Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Kevin Macdonald, the Filmmaker Behind One to One: John & Yoko

By Bailey Pennick

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 2025 Sundance Film Festival through the art that these storytellers share with us, there's always more we can learn about them as people. We decided to get to the bottom of those artistic wells with our ongoing series: Give Me the Backstory!

John Lennon is one of the most recognizable figures in the world. His history is incredibly well documented, especially when it comes to his life as a Beatle. Documentarian Kevin Macdonald is acutely aware of this fact and decided to approach his film One to One: John & Yoko from a different angle. I had been, and continue to be, a big Lennon fan, he explains. And so - although I was scared by the question of what is there new to say about John Lennon at this late period - I thought I would love to find a way to make a film that was different about this period in his life and American history.

The result is a film that puts you right into the couple's Greenwich Village apartment, learning about the iconic pair through their rapid-fire channel flipping and recorded phone calls. It's a unique experience that has audiences engage with Ono and Lennon as individuals as opposed to musical figures. Macdonald hopes that One to One, which premiered at 2024 Venice Film Festival, reaches those who want to know more about the duo, however the director is quick to qualify that: But not necessarily superfans of John Lennon's music.

Here Macdonald discusses his favorite moments making One to One, who inspires him, and the film from this year that he wishes he made.

LINK:	https://www.sundance.org/blogs/give-me-the-backstory-get-to-know-kevin...
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