Peking–the duo of Nat Livingston Johnson and Gregory Mitnick, who are with Station Film–directed three shorts, including The Impossible Family Portrait, in this Skype campaign out of agency Pereira & O’Dell.
The Impossible Family Portrait tells the story of Denis who is separated from his family in Uganda. He came to the U.S. with $5 in his pocket and has started a new life but it’s hard to be away from his loved ones so many miles away–most notably from his young son.
Everyone, says Denis, has a story of how the war in Uganda affected them. His story too is one of separation from those dear to him.
Helping to narrow the geographic distance between him and his family in Uganda is Skype. He relates that he sees their faces and they see mine, that there’s laughter and we feel closer. The chance to see his son’s face and tell him I love him “is very important.” Denis notes that “when I get back home someday, if I do, I won’t be a stranger [to my son].”
For this story and the others in this series, Singaporean photographer and visual artist John Clang captures portraits where everyone is able to pose next to one another. All of Denis’ family in Uganda is captured in an image projected onto a wall–Denis stands next to that projection and Clang creates a uniquely special family portrait that joins loved ones in the real and digital world.
Utah Leaders and Locals Rally To Keep Sundance Film Festival In The State
With the 2025 Sundance Film Festival underway, Utah leaders, locals and longtime attendees are making a final push — one that could include paying millions of dollars — to keep the world-renowned film festival as its directors consider uprooting.
Thousands of festivalgoers affixed bright yellow stickers to their winter coats that read "Keep Sundance in Utah" in a last-ditch effort to convince festival leadership and state officials to keep it in Park City, its home of 41 years.
Gov. Spencer Cox said previously that Utah would not throw as much money at the festival as other states hoping to lure it away. Now his office is urging the Legislature to carve out $3 million for Sundance in the state budget, weeks before the independent film festival is expected to pick a home for the next decade.
It could retain a small presence in picturesque Park City and center itself in nearby Salt Lake City, or move to another finalist — Cincinnati, Ohio, or Boulder, Colorado — beginning in 2027.
"Sundance is Utah, and Utah is Sundance. You can't really separate those two," Cox said. "This is your home, and we desperately hope it will be your home forever."
Last year's festival generated about $132 million for the state of Utah, according to Sundance's 2024 economic impact report.
Festival Director Eugene Hernandez told reporters last week that they had not made a final decision. An announcement is expected this year by early spring.
Colorado is trying to further sweeten its offer. The state is considering legislation giving up to $34 million in tax incentives to film festivals like Sundance through 2036 — on top of the $1.5 million in funds already approved to lure the Utah festival to its neighboring... Read More