People often like to refer to the “Sundance bubble” as a dismissive way to wave off whatever happens in Park City, Utah, during the annual film festival. But this year it seemed as if people in Park City were actively pressing themselves up against that bubble, puncturing any insularity by remaining well aware of the inauguration, the international women’s marches and all of the news that was happening outside the confines of the festival.
I concluded a series of video interviews with filmmakers who were passing through our L.A. Times Photo Studio with the question, “What is the purpose of art in a time of crisis?”
I’m not really sure what I expected to hear back, but I was immediately struck by the depth, thoughtfulness and variety of the responses to the question. This was seemingly something the artists had already all been asking themselves.
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Actor Peter Dinklage of the film “Rememory.”
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Actress Shirley MacLaine, director Mark Pellington and actress Ann’Jewel Lee Dixon of the film “The Last Word.”
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Actor Harris Dickinson of the film “Beach Rats.”
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Actress Anne Heche of the film “The Last Word.”
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Actress Adriyan Rae of the film “Burning Sands.”
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Actress Shiri Appelby of the film “Lemon.”
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Actor Brett Gelman of the film “Lemon.”
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Director Janicza Bravo of the film “Lemon.”
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Director Adam Bhala Lough, seated, and subject Cody Wilson of the film “The New Radical.”
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Actress Isabella Amara of the film “Wilson.”
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Andrew Dosunmu, director of the film “Where Is Kyra?”
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Actor John Lithgow of the film “Beatriz at Dinner.”
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Actor Josh O’Connor of the film “God’s Own Country.”
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Actress Connie Britton of the film “Beatriz at Dinner.”
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Actress Michelle Monaghan of the film “Sidney Hall.”
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Actress Judy Greer of the film “Wilson.”
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Actress Elle Fanning of the film “Sidney Hall.”
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Actor Jay Duplass of the film “Landline.”
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Actress Salma Hayek of the film “Beatriz at Dinner.”
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Trixie Garcia of the documentary film “Long Strange Trip.”
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Actor Logan Lerman of the film “Sidney Hall.”
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Actress Isabella Amara of the film “Wilson.”
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Actress Chloe Sevigny of the film “Golden Exits.”
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Surfer Laird Hamilton, subject of the documentary film “Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton.” (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Actor Jeremy Renner of the film “Wind River.”
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Actress Gigi Gorgeous from the film “This Is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous.”
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Actor Adam Pally from the film “Band Aid.”
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Actress America Ferrera from the new Web-series “Gente-fied.”
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Director Jovanka Vuckovic from the film “XX.”
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Director Sofia Carrillo from the film “XX.”
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Director Yance Ford from the documentary film “Strong Island.”
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Beastie Boy and actor Adam Horowitz from the film “Golden Exits.”
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Director Roxanne Benjamin from the film, “XX.”
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Actress Kelsy Asbille from the film “Wind River.”
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Actress Lois Smith from the film “Marjorie Prime.”
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Actress Geena Davis from the film “Marjorie Prime.”
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Actor Mark Hamill from the film “Brigsby Bear.”
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Actor Nicholas Hoult from the film “Rebel in the Rye.”
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Producer Akiva Schaffer from the film “Brigsby Bear.”
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Director Danny Strong from the film “Rebel in the Rye.”
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Actor Kyle Mooney from the film “Brigsby Bear.”
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Actor Jack Black of the film “The Polka King.”
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Actor John Lithgow of the film “Beatriz at Dinner.”
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India Menuez of the Amazon series “I Love Dick.”
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Actor Jon Hamm of the film “Marjorie Prime.”
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Actor Mark Hamill of the film “Brigsby Bear.”
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Actress Anya Taylor-Joy of the film “Thoroughbred.”
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Actor Sam Elliott of the film “The Hero.”
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Director Kitty Green of the documentary film “Casting JonBenet.”
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Director Michael Barnett of the documentary film “The Mars Generation.”
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Actress Parker Posey of the film “Columbus.”
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Grammy-winning Beastie Boys founder and actor Adam Horovitz of the film “Golden Exits.”
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Actress Jenny Slate of the film “The Polka King.”
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Executive producer Danny Glover of the documentary film “Strong Island.”
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Director Annie Clark (also known as the musician St. Vincent) of the film, “XX.”
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Actor Nick Offerman of the film “The Hero.”
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Actor John Cho of the film “Columbus.”
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Actress Jasna Fritzi Bauer from the film “Axolotl Overkill.”
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Actress Brittany Snow from the film “Bushwick.”
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Actor Dave Bautista from the film “Bushwick.”
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Executive producer Sean Hayes from the documentary series “The History of Comedy.”
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Actress Jessica Williams from the film “The Incredible Jessica James.” (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Director Jack Henry Robbins from the short film “Hot Winter, A Film by Dick Pierre.”
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Actress Melanie Lynskey from the film “I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore.”
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Executive producer Tim Robbins, standing, and his son, director Jack Henry Robbins, from the short film “Hot Winter, A Film by Dick Pierre.”
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Musician Jillionaire from the documentary film “Give Me Future.” (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Actress Cary Mulligan from the film “Mudbound.” (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Actress Chante Adams from the film “Roxanne Roxanne.”
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Actor Fares Fares from the film “The Nile Hilton Incident.”
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Actor Chris O’Dowd from the film “The Incredible Jessica James.” (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Actor Lakeith Stanfield from the film “The Incredible Jessica James.” (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Director Nacho Vigalondo from the film “Colossal.”
