With a push from my Chicago filmmaker friends, including Dashawna Wright, Founder of Choppe Productions, and my good friend Alfie Ngo, a French actor and screenwriter I connected with at Cannes and have been close to ever since, I knew it was time to go. Hi, my name is Jewel Ifeguni. Where to Stay Without Breaking the Bank. Stay in Park City and as close to Main Street as you can! My friend Alfie and I decided to attend about a month before the festival and were fortunate to score an AirBnB in Heber City, which was a minute Uber ride without traffic and twice as long with traffic.
If you book your stay earlier, you can probably get similar rates closer to the venue. Since we stayed further out, we often stayed out from morning until night, which can get exhausting when you do it back-to-back. YOLO, I guess!
Do yourself a favor and stay close to Main Street so you can return to your accommodation between day and evening events. We started each morning with a homemade omelet and matcha drinks a budget-friendly lifesaver! During the day, we had to purchase meals, but many panels and sponsored parties offered free refreshments. Dressing for Success: Fashion Meets Function. Utah is very cold and snowy—even for someone like me from the Windy City. Pro tip: Be prepared for elevation differences!
Here are my top tips for making the most of your time:. By the time I decided to attend a month before , most screenings were sold out. However, reruns and premieres happen later in the festival, and you can often get in by showing up early to the box office. RSVP for as many as possible to give yourself options and backups in case of long lines.
Networking is key—if you meet the right people and vibe with them, invites often come naturally. While parties are fun, I found that the best connections often happened while waiting for panels or chatting after events.
