HOW TO LIVE (after you die) was planned to be staged in an intimate theatrical environment in the Egyptian Theatre, on site at Sundance 2022. The experience would have involved enveloping color fields emitted via immersive projection, intriguing graphic text, captivating imagery and the Artist—Lynette Wallworth—alone on an unvarnished stage. With the advent of the Festival going virtual, just two weeks before opening day, the artist and her team swiftly pivoted to translate the once-live performance to a feature-length film, in just 7 days. That pivot means this new work will now be accessible to anyone who creates an account with Sundance International Film Festival anywhere in the world, free of charge, for the duration of the festival after its premiere.

Even with the change in medium, Lynette builds intimacy with her audience through humor, tenderness, and a compelling authenticity. As she reveals her personal history she evocatively calls into relief the spectre of global politics in a world of increasing polarization. One woman’s journey into the labyrinth of religious zealotry and back provides a reckoning with the creeping forces of extremism and the hard won lessons of following one’s own path.