Day 7

Park City, Utah

First thing yesterday morning, we screened Eve & the Fire Horse for a bunch of high-school kids. It was in Kamas, a town about 40 minutes outside of Park City. It was in a Cineplex-type theatre where they show art films. The whole experience reminded me of when I was at a festival near Paris, and they shipped in busloads of students from a high school. It was a women’s festival, and you had these young boys talking about these obscure experimental films. I thought, “This is so great.” So what we did yesterday was a lot like that. This program is meant to introduce students to independent film and help them develop an appreciation for it. This is the third year they’ve done it, so I think it’s been quite successful. The kids asked such intelligent questions, like “What was the message of the film? Was it a personal film?” Some also asked for advice on how to break into filmmaking. They all were so charmed by Phoebe, who was there with me. Though she was a little annoyed when the students kept addressing her as “little girl.”

In the afternoon, I took part in a panel on Asian cinema. There were five of us: Michelle Yeoh, Yunjin Kim (the Korean actress from the TV series Lost), a sales agent who specializes in Asian films (Fortissimo Films), and Fran Rubel Kuzui, the director of the film, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The panel was about making films from a distinctly Asian perspective in both North America and Asia. I thought it was great that they would even have a panel on this topic. There was talk about the under-representation of Asians in North America and how North American Asian films play in Asia. Michelle Yeoh seemed a little discouraged by her lack of roles; she’s disappointed that not more Asians are integrated into films. She doesn’t want to have to play the stereotypical, token Asian roles. It was a really interesting, lively discussion.

From the Sundance panel: Michael Yeow (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), Shan Tam , Julia Kwan, Yunjin Kim (from Lost), Fran Rubel Kuzui (director of film, Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Afterwards, I had an interview with the New York Times. The NYT journalist noticed that there were 12 films by women in competition this year, and he spoke to all 12 of us for his story, which is fantastic. It’s nice to be included, and to talk about this topic, which I feel very passionate about.

In the evening, we had the Competition Dinner with all the filmmakers in competition at this year’s festival. That was a nice, low-key event. I’m so impressed with the programmers of the competition. They make every filmmaker feel welcome and special. I can’t say enough nice things about these programmers — they’re just exceptional. I’m not trying to suck up to them. It’s just that I’ve had other experiences where it was exactly the opposite.

Afterwards, I was invited to a CAA (Creative Artists Agency) dinner to meet all the managers and agents. CAA seems very enthusiastic about Eve & the Fire Horse and very interested in my career. The dinner was held at a really nice restaurant; they had a private room in the back. I was supposed to be talking to all these managers and agents, but I actually ended up talking to Josef Fares, a Swedish director, the whole time. His film, Zozo, has been chosen as the official Swedish entry for a nomination in the best foreign film category at the Oscars this year.

Halfway through the dinner, I heard this banging, like someone was drumming on a table. I turned around and it was Tommy Lee from Mötley Crüe, sitting at a table nearby. CAA represents a lot of people, and he just happened to be at the dinner. Maggie Gyllenhaal was present as well. (I didn’t talk to them, though.)

All of my major Sundance commitments have happened now, so I hope things slow down a bit for the rest of the festival. I’m just going to try to watch as many films as I can. I’ve been hooked up to go to some parties as well. And I’m still trying to score some swag — this year, it’s just been so elusive!

All in all, I couldn’t have asked for a better Sundance experience. I was asking one of my publicists if this is typical. He said, “This is rare, what’s happening to you.”