
Picturehouse Central, 9 July 2023 - Sundance Institute and Picturehouse announced tonight that the 2023 Sundance Film Festival: London's Audience Award is presented to Past Lives written and directed by Celine Song. The film is produced by David Hinojosa, Pamela Koffler and Christine Vachon, and stars Greta Lee, Teo Yoo and John Magaro. StudioCanal will release the film in UK cinemas from 8 September.
Past Lives follows Nora and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood friends, who are wrested apart after Nora's family emigrates from South Korea. Two decades later, they are reunited in New York for one fateful week as they confront notions of destiny, love, and the choices that make a life, in this heartrending modern romance.
Past Lives had its UK premiere at the 10th edition of Sundance Film Festival: London following its World Premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah in January. Festival-goers voted in the thousands for their favourite films across the four-day event at Picturehouse Central for this Audience Award.
The Sundance Film Festival: London ran from 6 to 9 July 2023 at Picturehouse Central, presenting a selection of feature films and documentaries from the 2023 Sundance Film Festival held in Utah, specially curated for London by the Sundance Institute programming team in collaboration with Picturehouse.
Numerous filmmakers and actors attended the festival to introduce their films and participate in audience Q&As, including Charlotte Regan, Harris Dickinson and Lola Campbell for the UK premiere of Scrapper; Ira Sachs and Ben Whishaw for French romance drama Passages; Andrew Durham and Emilia Jones for coming-of-age drama Fairyland; directors Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou for their horror-thriller Talk To Me; L o Mehiel, star of Mutt; director Celine Song of Past Lives and pioneer of queer cinema, Gregg Araki, with three retrospective films showcased:The Doom Generation, Three Bewildered People In The Night and Mysterious Skin.
Documentary makers in attendance included Anton Corbijn with Squaring the Circle (The story of Hipgnosis); Alejandra Vasquez and Sam Osborn with their emotionally vibrant documentary Going Varsity in Mariachi; Maximilien Van Aetryck and Axel Danielson with their engrossing Fantastic Machine and Bethann Hardison and Fr d ric Tcheng with their documentary Invisible Beauty which looks back at the incredible impact Hardison has had over the last five decades as an activist, model and muse. The festival closed on 9 July with the UK premiere screening of You Hurt My Feelings from acclaimed filmmaker Nicole Holofcener, starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Tobias Menzies.
The festival's second dedicated Industry Programme successfully ran alongside the festival's public screenings and events. During four days of industry-focused talks and events, this robust strand welcomed hundreds of members of the UK film industry to build their personal networks, understand industry trends, discover new work and share their own unique storytelling passions with other independent filmmakers. Each industry passholder had exclusive access to a host of industry-only events during the festival, including intimate roundtable meetings, keynotes, masterclasses, themed panel discussions and daily networking drinks.
The festival was thrilled to host U.S. producer Anthony Bregman, who premiered three features at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah in January, to deliver the in-person industry keynote talk. Other top-level industry speakers included Sundance Institute CEO Joana Vicente, Sundance Film Festival Director Eugene Hernandez, and Sundance Director of Programming Kim Yutani; top UK funders and commissioners including Mia Bays (BFI Film Fund); Alice Whittemore (Film4), Eva Yates (BBC Film) and Andrew Orr (Sky Cinema); directors Prano Bailey Bond and Alice Lowe; screenwriter Tony Grisoni; script consultant Kate Leys; producers Carlo Cresto-Dina, Matt Wilkinson, Faye Ward, Emily Morgan, Sarah Brocklehurst and Farah Abushwesha plus many more.
Sundance Film Festival: London 2023 is supported by: Headline Partner - Audible. Lead Partner - United Airlines. Supporting Partners - Adobe and State of Utah. Event Partner Mubi. Drinks Partner - TRIP CBD. Media Partner - Screen International. Hotel Partner - The May Fair Hotel.
