Acura Electrifies Support of Independent Artists at 2025 Sundance Film Festival

• Acura celebrates 15 years of uplifting independent artists and emerging voices in film as Presenting Sponsor with all-electric Acura ZDX as Official Vehicle of the Sundance Film Festival
• Acura House of Energy returns to Sundance Film Festival with an electric lineup of day-to-night entertainment programming Jan. 24-27
• All-new 2025 Acura ADX and the debut of a new art installation by renowned stop motion artists, The Ambriz Brothers will be prominently featured inside the Acura House of Energy
• 2025 Acura Sundance Film Festival programming highlights include film partnerships with Max Walker-Silverman's Rebuilding starring Josh O'Connor, Meghann Fahy and Kali Reis, Rachael Abigail Holder's Love, Brooklyn starring André Holland, Nicole Beharie, and DeWanda Wise; programming partnerships with official Festival partners IMDb, ASCAP, Gold House, and Variety,  plus events with GLAAD, WIF, and Producers Guild of America

TORRANCE, Calif., Jan. 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Acura will bring electrifying performance to the 2025 Sundance Film Festival with the all-electric Acura ZDX as an Official Vehicle of the Festival to help the film community get to the many industry events around Park City, Utah. In this 15^th year for Acura as a Presenting Sponsor at the Festival, the "Acura House of Energy" will uplift independent artists and emerging voices in film with dynamic programming that highlights the impactful initiatives of organizations such as GLAAD, WIF and Gold House.

The Acura House of Energy opens to festivalgoers Fri., Jan. 24, when the premium performance brand will host interviews, panels, mixers and premiere parties featuring A-list actors, writers and directors, live performances and more. Acura also is partnering with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) for the 27th Annual Sundance ASCAP Music Café. This year's Café will feature exclusive sets from some of today's most exciting artists, plus compelling conversations with the composers and filmmakers of some of this year's most anticipated films. Acura also is hosting The IMDb Studio at the House of Energy, where IMDb will capture exclusive content from leading actors, writers and directors that will serve as the cornerstone of Sundance Film Festival coverage on IMDb.

Acura House of Energy at the Sundance Film Festival

The Acura House of Energy at Sundance Film Festival, inspired by the brand's Precision Crafted Performance DNA, will immerse guests in a multi-sensory celebration of winter. Festivalgoers will get an exclusive first look at a new collaboration between Acura and the Ambriz Brothers, renowned stop-motion artists from Mexico, bringing together the pulse of Acura design and engineering innovation with a stunning new visual tribute to the synergy of motion and art.

Following artist Dalkhafine's impressive mural creation at SCOPE Art Show in Miami Beach, the Ambriz Brothers are the second of five up-and-coming artists to partner with Acura on a new whimsical, winter-themed art installation in celebration of the all-new Acura ADX. While visiting the House of Energy, the Festival's creative community will get a firsthand experience with the premium compact ADX, which boasts a youthful design, an engaging driving experience and turbocharged performance to attract a new generation of buyers. ADX is set to arrive at Acura dealerships early this year.

Acura: Official Vehicle of the Sundance Film Festival

The Acura ZDX Type S – the most powerful Acura SUV ever – will be the first-ever all-electric vehicle included in Acura's fleet at the Sundance Film Festival, joining MDX Type S as the Official Vehicles of the Festival, helping the film community get around Park City to the many industry events and premieres. Additionally, Acura's lineup of performance vehicles will be on display throughout Park City, including the MDX Type S, Integra Type S and RDX A-spec.

The Acura House of Energy is located at 550 Swede Alley. Public hours: Friday, January 24 through Monday, January 27 from 12pm to 6pm MST (subject to change).

2025 Schedule of Programming in the Acura House of Energy

FRIDAY, JANUARY 24TH

• 12:00pm - 1:00pm MT – The Producers Guild Presents: Producers on The State of Producing Independent Films
  • A diverse panel of producers with films premiering at the festival share their views on a range of topics, including AI, production innovation, sustainability and how they overcame the challenges facing their productions. The discussion will underscore the ways in which "Producing is a Job," a Producers Guild campaign currently underway to provide clarity around what producers actually do. The panel will feature David Permut (TWINLESS), Julia Hammer (TOGETHER), Lana Kim (ATROPIA), Onye Anyanwu (BLKNWS: TERMS & CONDITIONS), Ryan Heller (IT'S NEVER OVER, JEFF BUCKLEY) and Simon Taufique, (RICKY) moderated by Susan Sprung, Chief Executive Officer of the Producers Guild of America.
• 3:00pm - 6:00pm MT – INVITE ONLY – GLAAD, Frameline and NewFest Present: Cheers, Queers
  • 3:15pm - 4:00pm MT –  "Spotlight on Trans Stories and Storytellers" Panel
    • Leading trans filmmakers and storytellers join forces to communicate the urgency of authentic and accurate stories. In 1992 B. Ruby Rich coined the phrase 'New Queer Cinema'. Are we currently in a moment of 'New Trans Cinema'? Join Sundance Film Festival creatives including director Zackary Drucker (APRIL AND AMANDA), actor Aud Mason-Hyde (JIMPA), and more in a conversation with GLAAD's Senior Director of Entertainment and Transgender Inclusion, Alex Schmider.
  • 4:00pm - 4:30pm MT:  "Raising Our Voices: Queer Film as a Force for Good in an Uncertain Time" Panel
    • With the Festival taking place just days after the presidential inauguration, and as anti-trans legislation and rhetoric intensifies around the country (including in Utah), the queer artistic community will come together and recommit to elevating LGBTQ+ voices and stories. Hear from hosts NewFest and Frameline alongside filmmakers, activists, and advocates in a dynamic lineup exploring what it takes to create space for authentic representation, convey its cultural impact and build audiences for stories about and from the LGBTQ community.
  • 4:30pm - 6:00pm MT: Industry Happy Hour co-hosted with IMDbPro
    • Industry professionals will gather to celebrate authentic representation at Sundance Film Festival. This event is hosted with GLAAD collaborator IMDbPro, which empowers LGBTQ professionals to self-identify and get discovered.
• 8:00pm - 11:00pm MT – DJ Set

