Inside Sundance X Chicago's first-of-its-kind opening night

The opening night for Sundance X Chicago was Friday, June 28. Sadly, Robert Redford wasn’t there but it was still an exciting experience for Chicago, which is the first city in the U.S. to host an independent film weekend in partnership with the Sundance Institute outside of Utah. 

The Study in Hyde Park was the venue of choice for the opening reception which was packed with film lovers and supporters. Tickets for the weekend events, which included four films, panel discussions, community events and more, was a near sell-out.

Sundance X Chicago was a partnership between the Sundance Institute, Choose Chicago and the city of Chicago led by DCASE. Even the Mayor, who was celebrating his anniversary on this night, was on hand to congratulate the collaboration. He said, “Chicago has a rich film-making heritage which is thriving producing hit shows and movies like ‘Coolie High,’ ‘The Bear' and ‘Widows.' We host about 50 festivals a year so, as much as we’re excited about this major event, I want to be clear this doesn’t change our focus on neighborhoods and providing real opportunities for independent filmmakers.”

Other speakers included Rich Gamble (Interim CEO of Choose Chicago), Clinée Hedspeth (President/CEO DCASE), Jonah Zeigler (Deputy Commissioner of Chicago Film Office, Eugene Hernandez (Director of Sundance Film Festival and Public Programming) and others.

Zeigler shared that the Institute watched about 17,000 movies to make their selection for the Chicago festival. Four films were chosen, with the opening night film being “Luther: Never Too Much,” about the life and legacy of singer, songwriter Luther Vandross (directed by Dawn Porter).

Trolleys transported guests from the reception at The Study to the Logan Center for the Arts where the film was shown. It is nearly 2 hours long, but you never take your eyes off the screen. It includes never-before-seen archival video footage that shows the scope of Vandross’ genius. He had a passion for singing since he was small, and the film reveals his father was a wonderful singer as well. There are wonderful moments of triumph, the lowest of lows and a touch of sadness to this film. I came away with a profound appreciation for this man who was, not only a legendary singer, but an incredible human being. It is a must-see. (The film will premiere in 2025 on CNN, OWN and Max.)

A portion of the box office proceeds will be donated to the Chicago Alliance of Film Festivals (CAFF) to support their members’ festivals and important contribution to championing creative independence in Chicago. 

Following the film, there was a panel discussion that included Ava Cherry (who sang with both Luther and David Bowie), Porter, Ziegler, Hernandez and others.

It was a packed event that I think bodes well for Chicago. The other films that debuted were near sell-outs as well and, even though Chicago pulled out of the bidding to host the big Sundance Film Festival here in 2027 (due to too much going on in the city right now), I do feel the synergy is there for more fun to come.