Institute Bids Farewell to Documentary Program Director

After five years of building and leading the Sundance Institute Documentary Program, today Diane Weyermann leaves her post as director of that program to accept a role with Participant Productions as Executive Vice President of Documentary Production. She will continue to serve as a member of the Selection Committee for the Sundance Institute Documentary Fund.

"Sundance Institute has been truly fortunate to have Diane at the helm of our Documentary Film Program for the past five years," said Robert Redford, President and founder of Sundance Institute. "Over this time she has greatly advanced the art form of the documentary, and specifically international documentaries. We wish her all the best in her new adventure at Participant and we look forward to continuing her relationship with the Institute as well as working together on projects in the future."

In her role at the Institute since 2001, Weyermann has overseen the funding of roughly 150 nonfiction films through the Sundance Institute Documentary Fund, in addition to instituting two annual Labs to support documentary filmmakers through the creative process, and participating in the programming of the Sundance Film Festival. At Participant Productions, she will oversee the documentary slate and assume responsibility for managing the company’s documentary department, including the acquisition of new projects and the supervision of projects from production through release.

“Diane leaves the Institute having established a very strong documentary program which now provides creative, financial, and strategic support to nonfiction filmmakers around the world and is a core program of the Institute,” said Ken Brecher, Executive Director of Sundance Institute.

"I’ve had a great experience at Sundance, where I’ve been able to support extraordinary filmmakers and documentaries from around the world,” said Weyermann. “It has also been my privilege to work with amazing colleagues who possess tremendous commitment, creativity, and humanity."

“Our Documentary Program has a strong team in place,” Brecher continued, “and we will continue to be deeply committed to the development and exhibition of nonfiction film.”

The Institute’s Documentary Fund will announce its newest slate of grantees in the coming weeks.