'Art in a Time of Crisis': America Ferrera, St. Vincent, Jessica Williams and Sundance filmmakers on why they make movies now

Sundance filmmakers respond to the question, “What is the purpose of art in a time of crisis?”

By Mark OlsenStaff Writer

Feb. 3, 2017 3:25 PM PT

People often like to refer to the “Sundance bubble” as a dismissive way to wave off whatever happens in Park City, Utah, during the annual film festival. But this year it seemed as if people in Park City were actively pressing themselves up against that bubble, puncturing any insularity by remaining well aware of the inauguration, the international women’s marches and all of the news that was happening outside the confines of the festival.

I concluded a series of video interviews with filmmakers who were passing through our L.A. Times Photo Studio with the question, “What is the purpose of art in a time of crisis?”

I’m not really sure what I expected to hear back, but I was immediately struck by the depth, thoughtfulness and variety of the responses to the question. This was seemingly something the artists had already all been asking themselves.

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Actor Peter Dinklage of the film “Rememory.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actress Shirley MacLaine, director Mark Pellington and actress Ann’Jewel Lee Dixon of the film “The Last Word.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actor Harris Dickinson of the film “Beach Rats.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actress Anne Heche of the film “The Last Word.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actress Adriyan Rae of the film “Burning Sands.”

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Actress Shiri Appelby of the film “Lemon.”

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Actor Brett Gelman of the film “Lemon.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Director Janicza Bravo of the film “Lemon.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Director Adam Bhala Lough, seated, and subject Cody Wilson of the film “The New Radical.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actress Isabella Amara of the film “Wilson.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Andrew Dosunmu, director of the film “Where Is Kyra?”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actor John Lithgow of the film “Beatriz at Dinner.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actor Josh O’Connor of the film “God’s Own Country.”

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Actress Connie Britton of the film “Beatriz at Dinner.”

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Actress Michelle Monaghan of the film “Sidney Hall.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actress Judy Greer of the film “Wilson.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actress Elle Fanning of the film “Sidney Hall.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actor Jay Duplass of the film “Landline.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actress Salma Hayek of the film “Beatriz at Dinner.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Trixie Garcia of the documentary film “Long Strange Trip.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actor Logan Lerman of the film “Sidney Hall.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actress Isabella Amara of the film “Wilson.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actress Chloe Sevigny of the film “Golden Exits.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Surfer Laird Hamilton, subject of the documentary film “Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton.” (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actor Jeremy Renner of the film “Wind River.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actress Gigi Gorgeous from the film “This Is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actor Adam Pally from the film “Band Aid.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actress America Ferrera from the new Web-series “Gente-fied.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Director Jovanka Vuckovic from the film “XX.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Director Sofia Carrillo from the film “XX.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Director Yance Ford from the documentary film “Strong Island.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Beastie Boy and actor Adam Horowitz from the film “Golden Exits.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Director Roxanne Benjamin from the film, “XX.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actress Kelsy Asbille from the film “Wind River.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actress Lois Smith from the film “Marjorie Prime.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actress Geena Davis from the film “Marjorie Prime.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actor Mark Hamill from the film “Brigsby Bear.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actor Nicholas Hoult from the film “Rebel in the Rye.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Producer Akiva Schaffer from the film “Brigsby Bear.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Director Danny Strong from the film “Rebel in the Rye.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actor Kyle Mooney from the film “Brigsby Bear.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actor Jack Black of the film “The Polka King.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actor John Lithgow of the film “Beatriz at Dinner.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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India Menuez of the Amazon series “I Love Dick.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actor Jon Hamm of the film “Marjorie Prime.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actor Mark Hamill of the film “Brigsby Bear.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actress Anya Taylor-Joy of the film “Thoroughbred.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actor Sam Elliott of the film “The Hero.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Director Kitty Green of the documentary film “Casting JonBenet.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Director Michael Barnett of the documentary film “The Mars Generation.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actress Parker Posey of the film “Columbus.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Grammy-winning Beastie Boys founder and actor Adam Horovitz of the film “Golden Exits.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actress Jenny Slate of the film “The Polka King.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Executive producer Danny Glover of the documentary film “Strong Island.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Director Annie Clark (also known as the musician St. Vincent) of the film, “XX.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actor Nick Offerman of the film “The Hero.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actor John Cho of the film “Columbus.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actress Jasna Fritzi Bauer from the film “Axolotl Overkill.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actress Brittany Snow from the film “Bushwick.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actor Dave Bautista from the film “Bushwick.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Executive producer Sean Hayes from the documentary series “The History of Comedy.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actress Jessica Williams from the film “The Incredible Jessica James.” (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Director Jack Henry Robbins from the short film “Hot Winter, A Film by Dick Pierre.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actress Melanie Lynskey from the film “I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Executive producer Tim Robbins, standing, and his son, director Jack Henry Robbins, from the short film “Hot Winter, A Film by Dick Pierre.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Musician Jillionaire from the documentary film “Give Me Future.” (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actress Cary Mulligan from the film “Mudbound.” (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actress Chante Adams from the film “Roxanne Roxanne.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actor Fares Fares from the film “The Nile Hilton Incident.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actor Chris O’Dowd from the film “The Incredible Jessica James.” (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actor Lakeith Stanfield from the film “The Incredible Jessica James.” (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Director Nacho Vigalondo from the film “Colossal.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actress Chelsea Handler, who led the Women’s March through Park City, Utah.

