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The Big Conversation tackles science, art, culture, and the movements that are fueling the imaginations of today’s independent artists.
+ MoreFilmmaker Andrew Stanton (WALL-E) and screenwriter Colby Day (Spaceman) have explored themes of human connection to science and technology throughout their work, including the new film In the Blink of An Eye, which spans thousands of years of human history, from a Neanderthal family struggling to survive, to the work of an anthropologist (uncovering that past), to the mission of spacecraft — its sole human occupant and onboard sentient computer — bringing humanity to a distant planet. Stanton and Day are joined by moderator Dr. Heather Berlin.
Supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
Events located at the Filmmaker Lodge are free for all Festival badge holders and attendees with a Festival ID attached to a 2026 Sundance Film Festival account.
Access is provided on a first-come, first-served basis and is subject to seating availability. No ticket or pre-registration is required to attend.
This talk will be livestreamed and a recording will be posted approximately 24 hours later.
Andrew Stanton, a key Pixar creative since the 1990s, co-wrote and directed Finding Nemo, WALL•E, A Bug’s Life, and Finding Dory. An Oscar-nominated filmmaker, he also directs acclaimed live-action and streaming series such as Stranger Things and For All Mankind.
Colby Day is an award-winning writer, director, and producer whose work has screened at Sundance, SXSW, and Berlinale. Named one of MovieMaker Magazine’s “25 Screenwriters to Watch,” his writing credits include Searchlight’s In the Blink of an Eye, Netflix’s Spaceman, and Apple’s For All Mankind.
Dr. Ariel Ekblaw is founder and CEO of Aurelia Institute and GP of Aurelia Foundry Fund, advancing humanity’s future in space. She holds degrees from Yale University and MIT, and her space architecture work has been featured on the TED 2025 mainstage and in WIRED, Financial Times, Harvard Business Review, Wall Street Journal, BBC, CNN, and NPR.
Dr. Denise Su is a paleoecologist and professor at Arizona State University. She specializes in the environments of early human ancestors to provide insights into how we became human. She is passionate about integrating research with public outreach and education to invite all people to participate in science.
Dr. Heather Berlin is a neuroscientist, clinical psychologist, and associate clinical professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at Mount Sinai Hospital. A passionate science communicator, she hosts PBS NOVA’s Your Brain and The Science of Perception Box podcast, exploring the neuroscience of creativity, consciousness, and the intersection of science, film, and culture.
The doors are open again at Cinema Café, where the culture of conversation is reinvigorated. Our series of informal chats brings together special guests for thought-provoking encounters and fascinating dialogue.
The doors are open again at Cinema Café, where the culture of conversation is reinvigorated. Our series of informal chats brings together special guests for thought-provoking encounters and fascinating dialogue.
The doors are open again at Cinema Café, where the culture of conversation is reinvigorated. Our series of informal chats brings together special guests for thought-provoking encounters and fascinating dialogue.
The Sundance Film Festival’s Power of Story conversation looks to deepen public engagement with the art of storytelling, delve into cinema culture, and celebrate artists whose work propels and reinvents the form.
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