The Sundance Cinema Cafe series brought creators and audiences together for informal, high-energy conversations.
One panel discussed the evolution of independent film since the 1990s. The lineup featured Gregg Araki, Nicole Holofcener, and Richard Linklater.
Moderator John Pierson kicked things off by revisiting the festival’s early days.
"Let’s start in 1991. In that year, two of these three people were there," he said.
The conversation centered on how Sundance served as a launchpad for their careers.
"I wouldn’t be here without Sundance. I mean literally. It was a home, it was a place. And otherwise you know you’re just shouting out into the void," Araki said.
They ended with advice for young filmmakers coming into the industry.
"The real filmmakers, they have to be the obsessed ones who that's just who they are, and they will keep doing that no matter what," Linklater said.
Holofcener shared advice based on her own experience as a filmmaker and a mother.
“Don’t give up, I mean it took me six years to make my first feature," Holofcener said. "All these kids, my own kids, it's like if you don't do it before 30 you're a failure. It just makes me sick. You know these magazines with 30 under 30, and all it does is create envy and self-loathing."