Daniel Dae Kim’s 3AD, Gold House, and The Asian American (TAAF), under the umbrella of the Sunrise Collective, has announced its slate of major programming in the second year of the Sunrise House, a home for the pan-Asian, Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community. Returning to the private, invite-only venue at Riverhorse on Main Street, Sunrise Collective will be hosting three days of interactive panels, firesides, and celebration during the festival’s opening weekend, January 19 to 21, 2024.
The Sunrise Collective will bring together notable and emerging multicultural talent, filmmakers, and executives in conversation around the power of creatives to bring authentic stories to life, the importance of celebrating perspectives to overcome stereotypes and misconceptions, and the state of representation in front of and behind the camera.
“My partners and I are truly excited to build on the success of last year’s Sunrise Collective and spotlight even more of Sundance’s AANHPI participants,” said Daniel Dae Kim, CEO of 3AD.
Notable programming includes a conversation between Kim and Lucy Liu, a fireside chat with Steven Yeun, a one-on-one with 2024 Sundance jurors Mira Nair and Shaunak Sen, a sneak preview of Chrissy & Dave Dine Out and intimate dinner with Chrissy Teigen, David Chang, and Joel Kim Booster, and the second annual Multicultural Dinner co-hosted with Illuminative, Latinx House, and MACRO.
“Our programming has been carefully curated to introduce innovative ideas and encourage thoughtful discussion, as well as celebrate the increasingly multicultural community convening for this year’s festival,” Kim said. “I’m grateful to Gold House, TAAF and 3AD for once again joining forces to honor our past, applaud our present, and invest in our future.”
Friday kicks off with a Tribute to Michael Latt, CEO of Lead With Love and social justice advocate and concludes with the Multicultural Dinner alongist partners Pop Culture Collaborative and Onyx Collective to bring the creative community and multicultural organizers together over a shared meal, featuring a reimagination of Indian fare prepared by Maneesh Goyal’s award-winning restaurant, SONA.
“Sunrise House was created to provide a safe haven for Asian Pacific artists to take space at Sundance, connect and grow with one another, and vitaly link with other communities. Now, more than ever, shared stories are a gateway to shared opportunities,” says Bing Chen, CEO & Co-founder of Gold House.
Following Saturday night’s intimate dinner with Chrissy Teigen, David Chang, and Joel Kim Booster will be the inaugural “Snowed In at Sunrise” party presented by Starz.
“In addition to funding and supporting Sean Wang’s Didi and Arun Bhattarai and Dorottya Zurbó‘s Agent of Happiness, we’re honored to further cross-cultural bonds through Sundance’s first multicultural film fund, the Sundance | One House Filmmakers Fund with East West Bank Foundation and so many of our peer organizations like the NAACP, GLAAD, RespectAbility, and Latinx House,” Chen said.
Programming at Sunrise Collective will include:
- Directing Asian, Asian American and Arab Narratives Presented by MacArthur Foundation: Kathy Im (Director of Journalism and Media, MacArthur Foundation) explores the finer points of filmmaking and evolution of Asian, Asian American and Arab narratives with Sundance debut directors Amrou Al-Kadhi (Layla), Arun Bhattarai (Agent of Happiness), Greg Jardin (It’s What’s Inside), Shuchi Talati (Girls will be Girls) and Sean Wang (Didi).
“The Asian American Foundation is thrilled to welcome the Sundance community back to the Sunrise Collective,” said Norman Chen, CEO of The Asian American Foundation. “By creating spaces that cultivate AANHPI artists, we are building strong conduits for our stories to not only be told, but celebrated. This year we are grateful to work with our special advisors, award-winning filmmakers and Sundance alumni Tanya Selvaratnam and Shruti Ganguly, to develop programming that elevates our collective and diverse voices.
- Multicultural Producers Roundtable Presented by Google TV: Hear from powerhouse producers responsible for some of the most successful and impactful films and television shows featuring creatives of color, including Amy Aniobi (Executive Producer, Insecure; Showrunner, 2 Dope Queens); Nina Yang Bongiovi (Co-Founder, Significant Productions & General Partner, AUM Group); Khaula Malik (Producer, Girls State); and Bird Runningwater (Producer, Fancy Dance), about how they choose the projects they support, when they decide to push the envelope, and how they approach narratives and hiring with an eye toward equity and representation. The panel is moderated by Dami Akinmeji (Media & Entertainment Content Partnerships, Google).
“Additionally, we are proud to continue our commitment to the Sundance | TAAF Fellowship & Collab Scholarship, through a grant provided by our AAPI Giving Challenge partner Panda Express, as well as The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. By supporting a new cohort of 12 AANHPI artists to bring their stories to life, we ensure that more incredible narratives like that of our inaugural fellow Sean Wang (Didi, Dramatic Competition) will be featured at the festival for years to come.”
- The 20th Asian Pacific Filmmakers Experience at Park City: Closing the Sunrise Collective, join the 20th edition of the Asian Pacific Film makers Experience with a fireside with actor and filmmaker Sung Kang and veteran film publicist and Peabody Award Winner David Magdael, to discuss that groundbreaking premiere of the Asian American Film Better Luck Tomorrow and its overarching influence on the trajectory of the current AAPI filmmaking movement. Milton Liu, APFE leader and Executive Director of the Asian American Media Alliance, will moderate.
The fireside will be followed by a panel moderated by acclaimed producer Nina Yang Bongiovi, will feature veteran and emerging AAPI filmmakers Tony Bui (Director, Three Seasons), Ramona Diaz (Director, And So It Begins), and Luciane Buchanan (Screenwriter/Actor, Lea Tupu’anga/Mother Tongue).
Stay tuned for updates from Sundance Film Festival and Sunrise Collective by Dorkaholics in collaboration with Cold Tea Collective!
