Welcome to the first ever MovieJawn Split Decision! Each week, Ryan will pose a question to our staff of knowledgable and passionate film lovers and share the responses. Chime in on Twitter, Facebook, our Instagram, or in the comments below.

This week’s question:

What is a film you love that premiered at any year's Sundance Film Festival?

Thinking about all of the shenanigans with GameStop, RobinHood, and Wall Street again trying to separate non-professionals and their money made me once again think about Boiler Room. This 2000 Sundance selection was Ben Younger’s debut film, and tells the story of scam artists loosely based on Jordan Belfort. With a fun cast that includes Giovanni Ribisi and Vin Diesel, this turns white collar crime into a fun and electrifying thriller. –Ryan Silberstein, The Red Herring

One that immediately jumps to mind is Kevin Smith’s Clerks. Though it doesn’t hold up as well as, say, when I was 16 getting into film and Kevin Smith became my new god for a time, it does perfectly capture the independent spirit that Sundance tries to champion. Clerks showed that you didn’t need millions of dollars and a pedigree to make a film that could connect with people and stand the test of time. Smith did exactly what the auteurs of the French New Wave did, only with more dick jokes. -Ian Hrabe, Staff Writer

Can I choose a year instead of a film? 2005 was an amazing year at Sundance! Noah Baumbach’s The Squid and the Whale, Gregg Araki’s Mysterious Skin, and Phil Morrison’s Junebug are all films I’m going to die gratified that I saw in theaters opening weekend. If I were to compile a space capsule to rocket evidence of human family relations and phenomenal acting into the furthest reaches of the galaxy, these three would be on my list of “Films to Pack.” I guess Grizzly Man can be made to fit the family drama genre as well with some latitude. -Jenny Swadosh, Contributor

So many options. Anything by Allison Anders and Gregg Araki would suffice, but I love everything from Cutters Way, and Apartment Zero, to Parting Glances and Frisk, to Real Women Have Curves and The Dancer Upstairs. The festival is great for discovering exciting new films and filmmakers. I like the little gems not the ones that get the major attention. Too many favorites to choose just one.–Gary M. Kramer, Staff Writer

I agree with Gary M. Kramer–trying to pick one is like trying to figure out which grey hair to pull first. With a gun to my head, though, I’ll pick Gregg Araki’s The Doom Generation (1995), which is such a witty, shoegaze-centric romp of a road trip to Hell. It cemented my love for James Duval, made my friend Jay decide that Rose McGowan only became an actor so she could get paid to swear, and has so many cameos that it would make your head spin. –Anthony Glassman, Contributor

Omggggg there are so many amazing choices, so this is hard! My first thought was Heathers, cause that movie is wild and initially flopped before winning the Best First Feature Independent Spirit award before going on to become the cultiest of cult classics. But my final answer is 1991’s Paris is Burning, profiling what many consider the Golden Age of NYC drag balls. Trans youth, especially Black trans youth, need our support and protection now more than ever, and Paris is Burning advocates so beautifully for queer and trans people of all races, which ultimately opened the door for films like Kiki and shows like Pose and Ru Paul’s Drag Race. I think it’s one of the most important films ever made.–Jaime Davis, The Fixer

I'm gonna go with Precious! That movie is never easy to watch but always reminds me what an important platform film can be. It also kind of changed the face of Sundance, widening the market for independent cinema beyond film geeks like us pretty much overnight. Also, gotta shout-out the director/producer and Philly-born Lee Daniels! –Matt Crump, Staff Writer

There are so many flicks I love that premiered at Sundance, so this is hard! If the question were favorite of all time, then I’d have no choice but to talk about Kevin Smith’s Chasing Amy from 1997. But would I, or my sister, ever be the same without 2001’s premiere of Wet Hot American Summer? Truly one of the weirdest and most heartfelt teen films of all time. At once a parody, a true goof, but earnest in its portrayal of human emotion and the heart of both the 80s American teens and the adults they became. –Emily Maesar, Staff Writer

I have to go with my gut instinct here and say Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (1988). Todd Haynes is one of my favourite filmmakers and I’m always moved by his very genuine sensitivity in bringing stories of the struggles of women to life. I had a bootleg VHS copy of this in high school and I’ve watched it at least once a year since then. The way he uses a cast of Barbies to highlight the toxicity of the pressures of celebrity, especially on women, is sobering, poignant, compassionate, and horrifying all at once. A must-see. (Gonna go watch a supercut of Karen Carpenter drum solos now.) –Ashley Jane Davis, Staff Writer

I’m also going to pick a Todd Haynes premiere, but I’ll jump a few years later to 1995’s Safe. Haynes’s slow-moving portrait of suburban ennui and mysterious illness resonates as an AIDS allegory and a critique of the artificiality of modern life. Julianne Moore, in her first of four collaborations with Haynes, gives a devastating performance that cemented her reputation as one of the most remarkable actors of her generation. It might be time to watch this again…–Ryan Smillie, Staff Writer

Although it was recent, my favorite Sundance premiere is from 2019 with Lulu Wang's The Farewell. This was the first year that I was able to attend the festival in person and seeing this premiere in particular was unforgettable. I managed to score a ticket at the last minute and upon my arrival to the famously known Egyptian Theater, the publicist handed me a piece of movie swag especially made for press: a Farewell beanie (toque for the Canadians out there). To most this may seem like a silly gesture, but to me it meant the world. It was in that moment, I realized I was a real life movie journo. Of course I found the movie absolutely fantastic and Lulu Wang's story to be such an inspiration to me as a writer. I am glad to have that hat as a reminder of the bit of movie magic that occurred that day. –Rosalie Kicks, Old Sport

I wish that I had been at Sundance in 1992 to have seen Reservoir Dogs and El Mariachi, two of my very favorite movies for completely different reasons. They're both exhilarating, brilliant pieces that prove imagination is infinitely more valuable than money. –Billy Russell, Staff Writer