Sundance 2022 Cinema Café is where the culture of conversation is reinvigorated. A series of informal chats bring together special guests for thought-provoking encounters and fascinating dialogue. Previous Cinema Café guests have included Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Tessa Thompson, Jane Campion, Dave Grohl, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Lena Dunham, Norman Lear, Kumail Nanjiani, Zazie Beetz, Saoirse Ronan, Spike Lee, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Radha Blank, Ira Glass, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Bassem Youssef, Charlie Kaufman, Ice-T, Nick Hornby, Winston Duke, Samantha Power, Steve Coogan, Roger Corman, and many others.
Moderator Hannah Giorgis chats with panelists Keke Palmer (Alice) and Dakota Johnson (Cha Cha Real Smooth & Am I Ok?) during the Sundance 2022 Film Festival. Watch their Cinema Café chat below!
Keke Palmer is an Emmy award-winning actress, singer/songwriter, host, producer, author, and passionate voice of the millennial generation. Palmer rose to prominence through her breakout role in Akeelah and the Bee at age 12 and has gone on to star in over 25 films and 30 TV shows, including STX’s Hustlers, FOX’s Scream Queens, and of course, Nickelodeon’s True Jackson, VP.
KEKE PALMER on why she’s been drawn to horror as a genre: “My love for horror started very young – I’m a big fan of horror, as far as a viewer…The thing about horror is that if it’s done “right,’ it’s going to have the elements of every kind of movie: you’re gonna have comedy, drama, romance, you’re going to have suspense and action in there. It really has the potential to be a limitless genre.”
KEKE PALMER on how she chooses upcoming projects: “I really want to make sure that my roles are purposeful and impactful. And the way that I see art is a version of my activism. So most definitely, when I choose roles, knowing how people view me, and knowing as a voice of my community I’m very conscious of how that role will be perceived. What is it saying and how does it make me feel?”
Dakota Johnson is a BAFTA-nominated and award-winning actress and producer. After bursting on to the scene with her performance in David Fincher’s critically acclaimed The Social Network, Johnson starred as Anastasia Steele in Universal’s billion-dollar franchise Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker, and Fifty Shades Freed. Johnson was last seen starring in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s award-nominated film The Lost Daughter alongside Olivia Coleman, Jessie Buckley, and Paul Mescal for Netflix.
DAKOTA JOHNSON on why she feels the need to channel her creativity into acting: “There’s so much discovery that happens when you do a role. That’s mainly the reason I try things because this is really going to teach me something or I’m drawn to it for a reason that I can’t explain, but it’s like stretching into the depths of myself, in a way. Like, reaching into the far corners of my heart or my mind. And there’s a whole different woman in there.”
DAKOTA JOHNSON on the films that have most recently hit her the hardest: “I think when I’m watching films and it hurts, usually it’s because I love it. You know? I think the most recent one – I don’t know if you’ve seen the movie – The Worst Person in the World? Oh My god, it’s so brilliant. And it wrecked me! I was crying in a way that was weird. I was trying to cry less than how my body wanted to cry.”
Moderator: Hannah Giorgis
Hannah Giorgis is a staff writer at The Atlantic. In a recent cover story, Hannah presented a sweeping look at Black representation behind the camera and decades of progress and roadblocks for creators in television. Her essays, criticism, and reporting have appeared in publications including The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, and The Guardian. She has written short stories for publications including The Lifted Brow literary journal and Addis Ababa Noir.
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