Feature Film Lab Fellow Eva Husson (at left) with her script supervisor on the set of her project Tiny Dancer.
	Feature Film Lab Fellow Andrew Dosunmu discussing his project Mother of George with Institute President and Founder Robert Redford, who also served as an advisor at the Lab.
	Editor Juan Carlos Rulfo and director Valentina Leduc Navarro working at the second annual Documentary Edit and Storytelling Lab.
	Creative advisor Walter Mosely (at right) working with Screenwriters Lab Fellow Sal Stabile.

In the Spring issue of Filmmaker Magazine, Scott Macaulay details her process of getting the film made, and what role the Sundance Institute played in the film’s development. Click here for the full story.

	Miranda July with creative advisor and writer/director Miguel Arteta at the 2003 Directors Lab where she developed Me and You and Everyone We Know.
	John Hawkes and Miranda July in Me and You and Everyone We Know

Michael Kang's The Motel Receives HUMANITAS Sundance Prize
Writer/director Michael Kang’s The Motel recently received the HUMANITAS Prize in the Sundance Feature Film category, an annual prize that recognizes a film that screened at the Sundance Film Festival and, “affirms the dignity of the human person.” Kang developed The Motel as a Fellow of Screenwriters and Filmmakers Labs offered by the Institute’s Feature Film Program, and was a recipient of the Sundance/NHK International Filmmakers Award. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2005. The HUMANITAS Prize for a Sundance film carries a $10,000 cash prize.

Writer/director Frank Pierson, who is a long-time Creative Advisor for the Labs offered by the Institute’s Feature Film Program, was recognized with the Keiser Award for, “his vision as a filmmaker, his leadership in the industry and his willingness to share his knowledge as a teacher.” Lackawanna Blues, written by Ruben Santiago-Hudson and directed by George C. Wolfe, was shown at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, and received the HUMANITAS Prize in the 90-minute category. Awards were presented at a luncheon in Los Angeles on June 29.

Michael Kang accepted the HUMANITAS Prize in the "Sundance Feature Film Category" for his film The Motel. Kang's project was supported in its development by the Institute's Feature Film Program and was a recipient of the Sundance/NHK Filmmakers Award.

From Krakow to LA: I Am My Own Wife
Doug Wright’s critically acclaimed I Am My Own Wife opened in Los Angeles on June 15, on the heels of an April production staged at the Stary Theatre in Krakow, Poland. The Polish production was part of a collaboration of the Sundance Institute Theatre Program and the Stary Theatre which also included theatre workshops led by Wright and director Moises Kauffman. The play, which received both the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award for Best Play in 2004, tells the story of the life of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, a German transvestite who ultimately survived the Nazi regime and its replacement in East Germany by the Soviet-dominated Communist dictatorship.

Wright took time to answer a few questions on the eve of opening night in Poland, and then just after his return. After returning to the U.S., Wright said of the experience that, “It was viscerally thrilling to see the play – a story steeped in Cold War Intrigue – performed in front of an Eastern European audience who had endured its own ruthless Communist past. Their connection to the material wasn’t just academic; it was experiential and profound.”

Read more about Wright’s experience in Poland.

Projects Developed During Institute's Theatre Lab at White Oak to be Staged in 2005-2006 Season
In November of 2004, the Sundance Theatre Lab at White Oak was focused on the development of two new works of musical theatre: Terrence McNally’s Some Men and Grey Gardens: A New Musical by librettist Doug Wright, composer Scott Frankel, and lyricist Michael Korie. Both works will appear on stage during the 2005-2006 theatre season.

The Off-Broadway company Playwrights Horizon will present Grey Gardens: A Musical as part of its 2005-2006 season. Michael Greif, who also attended the Lab at White Oak last fall, will direct the play which is inspired by the 1976 documentary film by David and Albert Maysles.

McNally’s Some Men is directed by Philip Himberg, who also serves as Producing Artistic Director of the Sundance Institute Theatre Program. The play is one of four world premieres being staged as part of the Philadelphia Theatre Company’s 30th anniversary season.

Click here for a story about the 2004 Lab at White Oak, and a glimpse into the development of these up-and-coming new works.

Tony Awards and Other Recognition for Theatre Lab Projects
When the Tony Awards were presented on June 5 at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall, Craig Lucas’ The Light in the Piazza received a total of six awards, including “Best Original Score Written for Theatre.” Developed by Lucas and librettist Adam Guettel at the 200X Sundance Institute Theatre Lab, the work received more Tonys than any other single play this year. In addition to being recognized for its score, the musical received the Tonys for “Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical,” “Best Scenic Design of a Musical,” “Best Lighting Design of a Musical,” and “Best Orchestrations.”

Another project developed at the Theatre Lab in 2003, Lisa Kron’s Well, is among the works listed in The Best Plays Theater Yearbook 2003-2004, an annual publication that salutes the best plays on and Off-Broadway.

Call for Entries: 2006 Sundance Film Festival
Submissions are now being accepted for the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, scheduled to run January 19-29, 2006 in Park City, Utah. This year, Festival programmers are actively focused on securing world premieres from U.S. and international filmmakers. The 2006 Festival will present roughly 120 feature-length films in seven distinct categories.

16 narrative films and 16 documentaries will compete in the World Cinema Dramatic and Documentary Competitions. To be eligible films must be U.S. premieres, though world premieres are preferred. To be eligible for the long-standing American Dramatic and Documentary Competitions films must be prepared to have their world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.

International and American films not selected for their respective Competitions are eligible for the Festival’s other categories, including Premiere, Park City at Midnight, Frontier, and a new non-competition section for U. S. and international films.

The Festival presents a separate competition for short films which screen before feature-length films at the Festival, and as part of dedicated short film programs.

Click here to learn more about submitting a film to the 2006 Sundance Film Festival.

Short Films From the Sundance Film Festival to be Showcased
Short films by directors ranging from well-known director Spike Jonze to first-time filmmaker Cary Fukunaga will be showcased during Sundance Summer Shorts at the Hammer, a free outdoor screening series held each Friday night in July at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles. Presented by Sundance Institute and the Hammer Museum, the series showcases short films from the Sundance Film Festival, including award-winning films, works by notable directors, films breaking cinematic ground, and powerful nonfiction works.

A cash bar will be available, and visitors are encouraged to bring a picnic dinner to the screenings held in the Hammer Museum’s outdoor courtyard. Screenings begin at sundown, shortly after 8pm.

The Hammer Museum is located at 10899 Wilshire Blvd at Westwood Blvd, Los Angeles CA 90024 / 310.443.7000 / www.hammer.ucla.edu.

Click here for the complete schedule.

Napoleon Dynamite Kicks Off Sundance Institute Outdoor Film Festival’s Free Summer Screenings in Utah

On Friday, July 8, the Institute’s Outdoor Film Festival kicks off with a Park City screening of the 2004 Festival film Napoleon Dynamite. Films such as Whale Rider, Edge of America, and Goodbye Lenin! will be screened as part of the Outdoor Film Festival which runs through August 22 and presents free weekly screenings in Park City, Salt Lake City, and at Sundance Village. All screenings are free and begin at sunset, just after 9 pm. Filmgoers are encouraged to arrive early for prime seating.

The series is part of the Institute’s Arts & Audiences Utah Initiative.

Click here for full schedule.