The schedule for the milestone 40th Sundance Film Festival continues to fall into focus. The beloved Utah event — scheduled for Jan. 19-26 in Park City — has unveiled the lineup for Beyond Film programming and revealed that the documentary The Greatest Night in Pop, a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the iconic song “We Are the World,” will be part of this year’s program.
The roster of Beyond Film speakers includes notables with films in this year’s festival like Steven Soderbergh (Presence), Jesse Eisenberg (A Real Pain), Chiwetel Ejiofor (Rob Peace), Sue Bird (Sue Bird: In The Clutch), Dee Rees (Pariah), Lucy Lawless (Never Look Away), André Holland (Exhibiting Forgiveness), Debra Granik (Conbody vs Everybody), Jay Ellis (Freaky Tales) and Nzingha Stewart (Me/We).
The slate also includes a conversation within New Frontier, which champions artists practicing at the crossroads of film, art, performance and new media. Titled “New Frontier: Let’s Rebrand Artificial Intelligence!,” the chat has booked Rashaad Newsome and New Frontier alumni like Navid Khonsari, Ari Melenciano and Sandra Rodriguez.
Another highlight is the return of Sundance alumni like Miguel Arteta (Beatriz at Dinner), Richard Linklater (Hit Man), Dawn Porter (Luther: Never Too Much) Christine Vachon (A Different Man), all of whom will participate in “Power of Story: Four Decades of Taking Chances,” a conversation about their careers in independent film, the legacy of storytelling and the importance of taking risks.
Director Bao Nguyen will unveil Greatest Night in Pop about the seminal 1985 track that features 46 icons including Lionel Richie, Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Cyndi Lauper, Diana Ross and Stevie Wonder. Following the screening, there will be an extended conversation with Nguyen, producer Julia Nottingham and producer and star Lionel Richie.
In addition to Power of Story, Cinema Café presented by Audible and The Big Conversation, the lineup includes a New Frontier conversation about artificial intelligence and a roster of events to celebrate the 40th edition. With the exception of Power of Story, all Beyond Film events are free and open to the public.
“We’re thrilled to be adding to our program a special screening of The Greatest Night in Pop, taking us behind the scenes of how ‘We Are the World’ came together, followed by a conversation with Lionel Richie, filmmaker Bao Nguyen and producer Julia Nottingham,” offered Kim Yutani, Sundance Film Festival director of programming. “Our robust film lineup will be rounded out by a wide range of conversations touching upon themes in the programming and featuring some of today’s most inspiring creators and leaders.”
Ania Trzebiatowska, Beyond Film program curator, added: “Especially this year, as we celebrate our 40th edition, these events enable audiences to go beyond the screens — whether you’re watching in theaters here in person, or online from home — to meaningfully connect with artists and their stories.”
The full lineup and detailed information about the program can be found here.