Sundance 2025 Kicks Off With Technical Glitches, Questlove and Anxiety About the Future of Indie Film

variety.com:

Marlee Matlin had viewers dabbing their eyes at the sold-out screening of “Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore.” John Lithgow and Olivia Colman played a father and daughter in “Jimpa,” a touching drama about a family that seemed to defy the current MAGA moment with its sensitive portrait of LGBTQ+ life.

And Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, who had unveiled the Oscar-winning “Summer of Soul” during Sundance’s COVID era digital edition, finally got his Eccles premiere with “Sly Lives!” a boisterous examination of the enduring legacy of Sly and the Family Stone.

Throughout Park City, the mood was celebratory. However, there was an undercurrent of anxiety around the mountain resort. It was hard to escape the sense that both the festival, and the industry it spotlights, are in a period of transition.

For one thing, Sundance is poised to relocate in 2027, possibly for Cincinnati or Boulder. Even if it stays in Utah, its base of operations will shift to Salt Lake City, which is better equipped to handle the crowds.