(L-R) Sudeep Sharma, The Right Honourable Dame Jacinda Ardern, and Marlee Matlin attend the 2025 Sundance Film Festival at Filmmaker Lodge on January 25, 2025, in Park City, UT. (Photo by Donyale West/Shutterstock for Sundance Film Festival)
By Sandy Phan
On a snowy day, Filmmaker Lodge was filled to capacity with excited attendees, anxious to get a seat for the sold-out Cinema Café discussion during the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.
Today’s guests, each having been the subjects of documentaries premiering at this year’s Festival, were The Right Honourable Dame Jacinda Ardern (Prime Minister), New Zealand’s 40th Prime Minister, and Marlee Matlin (Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore), the first Deaf actor to win an Oscar for Children of A Lesser God and who starred in CODA (2021 Sundance Film Festival).
Cinema Café is a series where artists and special guests are invited to have informal and stimulating conversations. Sudeep Sharma, a programmer for the Sundance Film Festival, moderated the chat with questions that kept the audience in rapt attention with Dame Jacinda and Matlin’s captivating and thoughtful responses. During the conversation, Jack Jason was Matlin’s interpreter and voice at Cinema Café.
We’ve selected some of our favorite quotes from the pair below. Make sure to add their documentaries, Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore and Prime Minister, to your screening list. Both are available for viewers to watch online.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
Matlin: “I had the advantage of being in children’s plays, so I had the opportunity to play different characters growing up. I imagined myself in various characters. I still don’t know what I want to do, but I want to be doing what I’m doing.”
Dame Jacinda: “I’ve never had a five-year plan. I jumped around with career ideas. I remember thinking that I wanted to be a police officer because my father was a police officer for 40 years. He was a community police officer, so I thought maybe I’ll be a youth aid officer. Then I wanted to be a psychologist, a writer, and, briefly, an actor. When I was very small, I remember coming home and telling my parents that a clown came to school and he made all the children laugh, how special it was, and maybe I’d become a clown. And, well, I became a politician.”
Both of you are in documentaries about your life, and now that you’ve seen them, what was that experience like? Did it make you feel differently about your own story
Dame Jacinda: “I saw the final cut of the film yesterday. I cried through most of it, and I’m not sure if that’s equivalent to laughing at your own jokes. I was very emotional watching it. I credit the storytellers for it. I hoped that the film would humanize politicians, those who are public servants, and leadership, but I never thought it would humanize me. When I watched it, I just saw myself as someone who was trying to do their best.”
Matlin: “For the longest time, I was in a position where I wasn’t sure why I was where I was. I was in both worlds: the deaf and hearing worlds. I wasn’t sure where I fit in because there were so many perspectives that I couldn’t figure it out. Initially I decided to write a book, I’ll Scream Later, an autobiography. Then one day PBS approached me and asked if I wanted to do my story. And I said, ‘Great, but I have one condition. It must be directed by a Deaf woman.’ They asked if I knew anyone, and I said, ‘Yes, Shoshannah Stern.’ The reason I chose her… I knew that she would be able to tell my story in the most authentic way possible because she broke through so many different ways to tell my story as a woman who is Deaf. I had nothing to do with the editing, interviews, or anything… I just watched it. It was powerful, and I think it deserves to be seen by everyone.”
What is something you’ve learned from your roles or journey?
Dame Jacinda: “My answer is specific to my field. In politics and in leadership roles, we carry assumptions. We assume that displaying emotions would be perceived as weakness. In order to build trust and confidence, we assume that you have to have all of the answers. I think that has a profound effect on those seeking a leadership role. We need to challenge those assumptions in leadership. Confidence is built on trust, and I think it’s easy to trust when you see someone express that they don’t have all the answers. Or when you see someone has emotions. The biggest thing I learned is that I could be all those things and still lead a country, and people would still vote for me.”
Matlin: “My situation is that I have a life with many layers. I’ve had language deprivation, experience with sobriety, and been a victim of domestic violence and a victim of sexual abuse. It comes down to all these things in my life and then being thrust into the public spotlight and expected to be the president of Deaf people and accessibility, which I didn’t understand at 19 or 21 years old. Everything came all at once… I’m much stronger today… I gave myself the best gift — being sober for 38 years is the best thing I’ve given myself. It’s given me clarity to think.”
(L-R) Marlee Matlin and Dame Jacinda Ardern attend the 2025 Sundance Film Festival at Filmmaker Lodge on January 25, 2025, in Park City, UT. (Photo by Donyale West/Shutterstock for Sundance Film Festival)
How did you decide to become a parent?
Dame Jacinda: “I struggled to conceive, so I thought life was choosing for me. When I was in the general election, trying to become a prime minister, I decided I would think about being a mother later. At the end of the election, we were negotiating with another party to see who would win. It was an intense two-week period of back and forth, and I was feeling a little off during those negotiations. And so the universe decided!”
Matlin: “I didn’t grow up thinking I would be the mother of four children. I met my husband, and we decided to have kids. I was working at the time, and I didn’t have a choice to take a break because I couldn’t get work easily. I would bring my babies to work. In my case, I continued to have kids because I wanted to. I continued to work because I needed to. I love working as well.”
Who are people who have supported you?
Dame Jacinda: “My role models have always been the people closest to me — my mom and dad. They are beautiful people. My husband. He stayed home to raise our girl and made many sacrifices, and I couldn’t do what I do without him.”
Matlin: “There are many people who I cherish. Interpreter Jack Jason who’s been speaking for me right now for 39 years. Jack and I have been working together for a long time. I also have a tight circle of girlfriends who are not in the entertainment business. I have a girlfriend who is with me today. When I’m home, being a mom, and my husband is beside me, it’s something I need.”
What is your favorite cheese?
Dame Jacinda: “All of it.”
Matlin: “All of it except smoked cheese.”
Do you have pets?
Dame Jacinda: “I have a cat, and it’s a polydactyl cat, so it has opposable thumbs. It’s preparing to take over the world.”
Matlin: “Yes, I have a cat and dog. I love my cat.”
Do you have a favorite documentary?
Dame Jacinda: “I remember watching a documentary about women during wartime. It was called War Stories My Mother Never Told Us by Gaylene Preston. I was very moved by it. There’s a connection between documentary and politics. It’s about storytelling and moving people and trying to create change through building communities.”
Matlin: “I think Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore!”
