Sundance 411: Must-See Films and Hottest Events at Sundance
Acura and Sundance have partnered for eight years now, bringing the latest films and events to Park City, Utah. Alyssa Julya Smith sits down with Charlie Sextro, Senior Programmer from Sundance Film Festival to talk about some of the must-see films on the docket, as well as some of the biggest events.
Acura is also hosting a dedicated space called the "Sundance Village Presented by Acura," right in the heart of the festival.
It's open to the public, and people can warm up and experience the Acura AR experience. Sextro also talks about some of the events happening during the festival, including Acura's "After Hours," where people can watch free shows and concerts.
Sextro, who is part of the selection team for the films that are entered into the festival, reveals some of the latest and greatest films premiering at the festival. He says there were a few films that could be career-defining for some young actresses, making comparisons to Jennifer Lawrence in "Winter's Bone," which also premiered at the film festival.
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An episode of "The Simpsons" alluding to the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre was removed from Disney+ in Hong Kong. It is unclear whether Disney or Hong Kong initiated the removal, but the change comes amid mainland China's crackdown on tech companies and entertainment.
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According to the National Center for Transgender Equality, Hollywood has been falling short on financial support for transgender-specific organizations despite some improvements in on-screen representation. Actor and producer Scott Turner Schofield, the founder of the consultancy Speaking of Transgender, joined Cheddar to note that rather than focusing on the dearth of donor dollars itself, fixing media representation helps fund those service groups, even if the money isn't yet flowing. "If you ask people, 'are trans people more visible in media,' everybody is going to say yes because it's very clear, but are there commercials for those direct service organizations? No. That's something you'll get from social media — maybe — if you're following people," Schofield said.
Thanksgiving fueled a lucrative weekend at the box office, even during a pandemic. Over the five-day holiday weekend, moviegoers in the U.S. and Canada spent around $142 million on tickets. Sean O'Connell, Managing Director at CinemaBlend, joins Cheddar News to discuss what the numbers mean for the industry.
Guilty verdicts have been handed down to the three men charged with killing 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery on multiple murder counts, as well as other charges. The verdict was delivered last Wednesday by a mostly white jury after more than 11 hours of deliberation spanning two days. It followed eight days of testimony. Jason Nichols, senior lecturer in the African American Studies Department at the University of Maryland, joins Cheddar News to discuss what's next.