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actress Aisha Tyler, who participated in the Women’s March through Park City. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Executive producer Tim Robbins from the short film “Hot Winter, A Film by Dick Pierre.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actor Garrett Hedlund from the film “Mudbound.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Director-writer Michael Larnell from the film “Roxanne Roxanne.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Roxanne Shanté, subject of the biopic “Roxanne Roxanne.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actress Mari Malek from the film “The Nile Hilton Incident.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actor O’Shea Jackson Jr., from the film “Ingrid Goes West.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actress Pom Klementieff, starring in “Ingrid Goes West.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Director Matt Spicer of the film, “Ingrid Goes West.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actor Jack Huston of the film, “Yellow Birds.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Rashida Jones of the film “Hot Girls Wanted: Turned On.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actor Tye Sheridan of the film “Yellow Birds.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Executive Producer Tim Robbins of the short “Hot Winter, A Film By Dick Pierre.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Executive Producer Sean Hayes of the CNN series “History of Comedy.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Mary J. Blige of the film “Mudbound.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actor Elvis Nolasco of the film “Roxanne, Roxanne.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actor Chris O’Dowd of the film “The Incredible Jessica James.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actor Lakeith Stanfield of the film “The Incredible Jessica James.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Music producer and DJ Thomas Wesley Pentz, known as Diplo, of the documentary film “Give Me Future.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actress Molly Shannon of the film “The Little Hours.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actor Dave Franco of the film “The Little Hours.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actress Alison Brie of the film “The Little Hours.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actress Kate Micucci of the film “The Little Hours.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actor Paul Sparks of the film “Thoroughbred.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Dree Hemingway of the film “L.A. Times.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Director and actress Michelle Morgan of the film “L.A. Times.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actor Jorma Taccone of the film “L.A. Times.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actress Abbi Jacobson of the film “Person to Person.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actress Olivia Luccardi of the film “Person to Person.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Producer Carlos Santana of the film “Dolores.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actor Jason Ritter of the film “Bitch.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Director Amanda Kernell of the film “Sami Blood.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Director Peter Bratt and his brother Benjamin, producers of the documentary film “Dolores.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Dolores Huerta of the film “Dolores.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actress Jamie King of the film “Bitch.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Directors Andrew Smith and Alex Smith of the film “Walking Out.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actress Holly Hunter of the film “The Big Sick.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actor Logan Miller of the film “Before I Fall.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actress Carla Gallo from “Playdates.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Producer Judd Apatow of the film “The Big Sick.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actress Cynthy Wu of the film “Before I Fall.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actor Paul Scheer from the television show “Playdates.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actress Zoey Deutch from the film “Before I Fall.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actress Medalion Rahimin from the film “Before I Fall.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actor Josh Kaye of the film “Come Swim.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actress Elena Kampouris of the film “Before I Fall.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Joshua Wong of the documentary film “Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Director Kristen Stewart of the film “Come Swim.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actress Zoe Kazan of the film “The Big Sick.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

America Ferrera was in Park City to promote “Gente-fied,but she was there only the day after she addressed a massive crowd at the women’s march in Washington, D.C. “I think the purpose of art is the same at all times,” Ferrera said, “but I think in times like these, times of real, real questioning and reflection and concern, it becomes that much clearer that our role in society is to connect.”

Though she was in Park City for her first lead film role in “The Incredible Jessica James,” when performer Jessica Williams sat for our interview it was only a few hours after she had spoken at the women’s rally in Park City. She noted, “The reason why I make art is because I love when somebody random comes up to me and tells me that something that I did deeply touched them in a way.”

Dee Rees was at Sundance with “Mudbound,” the film she directed and co-wrote and a tale that explores race and family in the WWII-era Deep South. “Someone might not listen to you when you’re shouting at them with a sign, but they’ll go see ‘Mudbound’ and say ‘Oh, yeah, I get that idea. Oh yeah, I feel something,’” Rees said. “So I feel like culture is the long game and it’s the ideas game.”

Roxanne Benjamin is one of four female filmmakers involved in the horror anthology project “XX.” “For me it’s that I don’t know how not to,” Benjamin said of making art, “and this happens to be the way that I’ve figured out how to get all of that inner junk out.”

THE BIG WINNERS, huge deals and heated controversies of Sundance 2017 »

Annie Clark was also in Park City with the “XX” project making her debut as a filmmaker, though many may know her better from her work as a musician under the name St. Vincent. “The stakes are so high from a social standpoint,” Clark said, “that you’re going to see a lot of people making incredibly sincere art, that isn’t callous and jaded and ironic. It’s like, ‘No, no, no, we don’t have time for that, people are suffering.’”

The movie “The Big Sick” is based on the real-life relationship between its co-writers Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani, a rom-com that somehow takes in both healthcare issues and issues of cultural identity.

“What I’ve always tried to aspire to is to help people feel less alone, and anything I create I want people to not feel alone,” Gordon said. “I want them to feel like someone else understands them, that they’ve got brothers or sisters in arms who have gone through what they’ve gone through and felt what they’ve felt.”

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