A literal wicker man desired by Olivia Coleman. A devastating documentary look on the ecological collapse of Utah’s Great Salt Lake. The rekindled friendship of a female Lagosian cab driver and a sex worker. A group of friends fighting the demented main character of a once-popular kid’s TV show. The 42nd edition of the Sundance Film Festival beckons with an exciting mix of both fiction and non-fiction feature films and shorts. For its final celebration in Salt Lake City - where it all started thanks to the festival’s main founder, Robert Redford - and Park City, the Legacy section presents nine feature films plus a compilation of shorts from various years. 

This combined look at past and present Sundance titles underscores the festival’s fascinating range, from Kevin Smith’s black-and-white ultra-low budget comedy Clerks to Noah Baumbach’s tragicomical family drama The Squid and the Whale to that ultimate found footage horror The Blair Witch Project. Which aspects make a film a candidate for the world’s most important independent film festival? How does the festival stay true to its roots without stopping to evolve? And what part do the political positions of individual films play? Senior programmers Heidi Zwicker and Basil Tsiokos spoke with Lidanoir about selecting films, preserving the festival’s spirit at a pivotal moment of change, and more!