Posted by Larry Gleeson

Off to another fast start (after a long night with new VR goggles) on Day 5 with the Sundance Dailies, a guided tour through the festival’s myriad of happenings. The Sundance Dailies is presented by Acura and has me sipping coffee with Festival director Tabitha Jackson! Today her breakfast guest was Mass actor Martha “Actual” Plimpton. (Pictured below, right, with Festival director Tabitha Jackson.)

With a look at some of today’s high happenings, the Duchess of Programming, Dilcia Barrera, (Pictured below, right, with Festival director Tabitha Jackson) offered up two world premieres, Judas and the Black Messiah, Life in a Day, and the last Cinema Cafe of the festival, “Fresh Faces,” moderated by Colorado’s Public Radio host, Monica Castilla, and featuring new voices including Tyson Brown from the action-adventure romp, First Date,  Emilia Jones from CODA, and Patti Harrison with Together Together, and Weirdo Night.

Roving reporter at-large, John Cooper, provided another brief weather report before a sit-down, walk-down memory lane convo with Amy Redford on the traditional Director’s breakfast at the Sundance Resort. While the directors were not convening this year, the importance of celebrating work and a voice being expressed received recognition during this intimate segment.

Jackson closed the show with a score of poignant words encouraging viewers to go out and experience the wonders of freedom and creative expression at Sundance as she called on Founder Robert Redford’s independent filmmaking philosophy, “An independent film is simply a film that stays free long enough to be what it wants to be.”

Stay healthy, Stay happy. Stay free!