In the snowy Park City in Utah, USA, the famous Sundance Film Festival started yesterday, with thousands of film lovers, Hollywood celebrities, film industry executives and directors from all over the world present.

“A quarter of a century has passed and… Sundance discovered me” said Christopher Nolan (Christopher Nolan) – the acclaimed English director of the film “Oppenheimer” – yesterday at the opening gala of the 40th Sundance, while receiving the Pioneer Award.

“Worship, congratulations, hymns, honors, thanks are as desirable to him as tar, feathers and publicity,” said Robert Downey Jr., the film’s star, when presenting the award to Nolan.

Nolan’s speech

“Was I ever an independent filmmaker?” Nolan pointed out, answering no. “I’ve never been an independent filmmaker because I don’t think you can be one. I think painters are independent. I think poets can be independent. As filmmakers, we’re so dependent on other people,” he said.

He made a special mention of his film “Memento”. “A lot of people know that ‘Memento’ was shown at Sundance. A lot of people know that it was a success and it enabled a lot more to come for us. But a lot of people don’t know that what really happened with that movie is that we finished it and then someone, not me, had the bright idea to show it to all the independent distributors at once to try to sell the movie, with a bidding war or anything else,” Nolan said of the 2000 film starring Guy Pearce.

“No one wanted the film. A year after that, we were in a terrible limbo, never knowing if anyone was ever going to see this movie.”

“If you can bring your film here, seats will be filled and you’ll connect with the audience. Not everyone will have the same opinion as you, but you will experience that pride of ownership. If that small fire that you already had inside you and led you to the Festival, lights up, the flame grows”, he emphasized.

What happened on the first day?

At the commencement ceremony at the DeJoria Center were awarded also the actress, Kristen Stewartthe female directors Celine Song and Maite Alberdi and Pat Mitchell, journalist, producer, first female president of CNN Productions and PBS.

Stewart stars in two films debuting at the Festival this year: Rose Glass’ crime thriller Love Lives Bleeding, which opens in March, and Love Me, opposite Steven Yeun.

Yesterday, the first day of the Festival 17 films were shownincluding the Brian Eno, Lollapalooza and Frida Kahlo documentaries and ‘Girls State’, ‘Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story’ and ‘Veni Vidi Vici’.

Premiere did the movies “Freaky Tales” by Anna Bohnen and Ryan Fleck with Pedro Pascal, Jay Ellis, Ben Mendelsohn, Normani and “Thelma” directed by Josh Margolin and starring June Squibb.

“Freaky Tales” is a return to the directors’ roots, a horror-thriller-comedy anthology that pays homage to Oakland in the 80s, according to Variety.

The importance of Sundance

The largest independent film festival in the USA associated with Robert Redford and his team is held annually in Utah.

“I think Sundance is a vital part of the entertainment ecosystem and I think it’s underrated,” said producer Jason Blum. “Without Sundance, the US wouldn’t be where it is in entertainment, and there aren’t enough people making that connection,” he said.

The 40th Sundance Film Festival runs January 18-29 in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah, and online January 25-28.

During the Festival, 53 short films, 35 documentaries and 83 feature films will be screened.

The Jury and Audience Awards will be presented on January 26 at the Ray Theater in Park City.