The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, stepped into the spotlight at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, on Saturday, January 24. Their rare joint public appearance was for the premiere of their documentary Cookie Queens, on which they served as executive producers.
The outing came shortly after Prince Harry’s high-profile testimony in a London courtroom, which drew renewed attention to his ongoing legal battles with British media outlets.
A Warm Reception for “Cookie Queens”
The documentary, directed by Alysa Nahmias, was met with a notable two-minute standing ovation following its screening at the Eccles Theatre—a response considered significant at the typically reserved Sundance Festival. Ahead of the premiere, the couple posed for photos with director Nahmias, festival director Eugene Hernandez, and actress Amy Redford.
Film Highlights Girl Scouts’ Journey
Cookie Queens follows four Girl Scouts—Shannon Elizabeth, Olive, Nikki, and Ara—as they navigate the annual cookie-selling season, striving to surpass ambitious sales goals while balancing personal challenges and aspirations. One scout, Olive, remarkably sold 12,000 boxes of cookies.
A Call for Change
During the post-screening discussion, Olive took the opportunity to advocate for reform within the Girl Scouts organization. She highlighted bureaucratic hurdles, such as a multi-week approval process for community projects, which conflicts with the short one-week pitching window for scouts. Olive argued that these delays can discourage initiative and hinder meaningful community service that also benefits the scouts’ personal development.
Distribution and Impact
Cookie Queens is being represented for distribution by WME Independent and Submarine. The film aims to resonate widely by blending an uplifting story of youth determination with a pointed critique of institutional obstacles, celebrating achievement while advocating for change.
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