it was fascinating listening to him share about the filming of his latest documentary.

Later, I learned that he is a highly sought after filmmaker due to his experience, expertise, and kind-hearted character. His personal and professional integrity is often acknowledged by those in the industry. Wow! I felt honored that he took the time to chat with me before we ventured to our next screening.

TIFFANY & Co. & ME I recently relocated my service business to a location inside an Active Space facility (sharing the building spaces with thirty+ small business owners). One of my new colleagues, Tiffany Knowlton, is an annual Sundance Film Festival attendee. I was thrilled upon learning this news and curious as to how she began her yearly trek to Park City, Utah, in order to watch independent films for a ten-day stretch. Here is what Tiffany had to share.

Tiffany’s Memories “We (myself, my mom, Sherry Beacham, Mom’s friend, Kerri Lewis, a childhood friend, Simone Altman, and my sister, Meghan Beacham) have been going to Sundance since 2016, including the two pandemic years that we screened virtually. We love seeing movies that sometimes one would not hear about otherwise. We also love the Q&As after the films and we enjoy going to the Filmmakers Lodge on Park City’s Main Street to hear discussions from writers, and actors.

There used to be parties to attend and one year we had cocktails with Josh O’Connell, Francis Lee, and the Daniel Brothers.

The 2019 festival was a big year. We were in attendance for the Women’s March. Jane Fonda gave a great speech as we all stood outside in a blizzard!

This year, I loved the documentary THE GREATEST NIGHT IN POP. I was a sophomore in high school when this song, “We Are the World” came out. It was a huge deal! I loved watching this documentary with my mom at the Egyptian Theatre on Main Street in Park City. It was super special for my mom and me to see it together.

An enjoyable part of every festival is how nice it is chatting with movie lovers and volunteers about what to see while waiting in line! This year was a little disappointing because they had less venues and I felt like the festival was closing as the second half of the festival was beginning. I am happy that I had a package deal for both the first and the second halves of the festival.

There is talk of the festival moving to some other location…Minnesota, maybe?”

My unforgettable memory: Sundance Film Festival celebrated its Fortieth Anniversary. Tiffany, Sherry, Simone, my husband, Steve, and I were able to meet up at the Sundance Institute Membership screening night of LUTHER: NEVER TOO MUCH. This was a special film commemorating the life and talent of Luther Vandross, followed by an interesting Q&A session. Afterward, we had a chance to discuss what we had just witnessed and other aspects of the festival. Not one of us could contain ourselves from sharing our experiences thus far. It was like listening to a group of childhood friends chatting-it-up about events that enthralled them. We laughed, agreed, shared moments of deep thought from the messages we listened to, and questioned our responsibility when a film’s messaging asks for support. A rewarding experience was had by all. After the festival we were off and running to plan our Oscar Parties…:)