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Actress Chelsea Handler, who led the Women’s March through Park City, Utah.
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Actress Aisha Tyler, who participated in the Women’s March through Park City. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Executive producer Tim Robbins from the short film “Hot Winter, A Film by Dick Pierre.”
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Actor Garrett Hedlund from the film “Mudbound.”
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Director-writer Michael Larnell from the film “Roxanne Roxanne.”
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Roxanne Shanté, subject of the biopic “Roxanne Roxanne.”
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Actress Mari Malek from the film “The Nile Hilton Incident.”
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Actor O’Shea Jackson Jr., from the film “Ingrid Goes West.”
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Actress Pom Klementieff, starring in “Ingrid Goes West.”
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Director Matt Spicer of the film, “Ingrid Goes West.”
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Actor Jack Huston of the film, “Yellow Birds.”
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Rashida Jones of the film “Hot Girls Wanted: Turned On.”
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Actor Tye Sheridan of the film “Yellow Birds.”
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Executive Producer Tim Robbins of the short “Hot Winter, A Film By Dick Pierre.”
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Executive Producer Sean Hayes of the CNN series “History of Comedy.”
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Mary J. Blige of the film “Mudbound.”
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Actor Elvis Nolasco of the film “Roxanne, Roxanne.”
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Actor Chris O’Dowd of the film “The Incredible Jessica James.”
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Actor Lakeith Stanfield of the film “The Incredible Jessica James.”
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Music producer and DJ Thomas Wesley Pentz, known as Diplo, of the documentary film “Give Me Future.”
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Actress Molly Shannon of the film “The Little Hours.”
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Actor Dave Franco of the film “The Little Hours.”
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Actress Alison Brie of the film “The Little Hours.”
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Actress Kate Micucci of the film “The Little Hours.”
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Actor Paul Sparks of the film “Thoroughbred.”
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Dree Hemingway of the film “L.A. Times.”
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Director and actress Michelle Morgan of the film “L.A. Times.”
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Actor Jorma Taccone of the film “L.A. Times.”
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Actress Abbi Jacobson of the film “Person to Person.”
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Actress Olivia Luccardi of the film “Person to Person.”
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Producer Carlos Santana of the film “Dolores.”
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Actor Jason Ritter of the film “Bitch.”
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Director Amanda Kernell of the film “Sami Blood.”
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Director Peter Bratt and his brother Benjamin, producers of the documentary film “Dolores.”
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Dolores Huerta of the film “Dolores.”
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Actress Jamie King of the film “Bitch.”
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Directors Andrew Smith and Alex Smith of the film “Walking Out.”
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Actress Holly Hunter of the film “The Big Sick.”
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Actor Logan Miller of the film “Before I Fall.”
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Actress Carla Gallo from “Playdates.”
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Producer Judd Apatow of the film “The Big Sick.”
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Actress Cynthy Wu of the film “Before I Fall.”
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Actor Paul Scheer from the television show “Playdates.”
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Actress Zoey Deutch from the film “Before I Fall.”
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Actress Medalion Rahimin from the film “Before I Fall.”
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Actor Josh Kaye of the film “Come Swim.”
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Actress Elena Kampouris of the film “Before I Fall.”
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Joshua Wong of the documentary film “Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower.”
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Director Kristen Stewart of the film “Come Swim.”
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Actress Zoe Kazan of the film “The Big Sick.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) America Ferrera was in Park City to promote “Gente-fied,but she was there only the day after she addressed a massive crowd at the women’s march in Washington, D.C. “I think the purpose of art is the same at all times,” Ferrera said, “but I think in times like these, times of real, real questioning and reflection and concern, it becomes that much clearer that our role in society is to connect.”
Though she was in Park City for her first lead film role in “The Incredible Jessica James,” when performer Jessica Williams sat for our interview it was only a few hours after she had spoken at the women’s rally in Park City. She noted, “The reason why I make art is because I love when somebody random comes up to me and tells me that something that I did deeply touched them in a way.”
Dee Rees was at Sundance with “Mudbound,” the film she directed and co-wrote and a tale that explores race and family in the WWII-era Deep South. “Someone might not listen to you when you’re shouting at them with a sign, but they’ll go see ‘Mudbound’ and say ‘Oh, yeah, I get that idea. Oh yeah, I feel something,’” Rees said. “So I feel like culture is the long game and it’s the ideas game.”
Roxanne Benjamin is one of four female filmmakers involved in the horror anthology project “XX.” “For me it’s that I don’t know how not to,” Benjamin said of making art, “and this happens to be the way that I’ve figured out how to get all of that inner junk out.”
THE BIG WINNERS, huge deals and heated controversies of Sundance 2017 »
Annie Clark was also in Park City with the “XX” project making her debut as a filmmaker, though many may know her better from her work as a musician under the name St. Vincent. “The stakes are so high from a social standpoint,” Clark said, “that you’re going to see a lot of people making incredibly sincere art, that isn’t callous and jaded and ironic. It’s like, ‘No, no, no, we don’t have time for that, people are suffering.’”
The movie “The Big Sick” is based on the real-life relationship between its co-writers Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani, a rom-com that somehow takes in both healthcare issues and issues of cultural identity.
“What I’ve always tried to aspire to is to help people feel less alone, and anything I create I want people to not feel alone,” Gordon said. “I want them to feel like someone else understands them, that they’ve got brothers or sisters in arms who have gone through what they’ve gone through and felt what they’ve felt.”
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Mark.Olsen@latimes.com
Follow on Twitter: @IndieFocus
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