While Sundance Film Festival screenings bring film-lovers and story lovers together for communal viewings, it also provides a place where people can discuss what they’ve seen with each other. Adding to that platform is the festival’s Beyond Film programming, which sets aside times and venues for audiences to meet and hear from filmmakers, composers, artists and talent in real time, said Ania Trzebiatowska, a Sundance Film Festival feature film programmer and Beyond Film curator. “The core idea of Beyond Film is to connect our community with not just the people you would normally know about the festival, but to bring in new audiences to the festival,” she said. “It (brings) attention to the films, and the intention remains that we really want to make sure this is a space for audiences to connect for free, aside from the ‘Power of Story’ discussion on Jan. 27.” Trzebiatowska, who took over the Beyond Film curating three years ago, knows the importance of scheduling these sessions, most of which take place in the Cinema Cafe at the Filmmaker Lodge, 550 Main St. “Being at a festival can be very alienating because so much happens at the festival where people are navigating with screenings and some additional events,” she said. “So, this is a shared space where festivalgoers can listen to very smart people talk about their films and their ideas.” One of the Filmmaker Lodge’s draw is its setting, according to Trzebiatowska. “It’s like being in somebody’s living room, so even if you don’t want to engage, you can just listen,” she said.  This year’s discussions will include filmmakers Ava DuVernay and Barbara Kopple, author Salman Rushdie, tennis icon Billie Jean King and Visitations podcasters Elijah Wood and Daniel Noah, to name a few, and pulling together a schedule to accommodate them all is a challenge, Trzebiatowska said. “It’s quite a complex process because we always want to make sure we have a diverse group of voices from the film program,” she said. “We want to make sure we support those films and filmmakers and also have interesting conversions around the themes that emerge in the process. And we also try to make it as fair as possible, making sure we represent films that are not in competition.” Trzebiatowska works closely with Kim Yutani, the festival’s director of programming.  “We start with a wish list and start thinking early on about possible connections,” she said. “Then we try to figure out who might be the right person for us to invite. Sometimes things happen automatically, but other times we have to think harder.” Trzebiatowska also wants to make sure the connections are organic but also carry off-kilter connections at times. “We want to have a group of interesting people come together and talk about things they might not see they have in common,” she said. World Champion tennis icon and human rights activist Billie Jean King will participate in the 2026 Sundance Film Festival’s Cinema Cafe discussions at the Filmmakers Lodge. “Give Me the Ball,” a documentary about King by Liz Garbus and Elizabeth Wolff, has been selected as one of the Premiers for the festival. Credit: Photo courtesy of the Sundance Institute One example of this is the festival’s opening conversation on Friday, Jan. 23, featuring DuVernay and Kopple, Trzebiatowska said. “That came out of the fact that Barbara’s film, ‘Harlan County, USA,’ was a film that Ava listed as one of her favorites,” she said. “Then when you think about the films these filmmakers have made over the years, there are so many similarities in terms of how they view the world and what they find interesting and what they find inspiring as well. These are two powerhouse filmmakers who have so much to contribute. So to have them in a one room to talk about what they do and what they find inspiring is what I find exciting.” Another major challenge Trzebiatowska faces are schedules. “People are very busy at the festival,” she said. “They have screenings and a million other things going on. So we find the right time for them to connect.” Over the years, however, Trzebiatowska has found a majority of the filmmakers want to participate in these discussions. “I think the audience participation part is interesting for the filmmakers because they like to hear what people are thinking,” she said. “And we also have (built) a reputation up to this point, so we don’t have trouble convincing them to participate. “ Still, Trzebiatowska did feel a little intimidated when she decided to ask Rushdie, who is the subject of Alex Gibney’s documentary, “Knife: The Attempted Jurder of Salman Rushdie,”  if he would participate in a discussion. “I have so much respect for him as an author and human being, and the same goes for filmmaker Alex Gibney,” she said. “So, I had to think that the worst that could happen was that they would say no when we asked.”  Trzebiatowska asked, and the answer was yes. “I think we have to be mindful of how much this means for (Rushdie) to do as well,” she said. “The film is specifically about the attack he suffered and the consequences, and in the film, he talks about how much it means for him to be out in the world.” On a personal note, Trzebiatowska feels Rushdie’s appearance at the Sundance Film Festival is an act of resistance. “He has never been to Sundance, and I think doing this will be very meaningful for him,” she said. “And I really think our audience at the Filmmaker Lodge is the exact audience who will appreciate this.” This idea of year’s “Power of Story,” which is centered on the idea of legacy and moderated by The New Yorker staff writer Jia Tolentino, was another organic development, especially since this is the last Sundance Film Festival that will be held in Utah after 41 years.  “First off, I find it fascinating (of) what people think of legacy and what they think shapes what they leave behind and how that changes in the process of the choices being made,” she said. “The world is in a very particular place right now, and I feel we’ve all been processing a lot of grief. So that is one way to approach legacy — how do you process what happens and what people leave behind as well.” The passing of Sundance Institute founder Robert Redford last autumn also inspired Trzebiatowska to follow the legacy theme. “This is such a beautiful way for us to pay tribute to him,” she said. In addition to filmmakers and talent, Trzebiatowska has to think about moderators for each discussion. “I always try to find moderators who are versatile but also curious,” she said. “I love curious people.” In the “Power of Story” case, Trzebiatowska has had her eye on Tolentino to moderate. “She’s such a brilliant writer and thinker, and I know she will be able to have a conversation with creatives from different fields,” she said. “You have to be able to navigate that conversation, and we have a brilliant group of people if I do say so myself.” In addition to the Cinema Cafe discussions at The Filmmaker Lodge, other discussions hosted by Sundance partners will take place throughout the festival. “It’s so interesting to see and hear what our partners are thinking about and what they are processing in what may be good for the industry,” Trzebiatowska said. “They have incredible guests, who aren’t always tied to films in the festival. And I think those perspectives are very valuable and can be beneficial to people. And a lot of times it’s about where is the industry going? What are the sales doing? And what are environments faring? So, our partner events are exactly the place where these can be happening.” The Beyond Film programming will culminate on Jan. 30 with another ticketed event, “Everyone has a Story: Four Decades of the Sundance Film Festival in Utah” at the Marquee, 427 Main St. “What we are trying to do is to have people share meaningful stories that have to do with Sundance over years and what Sundance means to them as a festival and as a place or a meeting point,” Trzebiatowska said. “While it was fun to put together, I think it will be more fun for people to witness.” For information about the 2026 Sundance Film Festival’s Beyond Film programming, visit festival.sundance.org/program/beyond-films. For information about the 2026 Sundance Film Festival’s Partner Event programming, visit festival.sundance.org/program/partner-events. The post Beyond Film programs give festival attendees a look behind filmmaking appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less