Sundance Film Festival (Part 1)
A month flew by in the blink of an eye.
During that time, Sion Lee’s life was... tighter than expected. While he was in a better position than the director and editor, who barely washed or went home to meet the brutal editing schedule, Sion did everything he could to assist with the post-production process, including ADR sessions. All the while, he steadily shed weight by eating nothing but celery and eggs every day. Surviving entirely without carbohydrates made him feel as though his past-life degenerate self was clawing to get out, but whenever his temper flared, he gritted his teeth and suppressed it. It was a period that was less physically exhausting and more mentally grueling.
And so, the year turned. January 8, 1991.
“It... It’s finally over...”
Having survived a hardcore schedule that left him looking like a hollow shell of a man who had poured his very soul into the editing room, Director Daniel Summit barely managed to deliver the finished film to Philip Studios. It was immediately placed in the hands of a trusted staff member and transported to Utah, the home of the Sundance Film Festival.
Even after the editing was complete, the director had tossed and turned, staying awake like a vampire fearing a hunter's visit. It was only after a phone call arrived at the studio confirming that the final cut had been safely delivered to the Sundance organizers that he finally collapsed. And then, he slept. And slept.
Hearing the news, Sion thought to himself.
R.I.P. Danny. I'll have to treat him to a proper meal once he recovers.
There was now about a week left until the start of the Sundance Film Festival. Sion, who visited Philip Studios after hearing the news, finally got to lay eyes on the completed film. It was the epitome of an 'indie' movie. A working-class protagonist, a plot that heavily subverted the 'heroic' narratives peddled by mainstream Hollywood, and beautiful art direction that captured the era in a way only cinema could. It was a fresh, excellent film, the likes of which were rare in this day and age.
After reviewing the entire cut, Sion was certain.
This is going to work.
He would undoubtedly get the results he wanted. Confident of this, Sion was able to spend his remaining time in a relaxed state.
Meanwhile, the rest of the United States was descending into chaos.
Every single flight ticket bound for Utah had already sold out. Across various regions, people went to extreme lengths to attend the Sundance Film Festival on time, leading to several incidents. A few young high school students, who had previously only driven their cars to and from school, even caused an accident on the highway, landing the situation on the national news.
The anchor's voice seemed to fade into the background.
Michael Mitchum, the Editor-in-Chief of Behind the Scene, was dying inside where he stood.
“Whoa... this is absolutely insane.”
“How long has it been since a single actor had this kind of cultural impact?”
“He's not just an actor; he's a Teen Heartthrob. The fans who follow those kids are practically cultists, which is why they're always making the news. Sion Lee's moves before and after his scandal have been so radical that his fans are just matching his energy. Still, there's no denying his sheer influence.”
“Uh-oh. What are we going to do, Chief?”
“...Ahem. About what?”
“Park City is a total madhouse right now. Are you really going to go there and get an interview with Sion Lee?”
“Haha, what are you talking about? Why on earth would I go there?”
“You promised before that you'd go watch the movie and get an interview.”
“What exactly did I say? I said I'd go if he delivered a good performance!”
“They're showing it as the opening premiere at Sundance. If those picky snobs approved it, that says it all. It's basically his grand showcase.”
“...”
Met with silence, Michael quickly changed the subject.
“Well, regardless, Sundance must be screaming with joy.”
“Seriously. They might even give Sion Lee a plaque of appreciation.”
“We should prepare a plaque for you too, Chief! We'll present it to you once you bring back that Sion Lee interview!”
“...If you guys actually make one, it's going straight into the trash.”
Letting out a long sigh, Michael placed a cigarette between his lips. In any case, it looked like a major disaster would unfold if the Sundance organizers didn't handle this properly.
Park City, Utah, where the Sundance Film Festival was held, was a ski town nestled in the Rocky Mountains. The population was a mere 4,500 people. Most of the residents made their living through tourism or leisure-related businesses.
Held in the dead of winter when the town's unique atmosphere reached its peak, the Sundance Film Festival, though humble in its beginnings, had now become an event that breathed massive vitality into the city.
During the ten days of the festival, roughly 2,000 to 3,000 people visited the town. Cinephiles of all stripes gathered to munch on popcorn, enjoy films, and celebrate, casting away the bitter cold. The residents of Park City expected that this year, too, they would enjoy a moderate bustle and make a tidy profit from the filmmakers' event.
