Sundance Institute's Story Forum: Exploring Art and Innovation is a space to learn, collaborate, and join the conversation; inviting thoughtful dialogue about the artist-first tools and technologies supporting visual storytelling today.
From the cult-noir roots of Brick to the blockbuster puzzles of Knives Out, writer/director/producer Rian Johnson and actor/writer/director Noah Segan have forged one of independent cinema’s most enduring partnerships.
In celebration of the 20th anniversary of their first collaboration on Brick, and the premiere of The Only Living Pickpocket in New York at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, we invite you to a candid conversation on the evolution of storytelling.
Join us for a deep dive into the actor/director relationship, the lessons learned from decades on set, and their take on the future of independent cinema. Discover how a shared artistic language can push the boundaries of genre, and what it truly means to grow alongside your closest collaborators.
If you would benefit from an accommodation to fully participate in this event, please complete this form, contact us at (435) 776-7790, or email us at accessibility@sundance.org to discuss your specific requests. Every effort will be made to accommodate advance requests; however, requests made within 5 days of the event may not be guaranteed.
Director/Writer/Producer
Rian Johnson is a two-time Academy Award® and Golden Globe®-nominated filmmaker known for telling unique stories across a wide variety of genres. Johnson’s film highlights include KNIVES OUT, GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY, LOOPER and STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI. Additionally, through his company T-Street with his creative partner Ram Bergman, Johnson co-created and executive produced the Emmy® nominated series POKER FACE and executive produced the hit science-fiction series 3 BODY PROBLEM. The third installment of his beloved whodunit murder mystery franchise WAKE UP DEAD MAN: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY released in select theaters on November 26, 2025 and is now streaming on Netflix, where the film stayed in the Top 10 films for at least six weeks following the streaming launch and was recently longlisted for Adapted Screenplay for the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards. Upcoming, T-Street will produce longtime collaborator Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s AI thriller feature film starring Rachel McAdams and THE ONLY LIVING PICKPOCKET IN NEW YORK written and directed by Noah Segan, starring John Turturro.
more...Director/Writer, THE ONLY LIVING PICKPOCKET IN NEW YORK
Noah Segan is a fourth-generation New Yorker who has been a part of the independent and genre film community for nearly two decades. Early in their careers, filmmaker Rian Johnson cast Segan in the Sundance Award-winning hit BRICK, beginning their friendship. Since then, Segan has appeared in nearly all of Johnson’s films, from a supporting-lead role in LOOPER to a cameo in STAR WARS: EPISODE VIII - THE LAST JEDI and more recently the blockbuster KNIVES OUT and its sequels, GLASS ONION and WAKE UP DEAD MAN.
more...Moderator | Digital Course & Event Producer, Sundance Collab
Katherine "Kat" Street is an LA-based award-winning filmmaker and Philadelphia native. A cinephile at heart, she writes female-driven stories with complex (oftentimes damaged) main characters, centered around self-discovery, self-love, and belonging.
She has written numerous short-form projects, including original shorts, pilots, and features. She wrote and directed the dramatic short film “Cycles,” which received festival recognition in both acting and best romantic short. She also created her award-winning flagship web series "The New Adult,” which is currently streaming on Kweli TV.
Kat is a Stowe Story Lab SAGIndie Fellow and a participant in the BlackMagic Collective Emerging Filmmakers Initiative. In 2021, she founded the Black Film Challenge, a project that showcases filmmakers of African descent and the movies they create.
She earned her BFA from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts with a concentration in Cinematography and has literary representation with Yak Yak Mgmt.
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