My Experience on EU’s First Ever Trip to Sundance

Olivia Wilde, Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton appear in “The Invite,” by Olivia Wilde, an official selection of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. (Courtesy of Sundance Institute/TNS)

Prestige comes with the assumption that something’s exclusive to professionals and inaccessible to the public. I didn’t realize anyone could attend Sundance until one of my film professors told us about the Elmhurst University at Sundance Program which took place during J-Term this year. The Sundance Film Festival is one of the largest independent film festivals in the world, showcasing both new talent and world-renowned directors.

I immediately signed up because I had wanted to go to Sundance for a while. The program was tied to the class “Independent World Cinema,” taught by Professor Federica Bando and Professor Janette Bayles. For the first three weeks of January, we had online class meetings, then in the last week, we went to Park City, Utah, for the festival.

This was EU’s first time running the Sundance program, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had attended screenings at smaller film festivals, but nothing as big as Sundance. I also never traveled alone for more than a few days, and I didn’t know anyone in my class, so I was nervous.

This trip was an experience of a lifetime. I saw so many amazing films that were unique from anything else I had experienced. Most screenings had Q&As with the directors afterwards, giving more insight into the making of the film and the inspiration behind it. My favorite films were “TheyDream,” and “The Moment” (which I detail further in my rankings elsewhere in this issue). I also attended two panels, one of which was a Q&A with Olivia Wilde, one of my favorite actresses and directors.

Many of the sponsors, including RecDec, Dropbox, and Adobe, held networking opportunities and sponsored events. I met so many female directors who encouraged me to continue making films. I felt like I was looking at myself in 10 years. It was a great opportunity, as folks complimented me and told me they wished their schools were able to bring them to the festival when they were in college.

Kayleigh O’Brien, another student in the program and my roommate during the trip, said, “I think being able to meet so many super cool people was really a highlight! I’d never meet these people in day-to-day life, so being around and almost ‘in’ the industry was super cool.”

I didn’t know anyone going into this class, but I ended up making so many great friends. I bonded a lot with my roommates and the other students. We went to films together and explored Park City and Salt Lake City. A bunch of us girls went thrifting together and visited the East High from “High School Musical.”

This trip challenged my anxiety, because I had never been away from my family for more than a few days, and I barely knew everyone in my class. I was pleasantly surprised that, once I was on the trip, I wasn’t super anxious. 

The amount of homework was less than ideal. The class required us to attend seven film screenings, two panels, and one event of our choice. We also had to write responses to all of them, including answering questions and writing a journal entry.

I think our professors underestimated the time we’d have to complete all these assignments. Between seeing films, commuting back and forth to different theaters, and navigating the public transportation system, we had little time to complete our assignments.

Kayleigh, mentioned earlier, comments, “I think the load of coursework combined with the general load of immersing yourself in an international film festival was sort of a lot to balance at times!”

I thought the group activities were unorganized. While we were generally on our own for the week, group activities on the first and last days had little notice. On the night before our last day, I stayed up packing and got a text at 1 a.m. that we were going hiking the next morning. I was not prepared at all, I didn’t even bring good shoes!

Despite first-year challenges, Sundance was an awesome experience and provided a great introduction to the film world. I definitely plan on going again, and I would highly recommend the EU at Sundance program to students.