Finally, a week before the opening, the festival organizers arrived early, loading banners onto trucks and entering the town to set up. However, their demeanor was somewhat different from their relaxed attitude last year. They wore the expressions of Santa's elves in a village where the number of crying children had suddenly plummeted to zero.
“Go! Go! Go!”
Trucks loaded with all sorts of supplies for a successful festival drifted in and out of the town all day long. Moreover, the sight of the Park City police and firefighters getting involved stirred a seed of anxiety in the residents.
“...What in the world is going on?”
Amidst this, Jones, the owner of a small motel at the entrance of the town, received a visit from a man.
“Hello? Anyone here?”
“Shit. It's finally happening.”
“Excuse me?”
“The New World Order has finally taken over the country. I'm ready for you bastards.”
Deeply immersed in conspiracy theories, he looked ready to pull out the shotgun he had secretly hidden under the cash register at any moment. However, the man who had sought him out shook his head in panic.
“N-no, that's not it. I'm with the Sundance Film Festival organizing committee. We expect the number of visitors to this year's festival to far exceed previous years, so we're making the rounds to inform everyone and ask for your cooperation.”
“Huh? Is something going on? Last year, it was just a few leprechaun-looking fellas wandering around.”
“...We expect a lot more people this year.”
“How many?”
“At least... ten thousand.”
“If you combine every single room in this town, we can't hold ten thousand. The city's gonna collapse.”
“Yes. We're anticipating total gridlock.”
“So what do you want us to do?”
“For starters, please accommodate as many people as possible. The health department will be providing support to ensure strict hygiene and safety, so we wanted to make sure you were aware of the situation beforehand. Police and firefighters will also be patrolling more frequently than usual.”
“Geez, what the hell is actually happening?”
“Something straight out of the movies.”
The festival official looked out at the currently peaceful street with an anxious expression.
January 17, 1991.
While not quite as bad as the worst-case predictions, a crowd large enough to have been highly dangerous without preparation swarmed Salt Lake City International Airport. The arrivals hall was in an uproar, packed with people who had given up on traveling to Park City and instead gathered just to catch a glimpse of Sion Lee stepping off his plane.
The media had played a massive role in driving things to this point.
— Sion Lee Auditions for Indie Film in Chicago
— Sion Lee Cast as Lead, Production Underway
— Sion Lee's Shocking Physical Transformation for New Role?!
— A New Side of Sion Lee: Can the Teen Heartthrob Actually Act?
— Sion Lee's Indie Film Selected as Sundance Opening Premiere!
Articles gathered one by one, connecting like constellations to form a single, folklore-like narrative that captured the public's curiosity. And when a few impatient high schoolers caused accidents in their eagerness to see the final product, various states took action to manage the situation, drawing the eyes of a significant portion of the American public toward the Sundance Film Festival and the actor named Sion Lee.
Well, this feels like returning to the scene of a crime.
Sion smiled as he looked down at the snow-covered landscape outside the window. Beside him, an incredibly tense Daniel barely managed to open his mouth.
“T-t-this... this seems way bigger than we expected?!”
“Right?! I had no idea people were this passionate about indie films!”
“Oh, come on, Mr. Lee! This is all because of you!”
Sitting across from them, cinematographer James Parker laughed boisterously, shouting to be heard. Otherwise, his voice would have been drowned out by the machine-gun-like roar of the helicopter's engine.
Of course, Sion didn't think James was entirely wrong. But the real reason the public's excitement had reached this fever pitch was all thanks to the media. They always tended to keep the public's attention hooked by constantly broadcasting unique news from all corners of the country. And Sion Lee was the perfect actor to be used for that purpose.
Many of the people gathered at the airport were there simply to enjoy the 'festival' atmosphere rather than out of a genuine interest in the film. In America, there were always plenty of people who would run to join in on any loud, chaotic event just because it seemed fun.
If you drove past them and followed the snow-covered roads, you would eventually reach Park City. However, the roads were currently packed tight with cars. A massive traffic jam had formed.
Everyone wanted to catch a glimpse of the opening reception starting at 6:00 PM in Park City, but unfortunately, those who could actually attend had to have arrived in town much earlier. Even then, they had to book accommodations that were now carrying massive premiums before someone else snatched them up.
Most of the event officials had already arrived on-site and were preparing for the opening reception.
