By Tammy Reese
I had the incredible opportunity to cover the 40th edition of the Sundance Film Festival, and it was an absolute blast. From capturing the excitement on the red carpets to immersing myself in the world of independent cinema, every moment was filled with energy and anticipation.
Let me take you on a recap of some of the unforgettable film premieres I had the privilege to cover. The red carpets were a spectacle in themselves, as A-list celebrities and emerging talents and filmmakers graced them with their presence. It was a surreal experience witnessing their arrivals and hearing their insights about their latest projects.
Tammy Reese at Sundance 2024
Additionally, attending Variety, Audible, Acura, ASCAP, MACRO, Chase Sapphire, Impact Lounge, Adobe, Shutterstock, and The Cabin events, panels, and activations allowed me to immerse myself in a diverse range of networking, learning and impactful experiences. The atmosphere through the festival was electric, and shockingly Park City, Utah was not as cold as the previous year!
Overall, covering the 40th edition of the Sundance Film Festival was an exhilarating experience that allowed me to witness firsthand the power of independent cinema. It was a truly unforgettable journey that I am grateful to have been a part of.
In no particular order, here are some of the highlights:
Love Me Red Carpet Premiere
Long after humanity’s extinction, a buoy and a satellite meet online and fall in love.
Love Me’s whimsically philosophical, shape-shifting structure ingeniously weaves together the real, the virtual, and the surreal. Its star-crossed, web-paired metallic protagonists — inhabited in different forms by Kristen Stewart and Steven Yeun — awkwardly navigate romance and companionship, equipped only with untold petabytes of archived web data, social media, and online videos. Awash in these mediated experiences and fabricated expressions of love and identity, they yearn to understand who they are, whether their feelings are real, and for that matter, whether they are real.
My interview with cast member Emmy and Golden Globe Winner Steven Yeun
My interview with Producer, Oscar Nominee and NYWIFT Member Shivani Rawat
The American Society of Magical Negroes Red Carpet Premiere
A young man, Aren, is recruited into a secret society of magical Black people who dedicate their lives to a cause of utmost importance: making white people’s lives easier. The American Society of Magical Negroes is a must-see satire about what it means for Black people to protect and care for ourselves and each other.
My interview with cast member David Alan Grier
As We Speak Red Carpet Premiere
Bronx rap artist Kemba explores the growing weaponization of rap lyrics in the United States criminal justice system and abroad — revealing how law enforcement has quietly used artistic creation as evidence in criminal cases for decades.
My interview with EP and NYWIFT Member Amanda Culkowski
Exhibiting Forgiveness Red Carpet Premiere
Utilizing his paintings to find freedom from his past, a Black artist on the path to success is derailed by an unexpected visit from his estranged father, a recovering addict desperate to reconcile. Together, they learn that forgetting might be a greater challenge than forgiving.
Cast Member Grammy Award, Emmy Award, and Golden Globe Award Winner Andra Day shouts out NYWIFT!
My interview with cast member Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor
Presence Red Carpet Premiere
A family moves into a suburban house and becomes convinced they’re not alone.
Working from a taut, mysterious script by David Koepp and featuring an exciting cast of known actors and newcomers, Presence is a thrilling cinematic ride that reifies Steven Soderbergh’s status as an icon of American independent film.
Cast member and NYWIFT Muse Honoree Lucy Liu shouts out NYWIFT!
At Sundance you just never know who you may run into and meet. It was super awesome to meet Colman Domingo, Lionel Richie, DJ Spinderella, SWV and more! Enjoy the photos including my first solo Getty Image which was taken at “Variety X Audible “Cocktails and Conversations” panel at The Audible Listening Lodge. The conversation featured Chiwetel Ejiofor, Giancarlo Esposito, Susanna Fogel, Alok Vaid-Menon and Audible’s Kate Nevin, and explored the importance of creative freedom in storytelling, across different mediums of entertainment.
Be sure to follow me on Instagram @tammyreesemedia for more Sundance fun and highlights!
Here are some of my favorite photos from the festival:
Tammy Reese with Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor
Tammy Reese with Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor and LaKisa Renee
LaKisa Renee, Shivani Rawat, Tammy Reese
LaKisa Renee, Lucy Liu, Tammy Reese
Tammy Reese & LaKisa Renee with R&B Supergroup SWV
LaKisa Renee, Lionel Richie, Tammy Reese
LaKisa Renee, Oscar Nominated Actor Colman Domingo , Tammy Reese
Tammy Reese
Tammy Reese is CEO of Visionary Minds PR & Media, and a New York award winning Actress, Writer, and Journalist.
Related Posts
Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Ida Elina
Welcome, Ida Edina, to NYWIFT! Ida is a multi-hyphenate singer-songwriter, composer, and filmmaker who started playing the Finnish harp at 13. She brands herself as a modern pop kantele queen from the nordics. Ida truly is an ethnomusicologist obsessed with the ancient Kalevala poems of her homeland. Her work currently has over three million views on her YouTube channel. Ida's award-winning short film, Under the Northern Skies, is a journey through her 13-song album that combines original music with an audiovisual concert experience. It premiered in Finland in February 2025. Read on to learn more about Ida's art and her dreams for the year ahead.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Kelli Reilly
Welcome to NYWIFT, Kelli Reilly! Kelli Reilly is a producer, director, and writer working across narrative film and documentary, based between New York and Los Angeles, and the founder of Quartermaster Creative. She studied film and television at NYU Tisch with a focus in experimental cinema and got her start working on acclaimed documentaries, including Larger Than Life: The Kevyn Aucoin Story, The Vow, and Student Athlete. Her recent producing work includes I Got You, SLICK, and The Daughter, and she is currently in post-production on the feature documentary Viva La Dita. She is also in production on the period feature The Florist and is a writer and contributor to the New York Times–recommended podcast Look Behind the Look. In our interview, Kelli discussed how she shaped her artistry, her inspirations, and her upcoming work.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Kasey O’Brien
Welcome to NYWIFT, Kasey O’Brien! Kasey O’Brien (she/they) is a queer-identifying filmmaker based in Queens, working across both fictional narratives and documentaries. While she has dabbled in various positions in film production (including acting, writing, camera operation, and post-production), she is most at home directing and producing. Kasey was integral to the launch of NYU Tisch’s Master‘s in Virtual Production at the Martin Scorsese Virtual Production Center, whose inaugural cohort graduated in May 2025. She serves on the board of directors of PANO Network and is a founding member of The Garret Theatre Company. MFA from The New School. In our interview, Kasey discussed her journey to working in independent film production.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Carmen Matias
Welcome to NYWIFT, Carmen Matias! A graduate of Hunter College in the 1970s, producer Carmen earned a degree in Broadcast with a minor in Theatre. Television was both an escape and a source of fantasy throughout her early life, ultimately guiding her toward a career in the medium, which she came to see as the best possible profession for her creative ambitions. In our interview, Carmen discussed her experience producing and shared her advice for young creatives.
READ MORE
Comments are closed