SATURDAY, JANUARY 25TH

• 12:00pm - 1:00pm MT - INVITE ONLY - WIF Brunch Celebrating Women, Nonbinary and Trans Filmmakers
  • Building upon the success of last year's memorable event, WIF will co-host an energetic networking gathering with featured appearances and remarks from women and gender diverse filmmakers with films in official selection at the 2025 Festival. This year's event will highlight the theme of allyship in WIF and ReFrame's missions, and guests will include prominent industry leaders and ReFrame Ambassadors of all genders representing production companies, studios and industry partners.
• 1:00pm - 3:00pm MT - WIF Panels
  • 1:00pm - 2:00pm MT  - "Women of the World: How Female Filmmakers are Shifting Global Cinema" Panel
    • A discussion between the groundbreaking filmmakers behind some of the year's most acclaimed international feature films, representing the broad diversity of perspectives and experiences that are impacting independent storytelling around the globe. Featuring Academy Award-Winning producer Guneet Monga Kapoor (KILL, THE ELEPHANT WHISPERERS) and Sundance Film Festival 2025 filmmakers Maia Lekow (HOW TO BUILD A LIBRARY), Chloe Robichaud (TWO WOMEN), Cherien Dabis (ALL THAT'S LEFT OF YOU), and Nadia Fall (BRIDES). Moderated by Andria Wilson Mirza, Director of International Programs for WIF.
  • 2:00pm - 3:00pm MT – "Better Together: Mapping Gender Allyship in 2025 and Beyond" Panel
    • Join us for a candid conversation with the teams behind some of the 2025 Festival's most highly anticipated feature films to unpack and examine how men in powerful industry positions can stand behind, elevate, support, include and/or work with women and people of diverse genders in their projects and stories. This conversation will be moderated by Keya Khatayian, Partner & Agent at UTA, with filmmakers from projects spotlighting extraordinary tales of allyship to discuss.
• 4:00pm - 6:00pm MT – INVITE ONLY –  Cocktails and Conversation hosted by Variety
  • 'Risktakers' conversation with actors, producers, writers and directors about the gutsiest moves they've made, like playing against type or financing their own project. Featuring Kali Reis (Actor, REBUILDING), Cooper Raiff (Creator/Director/Writer, HAL & HARPER), Havana Rose Liu (Actor, LURKER, HAL & HARPER) and Sophie Nélisse (TWO WOMEN).

SUNDAY, JANUARY 26TH

• 11:00am - 12:00pm MT – IMDbPro Presents: Directors in Focus - A Panel of 2025 Sundance Film Festival Filmmakers
  • Join IMDbPro and Acura for an inspiring and insightful panel featuring Sundance Film Festival filmmakers Katarina Zhu (Writer/Director BUNNYLOVR), Rashad Frett (Writer/Director RICKY), and Sophie Hyde (Writer/Director JIMPA). Moderated by IMDbPro producer Jeff Luppino-Esposito, the panel will take attendees behind the scenes of these filmmakers' creative processes and professional journeys, offering a unique glimpse into the world of filmmaking and sharing valuable insights and practical advice for navigating the film industry.
• 12:15 - 1:00pm MT – Gold House Panel: Getting the Green Light
  • Less than 1% of all screenplays submitted to producers get made into films. In today's rapidly changing climate and challenging industry, what exactly does it take to get the green light? Hear from decision makers at leading production companies and studios about what stories, teams, and strategies make for a compelling package. The panel will be moderated by Christine Yi, General Partner of Gold House's Creative Equity Fund, and feature Poppy Hanks, SVP of Development & Production at MACRO and Naia Cucukov, Co-Founder, 100 Tigers & Working Barn Productions.
• 2:00pm - 6:00pm MT – Sundance ASCAP Music Café
  • Whether it's enhancing emotion, building mood or helping to drive the story, music is essential to the art of filmmaking. The Sundance ASCAP Music Café honors the love affair between music and film with performances from artists and songwriters you need to know, and conversations with the composers who are powering the 2025 Sundance Film Festival selections. Courtesy of ASCAP, home to more than one million of the world's greatest music creators.
• 8:00pm - 11:00pm MT – INVITE ONLY – Rebuilding Premiere Party
  • FILM LOGLINE: After a wildfire takes the family farm, a rancher seeks a way forward.

MONDAY, JANUARY 27TH

• 12:00pm - 4:00pm MT – Sundance ASCAP Music Café
• 6:00pm - 9:00pm MT – INVITE ONLY – Love, Brooklyn Premiere Party
  • FILM LOGLINE: Three longtime Brooklynites navigate careers, love, loss, and friendship against the rapidly changing landscape of their beloved city.

About Acura

Acura is a leading automotive brand committed to delivering expressive styling, innovative engineering and engaging dynamics, all built on the brand's Precision Crafted Performance DNA. The Acura lineup consists of two sport sedans, the Integra and TLX, and three sport-utility vehicles, the RDX, MDX and all-electric ZDX. A fourth SUV, the ADX, will join the lineup as a new gateway model this spring. High-performance Type S variants further demonstrate the virtues of Acura Precision Crafted Performance. All Acura vehicles sold in America are made in North America, using domestic and globally sourced parts.

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