(L–R) Théodore Pellerin, Eva Victor, Katarina Zhu, and Rashad Frett attend the 2025 Sundance Film Festival at Filmmaker Lodge on January 28, 2025, in Park City, UT. (Photo by Donyale West/Shutterstock for Sundance Film Festival)
By Sandy Phan
On January 28, attendees were ready to find a seat for the sold-out Cinema Café: Fresh Faces talk during the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Moderator Ash Hoyle (programmer at the Festival) welcomed today’s four upcoming talents to the stage: Ricky writer-director Rashad Frett, Sorry, Baby writer-director Eva Victor, Bunylovr writer-director Katarina Zhu, and Lurker actor Théodore Pellerin.
Below are some of our favorite quotes. Click here to watch a recording of the event.
Victor on thoughts about the film industry and how she might want it to shift or change. I feel like I spent a lot of time feeling fraudulent [because] I didn’t go to film school. I literally Googled what books they read in film school. It feels sometimes like there are all these rules that you have. There are all these rules, that you have to go to film school and whatever. I feel that’s not true, and you can really learn so much by watching films and asking friends if you can watch them direct. So I feel excited that maybe those rules don’t feel true for me anymore and maybe hopefully don’t feel true for other people anymore.
Zhu on maintaining creative freedom. I’m lucky, particularly because my producers were so generous in terms of trusting and believing in me and my vision. They said no to certain things, but it was definitely for the better. I wanted to shoot in this little apartment on the third floor, in a building in the city. They were like, “The entire crew is going to hate you for making them lug this shit up.” I put up a little bit of a fight, but ultimately they were right.
Frett on the differences between shooting a short film and a feature film. So for my process, from the short to the features, I pretty much had a year to prep. My cinematographer and I did the shot list a year in advance, and a lot of locations are friends’ and family members’ houses. [There’s] more politics [and I had] to navigate that, as opposed to making a short, and fighting for your vision is even more, and being able to allow yourself to pivot more because [there were] countless times things changed right on the fly.
Pellerin on letting go. I think there were a lot of moments [of letting go]; this was a very smooth shoot for Lurker. But it was a very uncomfortable one for me because it plays with so much humiliation, and the characters are always trying to be a part of something and always kind of being pushed, or it’s a constant game of power. And so I would often feel like shit. But I loved everyone, but I didn’t feel great at all. At some point, it was like accepting that this wasn’t going to be a film on which I was going to feel great. That it’s part of it, and it’s fine, and it would maybe be beneficial to the character and the movie itself.
Zhu on sharing her film. We wrapped in late August [2024]. For me, it feels sort of like cutting the umbilical cord. I don’t know. I didn’t feel ready; it’s so close. I sort of wanted to be able to hold it a little more, a little longer. It just felt a little shocking. But I mean, it’s so special.
Frett on what was important to him in this independent production. Well, for me, I would say the main thing was creative control. So that was one thing that I really advocated for. I need as much control as possible. I told my producers, “Just give me a canvas and let me play.”
Victor on maintaining creative control. I’m really grateful that I was working with people who understood how to logistically support me and creatively support me; as a first-time filmmaker you don’t necessarily have [that]. You don’t know what you should be protective of. And so, someone teaching you what to be protective of is so helpful.
