Article: The Talk of the Town
by Karen Pecota

The Sundance Film Festival 2025 gave its film fan audiences a wonderful line up of talks, panels, and conversations of artists who come to the festival representing their films—directors, actors, producers, etc. I attended four of these special events and was not disappointed for a minute for taking the time away from film watching to attend. Held in the Filmmaker Lodge on Main Street in Park City, Utah, each session lasted one hour. It is a first-come, first-served basis of entry, so one needs to get in line at least an hour ahead of the designated start time of the event, if you prefer to get in the waiting area, prior to getting into the seating area.

Here are a few highlights from each talk:

~ You Bet Your Asteroid: NASA Has a Story to Tell!

Scientists and filmmakers share the story of NASA’s work and development to keep us safe from asteroids. They partake in a panel discussion where each share various aspects of NASA’s research. The panelists include: Rebecca Sirmons, head of NASA+, NASA; Scott Bednar, filmmaker and director, NASA 360/National Institute of Aerospace; Jessie Wilde, filmmaker and director, NASA 360/National Institute of Aerospace; Dr. Kelly Fast, acting planetary defense officer, NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office; David Rankin, senior survey operations specialist, Catalina Sky Survey, and Dr. Vishnu Reddy, professor of planetary sciences and director of the Space4 Center, University of Arizona.

Bednar and Wilde worked for NASA 360/National Institute of Aerospace for a long time and produced a short film, but due to the subject matter of asteroids and the effects it has on humanity, they felt like a feature-length documentary was worthy to produce because the topic is something to seriously talk about. So, after ten years in the making they have produced a compelling seventy-five-minute documentary PLANETARY DEFENDERS, to which NASA is very proud to present.

The audience was privy to a partial screening during the talk. The projection is that sometime in our future, a large asteroid will hit earth causing great damage, but there is no conclusive evidence to determine when that will happen. The question: It’s not if, but when?

In preparation, NASA is doing their due diligence to research and monitor our solar system with respect to asteroid activity. Their newest technology with the best software construction is not only amazing, but telling, with fascinating statistics and documentation. The research includes finding asteroids, figuring out what they are made of, how to capture them, as well as, how to protect the earth and humanity, etc.

The NASA+ film explores a compelling question: How would humanity respond if we discovered an asteroid headed for Earth? Far from science fiction, PLANETARY DEFENDERS follows real-life astronomers and other experts as they navigate the challenges of asteroid detection and safeguarding our planet from potential hazards. Rebecca Sirmons says, “NASA is home to some of the greatest stories ever told, and NASA’s new streaming platform NASA+ is dedicated to sharing these stories to inspire the next generation.” They are honored to host a panel for the first time at this year’s Sundance Film Festival to promote PLANETARY DEFENDERS for discussion.

NASA scientists are not alone in their research as they collaborate with other groups on a global scale to share information for the protection of all humanity.

~ SALLY: The Big Conversation: Breaking Barriers

The film SALLY (the life and career of Astronaut Sally Ride) was the winner of the 2025 Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Feature Film Prize. It’s an award given each year, that began in 2003, for the festival’s science-in-film program. It is one of many Alfred P. Sloan Science in Film Awards.

The prize is given to an outstanding feature film that focuses on science or technology as a theme, or depicts a scientist, engineer, or mathematician as a major character. Those who vote on this award are professionals in the film and science fields, presenting a cash award to each winner.

Present for conversation was the director of the film SALLY, Cristina Costantini; Astronaut Cady Coleman, a veteran of two shuttle missions, a six-month space station expedition, and the author of “Sharing Space”; Dr. Chao-ting Wu a professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School; and Nicole Perlman, screenwriter and a co-writer for GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY.

The conversation focused on the reasons to feature Sally Ride in a documentary, the challenges with the making it, Sally’s life and romance out of the limelight, and Sally’s inspiration for girls and women to follow their dreams—noting her foundation to assist girls to pursue the sciences. Each panelist shared the impact of film as it relates to storytelling within the context of the sciences and the importance of processing and learning from our mistakes and capitalizing on our strengths. Scientists are talented, individual, and imperfect, but oh so necessary to advance our scientific research programs.

~ Beyond Film at the Cinema Café Featuring,

Olivia Coleman (JIMPA), Oscar-and-BAFTA winning actor, and
Steven Yeun (BUBBLE & SQUEAK), Oscar-nominated, Golden Globe-and-Emmy-Award-winning actor and producer

This was the first event in the Beyond Film Series at the festival, and it was well worth the wait to be in the audience to enjoy the invigorating, joyful, yet serious discussion with Coleman and Yeun of why they chose to accept the role in the films they represented and beyond—referencing how they manage the “slow-downs” of their career, and their path forward after award wins. Both Coleman and Yeun share with heart-felt seriousness and delightful humor!

Coleman has a wonderful down-to-earth approach to conversation and says of her reasoning, “It’s a very beautiful story about a family, love, and acceptance. It’s a story about three generations: a gay granddad called “Jimpa,” a straight daughter, and a nonbinary trans child. It’s all about how they are kind to each other, embracing and loving each other, and it’s marvelous.”

Yeun recalls with openness, “When I read the script, it was something that I couldn’t really grasp…I couldn’t understand it clearly. The fiction felt more like real life than real life does today. This is what drew me to the script.”

~ Cinema Café: Dame Jacinda Ardern & Marlee Matlin
Jacinda Ardern (PRIME MINISTER), and
Marlee Matlin (MARLEE MATLIN: NOT ALONE ANYMORE)

Sundance Film Festival Programmer Sudeep Sharma interviewed these two delightful professionals at the 2025 Filmmaker Lodge that was presented by Audible.

Impressive were the questions that Sharma asked to bring about an enlightening and transparent conversation on how Ardern and Matlin approached their highly publicized careers and their personal lives. Both declared it has not been easy, but each shared that leaning into the support of family, friends, and role models have given them stability, promoted personal growth, and taught them amazing leadership skills that already have an impact far beyond their imagination.

Sharma asked, “Both of you have films about your lives, did the film make you see yourself differently?” Ardern recalls, “I cried through it. It was emotional and amazing storytelling. I saw me as someone doing my best.” Matlin recalls that she knew that her story needed to be told by a Deaf filmmaker, “I knew that person would tell my story with authenticity and sensitivity. And it was so. I had nothing to do with the details of the filming. I trusted her (director, Shoshannah Stern) and her team to be transparent to tell my story.” Each of these stories engage in the humanity of storytelling, food-for-thought, and are films not to be missed.