Insider's Diary: Sundance Film Festival Day Two: Filmmakers, Community, and a Full-Circle Night

It’s 12:11 a.m. on Monday, January 26, and I’m wrapping up Day two at the Sundance Film Festival, a day that felt less about rushing between screenings and more about conversations, community, and showing up for filmmakers.

The day started with the Producers Celebration, at The Park. I met filmmakers and producers from all over, including Siera, who traveled from Indonesia with a project called Levitating, and Ted and Bunny, who are here with The AI Doc (seeing later this week). There were plenty of familiar faces, hugs, and quick catch-ups throughout the event, all reinforcing how small (and generous) this community can feel.

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Check Out Bailey's Sundance Film Festival Day One Recap

One standout moment: running into Kim Parker, a producer on Ha-Chan. The second I mentioned APM Music, her face lit up. She was incredibly appreciative of our support on the project and gushed about APM with other filmmakers around us. Point for APM!

APM was also acknowledged onstage alongside other industry partners, a small but affirming moment at what was clearly the event for filmmakers at the festival.

Later in the day, I attended the Dolby Creator Lab panel, which focused on sound and storytelling, especially relevant given our work on Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty with music supervisor, Dina Juntila. Hearing filmmakers talk through their creative process around sound design and music reinforced how critical these elements are to shaping emotional impact. I had a brief but meaningful exchange with the director, Josef Kubota Wladyka, afterward, who spoke candidly about navigating music libraries and expressed appreciation for the collaboration.

The night ended with a late screening of Big Girls Don’t Cry in the World Cinema Competition, a coming-of-age story centered on identity, friendship, and self-discovery. I attended to support music supervisor and APM client, Amine Ramer, and it was a powerful, intimate way to close out the day. Even better, I’d run into her earlier that morning by chance at a coffee shop, one of those full-circle Sundance moments that feels uniquely festival-specific.

Somewhere in between panels, screenings, and conversations, I also found myself eating a solo Cobb salad at a restaurant across from the Megaplex…four seats away from Ethan Hawke. Only at Sundance.

Two days in, the throughline is clear: Sundance is about relationships as much as it is about films. And Day two was a strong reminder of why being here—listening, supporting, and connecting—matters. More tomorrow.