The Sundance Film Festival: London industry programme is presented by United Airlines. Additional partners include: Adobe, Audible, BBC Film, BFI Network, BIFA, Dark Matter, Doc Society, Film4, Lee & Thompson, Netflix, Nowness, Screen International and ScreenSkills.
All Sundance Film Festival: London press enquiries
Festival Press Office
sundance.london@premiercomms.com
Elizabeth Taylor
elizabeth.taylor@premiercomms.com
Emma Hall
emma.hall@premiercomms.com
Poppy Alexander
poppy.alexander@premiercomms.com
Film images for press: Available on Dropbox
All photos are copyrighted and may be used by press only for the purpose of one-time reproduction and only when including proper image credits and/or Courtesy of Sundance Film Festival:London.' Unauthorized use, alteration or reproduction of logos and photos is strictly prohibited.
About Sundance Institute
As a champion and curator of independent stories, the nonprofit Sundance Institute provides and preserves the space for artists across storytelling media to create and thrive. Founded in 1981 by Robert Redford, the Institute's signature Labs, granting, and mentorship programs, dedicated to developing new work, take place throughout the year in the U.S. and internationally. Sundance Collab, a digital community platform, brings a global cohort of working artists together to learn from each other and Sundance Advisors and connect in a creative space, developing and sharing works in progress. The Sundance Film Festival and other public programs connect a
More from Sundance Institute
08/05/2025
A sinister fairy infiltrates a desperate family in Kenneth Dagatan's In My Mother's Skin, which premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Photo co...
05/05/2025
Shari Sebbens attends the 2024 Sundance Film Festival The Moogai premiere at The Ray Theatre in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Donayle West/Shutterstock for Sunda...
02/05/2025
The 85th annual Peabody Awards were a special moment for Sundance Institute-supp...
02/05/2025
The 46th annual News & Documentary Emmys are just around the corner, and this ye...
01/05/2025
Paul Reubens appears in Pee-wee as Himself, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Michael Ochs A...
30/04/2025
Film elements held at the Deluxe warehouse in March of 2015. Photo by Luis Silva...
29/04/2025
(L-R) Tim Rarus, Bridgetta Bourne, Nyle DiMarco, Jerry Covell, Greg Hlibok, and Davis Guggenheim attend the premiere of Deaf President Now! at Eccles Theatre ...
25/04/2025
Emily Watson, Isaiah Saxon, Helena Zengel, and Finn Wolfhard at The Legend of Ochi premiere (photo by Soul Brother/Shutterstock for Sundance Film Festival)...
24/04/2025
We're huge fans of shining a spotlight on the documentaries that empower, en...
22/04/2025
Chloe Sevigny at the Magic Farm premiere (photo by Michael Hurcomb/Shutterstock for Sundance Film Festival)...
21/04/2025
By Lucy Spicer
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival is having a front-row seat for the bright future of independent filmmaking. Whi...
18/04/2025
Director Andrew Ahn, alongside actors Youn Yuh-jung and Joan Chen, takes a photo of the audience after the premiere of his film The Wedding Banquet at Eccles ...
17/04/2025
Emilie Blichfeldt attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of The Ugly ...
16/04/2025
It's an understatement to say that the Peabody Awards are major. The winners...
14/04/2025
By Bailey Pennick
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festi...
11/04/2025
(L-R) Kevin Macdonald and Sam Rice-Edwards attend the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of One to One: John & Yoko at The Ray Theatre on January 23, 2025, ...
09/04/2025
The cast and crew of The Librarians attend the film's 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere at The Ray Theatre. (Photo by Robin Marshall/Shutterstock for S...
09/04/2025
By Jandiz Estrada Cardoso
I am overjoyed to share the eight screenwriting fellows selected to participate in Sundance Institute's 2025 Episodic Intensive. ...
09/04/2025
A still from Captains of Zaatari by Ali El Arabi, an official selection of the World Cinema Documentary Competition at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. Courte...
07/04/2025
By Bailey Pennick
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festi...
03/04/2025
(L-R) Ji-young Yoo, Pedro Pascal, and Jay Ellis at the Freaky Tales premiere. (Photo by George Pimentel/Shutterstock for Sundance Film Festival)
By Stephanie...
