The Egyptian Theatre in Park City hosted a panel discussion with four film directors as its last event for the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.
“We’re so grateful and we’re so appreciative to have this space,” festival director Eugene Hernandez said. “You’re here for a conversation about legacy, in a space where this festival took root and grew.”
Directors Alex Gibney, John Turturro, Olivia Wilde and Ta-Nehisi Coates met a full house on Jan. 27 to discuss their thoughts on "The Power of Story: On Legacy."
The conversation started with various reflections on the Egyptian Theatre’s origins with the Sundance Film Festival and Robert Redford. Turturro chatted about his own beginnings in the film industry and how they affected his legacy.
“I had a wonderful relationship with him (Robert Redford), and I saw Amy (Redford’s daughter) yesterday. So this is a very special place ... for me. My first film was here,” Turturro said.
As the panel shifted its focus from the past to the present, the directors then discussed how recent tragedies related to their own legacies as storytellers.
Olivia Wilde cited George Orwell’s “1984” when asked about her perspective on Immigration and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) occupation in Minneapolis with the recent deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
“I feel terrified, but I feel incredibly responsible for upholding the idea that, again with Orwell, facts matter. The truth matters,” Wilde said.
She continued to describe her fears about the effectiveness of documenting current events as opposed to silver screen storytelling.
“It is a good, bracing reminder that documenting — that literally the power of recording and documenting and transmitting — it’s fundamental to anything that has to happen if we are to go on,” Wilde said.
Though her perspective was rooted in her thoughts surrounding her own legacy as a filmmaker, she shared the legacy her family has left as journalists.
“What they do is speak truth to power. I can’t say that’s what I do. I certainly know I’ve learned to tell the truth through what I do,” Wilde said.
Each director then took turns chatting about how their current Sundance films affected their individual legacies as filmmakers.
Ta-Nehisi Coates was the only director on the panel who had never brought a film to Sundance before 2026. Before working on his film, “When a Witness Recants,” he wrote “Black Panther” and “Captain America” comic books.
“Captain America is essentially in his soul, like, this New Deal liberal who really believes in the promise of America,” Coates said. “I have to sincerely, earnestly believe this dude. Believe this dude is right.”
Though Coates was the only first time director on the panel, his thoughts on legacy centered around how out of control they were on what kind of legacy they’d leave behind.
“Nobody is owed an audience. No one is owed a legacy,” Coates said.
In turn, Alex Gibney shared that he doesn’t try to sit and think about his legacy. Rather, he shifted his perspective on personal legacy to his work as a filmmaker.
“My idea of legacy is, how do I get it so that I can keep making movies? That’s my legacy as far as I’m concerned,” Gibney shared.
After the panel discussion ended, the Egyptian Theatre’s visitors buzzed about what was said and the theatre’s legacy at the festival. They then gathered outside its doors to watch its “2026 Sundance Film Festival” sign as it was taken down for the last time.
