By Bailey Pennick
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival is having a front-row seat for the bright future of independent filmmaking. While we can learn a lot about the filmmakers from the 2025 Sundance Film Festival through the art that these storytellers share with us, there’s always more we can learn about them as people. We decided to get to the bottom of those artistic wells with our ongoing series: Give Me the Backstory!
John Lennon is one of the most recognizable figures in the world. His history is incredibly well documented, especially when it comes to his life as a Beatle. Documentarian Kevin Macdonald is acutely aware of this fact and decided to approach his film One to One: John & Yoko from a different angle. “I had been, and continue to be, a big Lennon fan,” he explains. “And so — although I was scared by the question of what is there new to say about John Lennon at this late period — I thought I would love to find a way to make a film that was different about this period in his life and American history.”
The result is a film that puts you right into the couple’s Greenwich Village apartment, learning about the iconic pair through their rapid-fire channel flipping and recorded phone calls. It’s a unique experience that has audiences engage with Ono and Lennon as individuals as opposed to musical figures. Macdonald hopes that One to One, which premiered at 2024 Venice Film Festival, reaches those who want to know more about the duo, however the director is quick to qualify that: “But not necessarily superfans of John Lennon’s music.”
Here Macdonald discusses his favorite moments making One to One, who inspires him, and the film from this year that he wishes he made.
Films are lasting artistic legacies, what do you want yours to say?
I hope people come away feeling that they understand better who these two people were — that they were trying to make the world a better place and that that was done from a place of real integrity, but also from a place that didn’t take itself totally seriously. They had a sense of humor about themselves and the modesty to accept when they couldn’t change things.
Your favorite part of making One to One? Memories from the process?
The story of Kyoko and how that emotionally impacted Yoko and how it underlies what she and John are doing. Linked to that, I really love the performance Yoko gives at the end of the film, of the song “Age 39.” She’s singing, in a very vulnerable way, about how she’s a 39-year-old woman. She’s talking about the loss of her daughter, about how she has contemplated suicide. And I love the way that the film does this flip at the end and the final perspective on everything is actually Yoko’s, and it’s a feminist perspective. That touches me every time I see it.
Why does this story need to be told now?
The nature of American politics — conspiracy theories, assassinations — all the same things are there in 1972 and still today. In some ways that’s reassuring, because you think: We’ve been here before. But it’s also depressing. We haven’t dealt with race, we haven’t dealt with the environment, we haven’t dealt with pacifism. We haven’t moved on.
What was a big challenge you faced while making One to One: John & Yoko?
I was scared by the question of what is there new to say about John Lennon at this late period.
Tell us why and how you got into filmmaking?
No one else would have me.
Why is filmmaking important to you? Why is it important to the world?
It is direct, emotional communication.
If you weren’t a filmmaker, what would you be doing?
Sheep farmer.
What is something that all filmmakers should keep in mind in order to become better cinematic storytellers?
The Silent Era was better.
Who are your creative heroes?
Gillo Pontecorvo
What three things do you always have in your refrigerator?
Champagne, orange juice, and coffee.
What was the last thing you saw that you wish you made?
Emilia Perez
One thing people don’t know about me is _____
I’m an open book…
Which of your personal characteristics contributes most to your success as a storyteller?
Curiosity.
Tell us about your history with Sundance Institute. When was the first time you engaged with us? Why did you want your film to screen with us?
In 2011, my film Life in a Day premiered at the Festival. Since then three of my films have premiered at Sundance and each time has been an exhilarating experience!
Who was the first person you told when you learned you got into the Sundance Film Festival?
My wife.
What’s your favorite film that has come from the Sundance Institute or Festival?
sex, lies, and videotape.