02/04/2025
Pedro Pascal appears in Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's Freaky Tales, which pr...
27/03/2025
Boulders Vibrant Community of Artists, Enthusiastic Audiences, and Breathtaking ...
26/03/2025
Director Gina Prince-Bythewood reviews the script for her beloved film Love and Basketball, which she workshopped at the 1998 Directors Lab before it premiere...
24/03/2025
Residency Honoring the Legacy of Social Justice Leader Michael Latt Selects Eigh...
21/03/2025
PARK CITY, UTAH - JANUARY 23: (L-R) Jos Esteban Alenda, Maximiliano Rivas, Glorimar Marrero S nchez, Isel Rodr guez, Pedro Juan Lopez, and Amaya Izquierdo atte...
19/03/2025
PARK CITY, UTAH - JANUARY 20: (L-R) Shoko Egawa, Chiaki Yanagimoto, Ben Braun, and Andrew Marshall attend the 2023 Sundance Film Festival AUM: The Cult at the ...
14/03/2025
By Lucy Spicer
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival...
13/03/2025
(L-R) Stephanie Suganami, Tatanka Means, John Malkovich, Ayo Edebiri, and Juliette Lewis attend the premiere of Opus at Eccles Theatre in Park City. (Photo by...
11/03/2025
By Lucy Spicer
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival...
06/03/2025
The Building Bridges Completion Fund reaffirms a commitment to showcasing
and c...
05/03/2025
By Stephanie Ornelas
(L-R) Kenner Bolt, Brendon Boyea, Hiep Tran Nghia, Sing J. Lee, Andy Sorgie and Dustin Nguyen attend the 2023 Sundance Film Festival The...
03/03/2025
The 2025 Academy Awards were a shining moment for Sundance-supported films, underscoring the Festival's role as a launchpad for powerful storytelling and gr...
27/02/2025
Director Rashad Frett and actor Stephan James share a hug on stage following the premiere of Ricky. Photo by Jason Peters
By the Archives team
Though the 20...
26/02/2025
Glenn Close, Michelle Satter, and Marielle Heller at The Sundance Film Festival ...
26/02/2025
Created in 2003 to recognize an outstanding feature film addressing ideas or characters central to science and technology, this juried prize is awarded through ...
26/02/2025
The Gayle Stevens Volunteer Award is given annually to a volunteer who has demonstrated a long-standing passion for and commitment to the work of the Sundance I...
26/02/2025
And just like that, it's awards day! We're here at The Ray Theatre in Park City, Utah, for the much-anticipated 2025 Sundance Film Festival Awards Cerem...
26/02/2025
It's only been a few days since the 2025 Sundance Film Festival finished up,...
23/02/2025
Today, the 2025 Film Independent Spirit Awards filmmakers took over Santa Monica...
13/02/2025
By Jessica Herndon
While we're still riding high over our incredible 2025 ...
13/02/2025
12 Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Filmmakers Selected for...
12/02/2025
Sly Stone appears in SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius) by Ahmir Que...
12/02/2025
By Jessica Herndon
As awards season heats up, a handful of celebrated filmmakers and artists are grabbing our attention, and many of them have shared their ex...
02/02/2025
2026 Edition of Sundance Film Festival to Take Place in Park City and Salt Lake ...
30/01/2025
Steven Yeun and Kristen Stewart at the Love Me premiere (photo by George Pimentl...
29/01/2025
PARK CITY, UTAH, January 28, 2025 - Tonight the nonprofit Sundance Institute awarded the prizes for the 2025 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Program at the Sh...
23/01/2025
PARK CITY, UTAH - JANUARY 19: Steven Soderbergh at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival Presence premiere at the Library Center Theatre on January 19, 2024, in Par...
23/01/2025
The 2025 Sundance Film Festival is kicking off and the Oscar nominations have dr...
18/01/2025
10 Projects to Be Developed at Annual January Screenwriters Lab;
10 Projects t...