While the narrow two-lane road was controlled by a heavy police presence, as six o'clock struck, actors and directors dressed in modest attire began to appear one by one at the Egyptian Theatre on Main Street.
The sound of camera shutters clicking echoed from all directions. Confused by the sheer scale of the situation, one actor spoke with a bewildered face.
“Is this a gala? This is completely different from the Sundance I came to last year.”
“Quiet down. A Hollywood superstar is gracing us with his presence.”
“Ha, the guy was born to be a star. Isn't this going down in the festival's history? I wonder if this many people will show up next year.”
“Who knows? But at least it'll be a lifetime achievement for us. Getting to make an entrance in front of a crowd this massive.”
A director wearing a turtleneck and a coat against the cold stood still for a moment, scanning his surroundings. Up until last year, Sundance was not an event with this kind of atmosphere. A few dozen or a few hundred cinephiles huddling around the entrance was all there was to it, and they certainly didn't set up barricades to keep spectators away or roll out a long red carpet like they did now.
But today was different. Not just cinephiles, but reporters, families, and Sion Lee's personal fans had gathered in droves. Standing before the spectacular sight of countless eyes watching their entrance, the director felt strangely thrilled, even though he wasn't the star of the show.
“Maybe I should have rented a tuxedo.”
“Don't say that. This isn't Hollywood.”
Sundance actively avoided that kind of flashiness. Yet, the participation of a single actor had changed everything.
Right then, a gust of wind whipped over the heads of the gathered crowd. A loud, rhythmic thumping echoed through the streets.
Everyone looked up, watching as a helicopter flew in and landed on the rooftop helipad of a hospital in the distance.
Inside, as soon as the helicopter came to a complete stop, Sion Lee shouted to the pilot.
“Nice flight!”
The pilot flashed a thumbs-up. As the helicopter door opened and Sion stepped out, he was, naturally, dressed in a stunning tuxedo.
The team behind Swing in Chicago, which was screening as the opening premiere, could not afford to be late for today's event under any circumstances. That was why, ever since news of the highway accidents broke, the Sundance organizers had scrambled to coordinate with Salt Lake City and rent a helicopter.
It was a first in the history of the Sundance Film Festival, which was now in its sixth year. And because of that gesture, Sion made up his mind to prepare even more thoroughly.
His dirty blonde hair of moderate length was neatly slicked back with pomade. His high nose bridge and prominent T-zone framed deep green eyes that held a depth difficult to fathom. Not only had Sion shed the weight he had rapidly gained to return to his pre-filming appearance, but he had also dressed in full formal wear and put on makeup.
“So this... this is what a star looks like!”
Seeing him freed from his 'curse' and restored to his original form, Daniel couldn't help but let out an exclamation of awe. Having grown accustomed to the white-trash belly and shabby appearance of Sion's character over a month of filming, the shock of seeing Sion in full public-appearance mode was even greater.
Led by Sion, the group was guided by hospital security to the top-floor elevator, descending to the ground level.
“Considering the nature of Sundance, this might be a bit much... but it'll be fine, right?”
“Everyone's going to be shocked. Director, shouldn't we walk in a bit behind you?”
“No. Absolutely not.”
Sion placed his hands on both of their shoulders and grinned.
“In this project, the three of us are a team.”
“Whoa...! That's awesome! We're like the A-Team!”
“Haha, I like it. The director might be the boss on set, but here, I'm following Mr. Lee's lead.”
“Excellent, James. You know, there's a saying in show business...”
With a soft chime, the elevator arrived at the first floor. Sion adjusted the fit of his tuxedo jacket and stepped out first.
Before they knew it, the lobby was packed to the brim. News that Sion had bypassed the airport terminal and boarded a helicopter had spread among reporters, drawing a massive crowd.
The barrage of camera flashes that rained down on Sion as he took the lead seemed to symbolize the sheer volume of public attention focused on him.
Having anticipated this moment through his past-life memories and mental preparation, Sion Lee maintained a confident, effortless smile, speaking in a low voice only audible to the two men beside him.
“What people are interested in isn't you, but your 'wrapping paper'.”
As the Teen Heartthrob whom everyone in Hollywood loved and hated, Sion casually parted the crowd and began to walk toward the street where the red carpet awaited.
The Sundance Film Festival was officially underway.