The Sundance Diaries Part II: Tania Gunadi
Read the next entry in our series with 2024 Cassian Elwes Independent Screenwriting Fellow Tania Gunadi!
Day 3
Saturday Jan 19
PROFESSIONALISM
I awoke to the enchanting sight of fresh snow outside my window. Growing up in Indonesia and living in Los Angeles, I don’t get to see much snow. What a lovely treat!
Breakfast joints were all packed with wait times stretching beyond an hour wherever we went. But Sundance knows that filmmakers like their coffee. So, they have “Coffee Lines” that are very efficient and fast. Just what Cassian, Tom, and I needed.
I should mention that wherever we went, be it meetings, breakfasts, dinners, movie premieres, or lounges, Cassian was often approached by filmmakers, producers, fans, and friends alike. He and Tom received many phone calls and texts that they had to manage and confer with each other on, around the various film projects that they oversee simultaneously. One of my favorite parts is that I was allowed to listen in on several conversations, so that I could learn the mechanics of the exchanges as it applied to whatever stage a particular project was in, be in pre-production, production, or post.
As we sipped our warm lattes and the view of the newly formed snow, we chatted about the movie industry, and how things have evolved. Cassian shared some stories about his time as an agent at William Morris, offering insights about his journey toward founding his own production company, Elevated.
We then headed off to MACRO Lounge again. As we entered the lounge, modern hip hop music was blasting and there were snacks, smoothies, and desserts everywhere. As Cassian chatted with an assistant that used to work for him, I excused myself and splurged on various breakfast and lunch items, where I befriended several filmmakers and exchanged information.
Afterwards, I asked Cassian and Tom if we could meet my theatrical agent Remy Saint Martin from NY, who was nearby, for living in Los Angeles, I had only ever spoken with Remy over the phone. Cassian and Tom kindly agreed, even though the meeting wasn’t on the day’s agenda. Very nice of them. And for me, it’s always great to have an opportunity to meet someone in person and say hello to Remy. (Check out the photo at the top of this post to meet Remy!)
That evening, while Tom went to an NYU network gathering, Cassian and I went to a meeting that I was very eager to attend, and it didn’t disappoint. It was with a prominent international sales buyer. I had so many questions about international sales and had been researching the subject over the past month. So, it was really cool to have gotten an up-close view into how international sales intersect with film festivals.
It was an entire hour of watching two professionals ask smart and thoughtful questions as they hashed out details, made decisions, and agreed on new deals around the new movies that they’d work on throughout the coming year. As the meeting ended, I promised myself that I’d later ask Cassian if I could bypass the fancy lounges this evening, for I knew that I needed to move all the info that I had just absorbed on international sales from my memory to paper, for I could feel my brain lights flashing, ”Memory Full, Memory Full!”
Afterward, we went to the premiere of Sean Wang’s DIDI by Unapologetic Projects. The movie was amazing. I cried. It reminded me of my own family.
When we got out of DIDI, it was 9pm. Cassian and Tom asked if I would like to go to another great lounge that they were invited to. I quickly told them that I must go home and take notes on the day. They laughed. So, Cassian ended up going to another movie premiere, Tom went to a filmmaker’s event, and I went back to my own cozy loft spot in the Airbnb.
Day 4
Sunday Jan 20
CHARMED
This morning, we went straight to Don Gallo. No lines today. In fact, we noticed everywhere was about half as busy. Perhaps it was either nearing the end of the first half of Sundance, or people were just sleeping in from being out late last night.
What was not nearing the end was the snow. In fact, it was snowing pretty hard this morning. Luckily, I was well prepared. Prior to arriving at Sundance, Megan Halpern from the Black List gave me some wonderful tips on what to wear, what to bring, and what to expect. And I followed her suggestions to a “T.” I wore this amazing jacket that was pretty much a blanket inside that I’d borrowed from my sister who used to live in NY. And I had some really comfortable snow boots. I’d also brought lots of hand warmers, so I was all set.
Our first meeting was back at Harvest Cafe with a couple of producers named Stephen and Adam, who were pitching several projects, including a new business model to Cassian.
After the meeting, Cassian and Tom spent some time making phone calls. I’ve noticed so far that being a producer means dozens and dozens of phone calls and texts each day, because there really is a lot that needs tending to on each project. So, I asked them how they organize six or so films a year with all the directors, cast and crew involved, and actually remember who’s doing what and on which job! Tom said that he puts everything and all his contacts in Slack, while Cassian said he puts names in his mobile phone contacts and that he just remembers everybody and what each of them does.
Cassian then went to meet an old friend, and I got to have the entire afternoon shadowing Tom. We went to No Name bar to meet his friend Sam and Ben who introduced us to their friends. I watched how Tom began to build an organic and professional relationship with new people. Unlike some of those party-networking-thingies I’d attended in the past, this was all very genuine relationship networking where everything felt direct, and yet organic.
I really enjoy learning from Tom. He is unphased by situations, he handles things in a professional manner, and he makes deals as quickly and as efficiently as Cassian. He gave me tips on how to be a successful producer and how to navigate the industry.
As we were about to leave, Tom met a few other friends, while I hung out with some locals and tourists who were visiting Park City to ski. It was fun! One couple in particular, Catherine from Virginia, and Todd from Norway came here to ski together. They told me they used to date when they were younger, and from the body language between them, I suspected they were rekindling that relationship here. Why else would one fly from Norway?
As I said goodbye to the love birds, Tom returned and we walked to another sports bar to meet Cassian and his friend. Then, that one friend grew into five friends. These were fun folks, Teddy from the Sun Valley Film Festival, Ana from Sundance, Gill from Kentucky, and Trevor and Stewart from LA.
As always, Cassian kindly introduced me to everyone, and told them about my screenplay, TEDDY. Everyone was so supportive and engaged as they chimed in about who would be the best actor to play the main character. We hung out at the sports bar for a while before it was time to go to a dinner meeting.
The dinner meeting took place at a very nice restaurant on Main street. It was with two guys named Jeff and Berry from one of the industry’s most respected distribution companies. I was sort of assuming that the meeting would be off to the races with discussing deals and details, as I listened intently. But to my surprise, Jeff and Berry were super chill and quite charming, and began the conversation asking about my time at Sundance and about my screenplay. Then they chatted with Tom about his Australian accent and his background from NYU. Then we all laughed at Cassian’s stories about some Hollywood secrets. From there the conversation seamlessly turned to discussions over an issue with a particular film project, and by the time we’d finished dinner, these co-creators had formulated a solution and a plan of attack. It was an enlightening dinner, to say the least.
Join us tomorrow for the final installment of Tania’s Sundance Diary!
