The Deadline Studio at Sundance Film Festival runs January 20-23 at Hotel Park City, where the cast and creatives behind the best and buzziest titles in this year’s lineup sit down with Deadline’s festival team to discuss their movies and the paths they took to get to Park City.
Willie Nelson & Family
Section: Indie Episodic Program
Directors: Thom Zimney, Oren Moverman
Logline: This five-part documentary series explores Willie Nelson’s rise from Depression-era Texas to a thriving songwriting career in Nashville, to a massively successful career as a recording artist and touring musician. The man who wrote “Family Bible,” “Hello, Walls,” “Always On My Mind,” “Crazy” and numerous other hits needed tremendous perseverance to make it as a solo performer when his first 17 albums failed miserably.
Panelists: Thom Zimny (director, executive producer), Oren Moverman (director, executive producer)
Next Screening: January 24, 8:30 a.m MST, Prospector Square Theatre, Park City
Key Quote: “It’s the beauty of Willie is that you’re constantly stumbling into a world that surprises you.” – Thom Zimny
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“The Nashville episode is really surprising when you see how he was basically trying to fit in, basically trying to become a performer on Nashville’s terms. And he just couldn’t get there. They all appreciated [his talent] in the industry but they didn’t know what to do with him, he was so odd and unusual for that scene. And for some reason he just kept going at it and it’s hard – we say it in the film – to imagine Willie Nelson being frustrated and being rejected but it went on for 17 albums, basically, where they were trying everything with him and nothing sold. And it’s really only when he left Nashville when he discovered his own way of doing things, which became the Willie Nelson way.”
Click above to watch the panel video, and track all of our Deadline Studio content here.
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The 2023 Sundance Film Festival takes place from January 19-29. Follow Deadline’s complete coverage of the deals and the doings in Park City here.
