Dakota Johnson stepped out of the big stage at Park City Basin Recreation Arena on Thursday night and was immediately joined by hundreds of seated guests including Sundance insiders, directors and several movie stars) and feign shock. Taste of Sundance presented by IMDbPro. “I didn’t realize there were so many people going back to Sundance – but thank God. It’s a great feeling to be back in a room celebrating independent cinema together.”
Sundance back up. The extravaganza kicks off tonight, the first in-person event in three years due to the pandemic, so there’s certainly reason to celebrate. Johnson’s work was one of four awards presented on the main stage, with her award going to close friend and collaborator Luca Guadagnino , who won the International Icon Award. Others went to Ryan Coogler (Variety Visionary Award), Nanny Filmmakers Nikyatu Jusu (Acura’s Pioneer Award for Fiction) and W. Kamau Bell (Acura’s Vanguard Award for Non-Fiction).
Opening Night Honorees W. Kamau Bell, Ryan Coogler, Nikyatu Jusu and Luca Guadagnino with Sundance Institute CEO Joana Vicente. Michael Loccisano/Getty
Johnson called Guadagnino “the epitome of an international icon” with the annual trophy. She even complimented his fashion sense, saying he “wears Prada all the time.” She details their professional relationship, from when he cast her in the 1296 movie StartA Bigger Splash and continue of gust of wind .
“I cherish him so much,” the actress and producer said, adding that she found herself an actor “day in and day out” in He was spotted on the set.
Johnson then turned his attention to Guadagnino’s acclaimed love story, Call Me By Your Name, by Timothée Chalamet and Starring Armie Hammer. “Sadly, I wasn’t part of it,” admitted Johnson, who later admitted that she found herself jealous of the other actors who worked with the Italian director. “It’s unfortunate.”
Johnson then joked that she almost got drafted Please call me by your name , playing the role of a peach, the same piece of fruit that Chalamet’s character Elio masturbates with, only to leave pits and residue on his table. Hammer’s character Oliver discovers peaches, but doesn’t eat them like the character in the novel on which the movie is based.
That didn’t stop Johnson from lashing out at the headlines involved Hammer noted that if she had actually been chosen as the peach, “I’d be just another woman that Armie Hammer was trying to eat.” Moments later, she commented on Guadagnino’s latest cannibal love story Bones and All nodded and asked, “Who knew cannibalism was so prevalent?”
While Johnson seems to be downplaying the cannibal headlines, she has previously defended her co-star Hammer in Movies The Social Network , and other co-stars like Johnny Depp and Shia LaBeouf have faced serious misconduct charges. “I’ve never had a personal experience with those people,” she told THR in 2015. “I’ve had an incredible time with them; I’m sad for the loss of great artists. I’m sad for people who needed help and it might not have gotten there in time. I’m sad for anyone who was hurt or injured. Really sad. I do believe that people can change.”
(For his part, Hammer has previously denied wrongdoing through lawyers and insisted that all relationships are two-way Voluntary. Cannibalism allegations went viral in January via direct messages from him
Guadagnino then took the stage and didn’t address the alleged peach cast or cannibal sarcasm, but did call Johnson “my dear friend” and one of the best actors ever. The filmmaker’s roots at Sundance go back to 2010 debuted with his film I Am Love. Because of the shared history, he said he always felt at home here.
“It means a lot to all of us to be back here, to be here,” he said of the festival, which he calls a “landmark place.” The only thing that matters is “Empowerment” film. “
These themes ran through the rest of the presentations of the evening from Coogler, Bell and Jusu, as well as from the night’s headline performer, the Indigo Girls. The world premiere of Alexandria Bombach’s Sundance documentary It’s Only Life After All rushed to the fundraising gala.
Despite There were some technical issues with the mic and some feedback, they still went through three songs and would like to thank the artist for being included in the festival and for the opportunity to share the stage with such a successful one.
Lena Waithe, fresh from London, showed up to present the trophy to Coogler, calling him a scholar, “the calm in the storm,” a leader and a quiet royal. Accepting the invitation, Reflecting on his career and expressing his sincere gratitude for the role Sundance played in launching his now-blockbuster career, Coogler shared a story about the festival’s debut of his award-winning work Fruitvale Station starring Michael B. Jordan’s rising star, whose manager, Craig Kestel, told Coogler’s mother, “Your son’s life is about to change . “
“It freaked my mom out,” Coogler admitted. “She didn’t understand what was going on. The truth is, Coogler says, in the years leading up to that night, his life had already begun to change thanks to producers Forest Whitaker and Nina Youngbonjovi ( Nina Yang Bongiovi, who gave him the chance at film school to accept the feature film Sundance Lab where he met Marielle Heller, David Lowery, Chloe Zhao, and other peers.
“It’s an honor to make these proposals,” he said. “Whenever those filmmakers win, I feel like I’ve won – especially as a former footballer.
While accepting the award, Bale joked he wanted to apologize to the “older white gentleman” who congratulated him Summer of the Soul , an Oscar-winning film produced by Questlove, not W. Kamau Bell. The winner then details his journey from “geek” to stand-up fan, stand-up comedian, executive producer and award-winning director We Need to Talk About Cosby
During the production of the series, Bale sometimes had to ask himself the question, “Whose idea was this?” He recalls making sure to shout out who helped him along the way. mentors and collaborators. “It’s a way to remind myself that it was really my idea. I have only myself to blame. It’s comforting.” He also sees his only child’s credibility and outsider status as key to his career. “Our weirdness is our superpower,” he says.
Speaking of consolation, Jusu says filmmaking continues to save her life, and she wouldn’t be here without Sundance Her artistic journey to this day. “My gratitude still has no depth, no breadth, no quantifiable end,” she said after accepting a speech by Sundance favorite Boots Riley. Jusu won the Dramatic Jury Prize for her critically acclaimed Nanny. “Sundance is the reason the industry can no longer ignore me.”
Finally, Jusu urges those in the room — “We are survivors,” she said — to get on with the “chips To a better world.” Then she cites one of her favorite thoughts, the legendary Toni Morrison. “It’s impossible to keep honing crisis, you have to have love, you have to have magic.”
