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. While we can learn a lot about the filmmakers from the 2024 Sundance Film Festival through the art that these storytellers share with us, there's always more we can learn about them as people. This year, we decided to get to the bottom of those artistic wells with our ongoing series: Give Me the Backstory!
Carla Guti rrez's history with Sundance Institute may go back more than a decade, but the 2024 Sundance Film Festival feels extra special. I was invited to be an advisor at the Sundance Institute Documentary Edit and Story Lab twice, she recounts. I have also had the honor to have four films that I edited premiere at the Festival, and I served as a juror last year. Also on her r sum : She served as an advisor at the digital 2020 Art of Editing Lab and Fellowship and was a recipient of the Sundance Institute | Adobe Mentorship Award for Editing that same year.
So what sets this year apart? The acclaimed editor has branched out into the world of directing - and she's making her debut at the 2024 Festival with FRIDA in the U.S. Documentary Competition. Who is going to say no to a Sundance premiere?! she says. Especially having been able to see closely how the Institute fosters new voices and really lifts up filmmakers of color. For this reason, it is very special for me to premiere my directorial debut at the Sundance Film Festival.
For her directorial debut, Guti rrez chose a figure to whom she has felt connected for years: Frida Kahlo. Guti rrez's intimate portrait of Kahlo tells the iconic artist's story in her own words through diary entries, letters, essays, and more.
Below, learn about Guti rrez's first encounter with Kahlo's work, how raiding an attic revealed a treasure trove of insightful archival materials, and what kind of artistic legacy she hopes to leave through her film.
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