Feature Film

The longest-running of Sundance Institute's artist development programs, the Feature Film Program (FFP) was founded in 1981 and has since supported more than 500 independent filmmakers whose distinctive, singular films have engaged audiences worldwide. We hope to embrace the unique vision of each filmmaker we support and encourage a rigorous creative process with a focus on original storytelling. Led by Michelle Satter, each year the Program advances the work of as many as 65 emerging filmmakers from the U.S. and around the world through a year-round continuum of support from development, to production and postproduction, all the way through to festival strategy and creative marketing/distribution.

The Feature Film Program offers support to Fellows through six annual Labs:

• The January Screenwriters Lab, at which filmmakers develop their screenplays through intensive one-on-one story sessions with Creative Advisors
• The June Directors Lab, which provides an opportunity for directors to rehearse, shoot, and edit selected scenes from their screenplays in a workshop environment under the guidance of Creative Advisors
• The June Screenwriters Lab, which allows Fellows time to revisit and revise their screenplays based on the challenges experienced during the Directors Lab.
• The Feature Film Composers Lab, which provides a collaborative space for directors and film composers to work together, scoring music to scenes from the Directors Lab.
• The Creative Producing Lab, which allows Fellows to explore their own creative take on the project and to develop skills and a process for evaluating, developing, and implementing their material to reflect these ideas.
• The Creative Producing Summit, a three-day conference focusing on the producing, financing, and distribution of independent film in the current marketplace.

“One of our core beliefs is that artists are fundamental to creating an engaged and informed society. To this day, I continue to be passionate about discovering the completely original, authentic voice whose story begs to be told. I know how much we can do to support their creativity and help them engage with audiences around the world.” –Michelle Satter

After participation in the Screenwriters and Directors Labs, Feature Film Program Fellows continue to receive a range of tailored assistance as they move their projects toward production, postproduction, and marketing/creative distribution. In many cases, the Institute has helped the Fellows attach producers and talent, secure financing, and assemble other significant resources to move their projects toward production and presentation. Some of the more specific ways in which the Feature Film Program maintains its commitment and support of filmmakers and their projects include: Film Grants and Fellowships; donated or discounted equipment and services from vendors; the Screenplay Reading Series, which gives work-in-progress screenplays staged readings by an ensemble of professional actors; and the Rough-Cut Screening Initiative, through which Creative Advisors offer feedback in the critical postproduction phase. In 2008, the FFP also launched the Creative Producing Fellowship, a year-long program for emerging independent producers, which includes the Creative Producing Lab, industry mentorship, and financial support. Depending on the specific needs of the project, many Fellows then receive ongoing creative and strategic support through all stages of the project's life.

In 2011, six Feature Film Program Lab films premiered in Dramatic Competition at the Sundance Film Festival:

Circumstance, written and directed by Maryam Keshavarz

HERE, co-written by Braden King and Dani Valent and directed by Braden King

Little Birds, written and directed by Elgin James

Martha Marcy May Marlene, written and directed by Sean Durkin

On the Ice, written and directed by Andrew MacLean

Pariah, written and directed by Dee Rees. 

In addition, the Feature Film Program provided finishing/marketing grants to the following seven Festival films:

Another Earth, co-written by Mike Cahill and Brit Marling and directed by  Mike Cahill

Jess + Moss, written and directed by Clay Jeter

Kinyarwanda, written and directed by Alrick Brown

Letters from the Big Man, written and directed by Christopher Munch

Like Crazy, written and directed by Drake Doremus

Sound of My Voice, co-written by Zal Batmanglij and Brit Marling and directed by Zal Batmanglij

Take Shelter, written and directed by Jeff Nichols

Alumni and Advisors

Over the last 29 years, the Feature Film Program has developed a range of films that have changed the course of independent cinema today, including: Cary Fukunaga's Sin Nombre, Cherien Dabis' Amreeka, Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs, Sherman Alexie and Chris Eyre's Smoke Signals, Josh Marston's Maria Full of Grace, Kimberly Peirce's Boys Don't Cry, and Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden's Half Nelson. Click here for a full list of Feature Film Program supported works.

Many leading professionals in the independent film world have contributed as Creative Advisors to the work supported by the Program, including: Ed Harris, Paul Thomas Anderson, Nicole Holofcener, Walter Salles, Scott Frank, Guillermo Arriaga, Tomas Vinterberg, Catherine Hardwicke, Walter Murch, and Robert Elswit. Click here for a full list of past Creative Advisors.