(L–R) Stacey Wilson Hunt, Daniel Kaluuya, Mstyslav Chernov, Chloë Sevigny, and Celine Song at the Egyptian Theatre on January 28, 2025, in Park City, UT. (Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Shutterstock for Sundance Film Festival)
By Sandy Phan
On January 28, director Mstyslav Chernov, actor Daniel Kaluuya, actor and director Chloë Sevigny, and director Celine Song shared their experiences at Power of Story: On Success at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Moderator Stacey Wilson Hunt engaged the artists with topics that ranged from their early inspirations, the definition of success, and how success has shaped their current and future work.
Below are some of our favorite quotes from Power of Story: On Success. Click here for a recording of the event.
Celine Song on what she learned from her parents about success. I think that growing up, it’s easy for us to kind of think of our work as A+ or B-. But something that is really helpful when your parents are freelance artists is that you already know that’s not how your success is measured. You’re able to [get] a lot more patience from your parents. Like my parents would never ask me, “When is your play going to be on Broadway?” They know that today I can or can’t pay rent, and tomorrow I get to be in Sundance. My mom is in visual arts, and my dad is a film director in Korea, and I feel like, I think my definition of success was formed because of them.
Daniel Kaluuya on how his successes (Get Out and Judas and the Black Messiah) helped him get his dream project, The Kitchen, made. I realized that there’s nothing higher [than an Oscar]. I realized it goes wider. There are doors and meetings that you didn’t even know about. Then I’m talking to these guys [who ask], “What do you want to do?” I see it like a master’s program. I see it like, “What are you going to do with it?” How am I going to use it to propel me to a scarier place so I can grow? I’m here to succeed.
(L–R) Mstyslav Chernov, Celine Song, Stacey Wilson Hunt, Daniel Kaluuya, and Chloë Sevigny at the Egyptian Theatre on January 28, 2025, in Park City, UT. (Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Shutterstock for Sundance Film Festival)
Mstyslav Chernov on telling a story in a neutral way. Being subjective and not moralizing can coexist. I think my experience of journalism over those years felt like an appropriate thing to do when there is a war in your country. You put everything you have into that topic, and then you go forward. Eventually it did result in the making of the film, 20 Days in Mariupol, but before that, there were many other wars and many other journalistic experiences, and that helps to know your tone — to know your balance in a world where everyone is just tired of moralizing because everyone wants to convince everyone [of] something, and questions are more important than answers. That’s what I just wanted to do — to ask questions. And [asking] a question is not moralizing. That’s the point; you’re not trying to give a solution.
Chloë Sevigny on helping others succeed and directing. [I] want to go places that scare us, find the truth, do interesting stories, and hopefully be impactful. And there’s a lot of that in television now, which I think is why I’ve been drawn to it. [I’m] working with first-time filmmakers and hopefully bringing what success I have to people who are trying to come up and help propel others. I want to give back and keep working, and it goes back to me as a kindergartener being very driven. I love working. I love being on a set. I love being around creative people. I love telling stories and being challenged. That’s what it’s all about, like a miracle sometimes.
Daniel Kaluuya on what has kept him steady, happy, and hopeful. I signed up for this newsletter, and it said, “Go, rewatch or revisit the things that you loved at 15, and you’ll meet yourself there.” So I downloaded Dragon Ball Z. I watched it all night. I love this shit. I think in this game, there’s so much bullshit. And I was losing what I fell in love with. I need to keep remembering what I’m here for, and it helps with other stuff. Business, but it doesn’t fulfill you, but you need both, so it’s that — essentially — that’s kept me balanced.
