The Latest
Congratulations to the Sundance-Supported Independent Spirit Award Winners
At the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, Carey Mulligan’s fearless performance in Emerald Fennell’s dark and daring feminist thriller Promising Young Woman elicited no shortage of dropped jaws at the feature’s world premiere. And on Thursday night at Film Independent’s virtual Independent Spirit Awards, Mulligan was awarded Best Female Lead for her turn as Cassie, a “suspiciously unambitious” med-school dropout on a righteous quest for vengeance. (Fennell — previously known for her work on TV’s Killing Eve — was also awarded Best Screenplay for her debut feature.
The Ultimate Earth Day Watchlist: 30 Must-See Documentary Films from the Sundance Vaults
On April 22, 1970, a group of activists and politicians banded together to plan a nationwide event with the intent of promoting world peace and honoring the wonder and majesty of the planet we call home. More than 20 million people participated in that inaugural Earth Day in the U.S.
Watchlist: 9 Essential Independent Films by Arab American Directors
When filmmakers Najwa Najjar and Cherien Dabis reconnected in 2009, four years after bringing projects through the Sundance Institute’s Rawi Middle East Screenwriters Lab in Jordan, the pair had a lot to discuss. Soon after their international call, the two would fly to Park City for the Sundance Film Festival premieres of their respective debut features, Najjar’s Pomegranates and Myrrh and Dabis’s Amreeka.
During their conversation, both filmmakers talked about how their backgrounds helped shape their work as filmmakers.
A Peek Into the Sundance Archives During Preservation Week
Preservation Week — celebrated every year during the last week of April — is a time to shed light on the importance of archives and to engage in conversations surrounding preservation and its role in maintaining the historical record. As we enter the Sundance Institute’s 40th anniversary this summer, there’s more opportunity than ever for us to look back and share some of our own unique history.The Sundance Archives & Collection is a small but dedicated Institute department committed to encouraging independent artists to preserve their work and educating the community about the Institute’s legacy.
Release Rundown: “Together Together” and “In the Earth” Hit Theaters in April
Welcome to Release Rundown, your monthly look at the Sundance-supported titles hitting theaters and streaming platforms. In this revamped column, we’ll let you know where you can find each release, offer up trailers, and also clue you in on some classic Festival titles currently available on streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO Max, Hulu, Criterion Channel, and beyond. Here’s a look at everything you’ll want to add your your queue in April 2021.
Sundance Ignite: Meet the Next Generation of Independent Filmmakers
Ed. note: This year’s Sundance Ignite x Adobe Short Film Challenge is now open. If you’re an emerging filmmaker ages 18 to 25, submit your short film by April 6 for a chance to be one of 2022’s Sundance Ignite fellows.
Perspectives: Filmmakers Shaandiin Tome and Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers on Carrying On a Legacy of Leadership
Last month, the Sundance Institute Indigenous Program published a new series, Perspectives, featuring Indigenous artists who have been supported by the Institute’s Indigenous Program whose work continues to broaden and champion all Indigenous experiences. We kicked off the series talking to filmmakers Miciana Alise (Tlingit) and Daniel Hyde (Navajo) on creating Black and Indigenous narratives; this month, in celebration of Women’s History Month, we’re back speaking with writer-directors Shaandiin Tome (Diné Nation) and Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers (Kainai Nation, Blackfoot Confederacy, and Sámi from Uŋárga).
While Women’s History Month in the United States began as Women’s History Week in 1981, Indigenous communities have always maintained and honored women as leaders.
The Sundance Institute Announces Chief Executive Officer Keri Putnam to Step Down
LOS ANGELES—Sundance Institute CEO Keri Putnam has informed staff and the Board of Trustees that she will be stepping down later this year after more than 10 years with the Institute. Under her leadership, the renowned media and arts nonprofit has seen a decade of extraordinary growth and impact. The organization is uniquely positioned as a leading global advocate for independent artists, diversity in media, freedom of expression, and the critical role of arts in shaping society.
A Note from Sundance Institute CEO Keri Putnam
To our Sundance community —
After 10 deeply rewarding years, I have decided that it is the right time for me to step down as CEO of the Sundance Institute. Leading this incredible organization through a volatile era in media with the help of such a passionate and talented group of colleagues, artists, audiences, board members, partners, friends, and donors has been one of the greatest joys of my life. As I work with the team and the Board of Trustees to prepare for my departure at the end of this summer, I am confident that Sundance is thriving and poised to begin a transformative new era.
“Minari,” “Judas and the Black Messiah” Lead Sundance-Supported 2021 Oscar Nominees
Early Monday morning, 2021’s delayed awards season picked up more steam with the unveiling of the nominees for the 93rd annual Academy Awards. Priyanka Chopra (star of the 2018 Festival film A Kid Like Jake) and Nick Jonas (who was in the 2016 Festival film GOAT) went live to announce the nods across all 23 categories, and we want to congratulate all of the Sundance-supported projects that are up for awards. In total, Sundance-supported projects received 31 nominations (including four out of eight Best Picture nominations).
Sundance Institute and XRM Media Partner to Present Sundance Film Festival: Asia
Sundance Institute and XRM Media today announced a collaboration to create the Sundance Film Festival: Asia to support, connect, promote, and celebrate the independent film community within Asia while showcasing a selection of films from the 2021 Sundance Film Festival.
The Sundance Film Festival: Asia is an expansion of the Institute’s programming in the region, further championing and promoting visibility for independent storytelling before a wider global audience. The first edition will take place in late summer 2021 and be hosted in Jakarta, Indonesia, with support from IDN Media, Indonesia’s leading media platform company.
Updates from the Sundance Institute’s Artist Programs
Dear family and friends,
Nearly a year ago, we announced our Respond and Reimagine Fund, which dedicated a million dollars in grants to artists and organizations impacted by the pandemic, with priority support for BIPOC artists and organizations that have been disproportionately affected. In the difficult months since then, the resilience, collective action, and creativity of the independent artist community have continued to inspire us, as they persisted despite adversity.
Submissions to the Sundance Institute’s labs and granting programs have been steady — in some cases, they’re higher than ever — and we recognize the ongoing urgency of providing creative and financial support to artists making new work during a time of great difficulty.
Celebrate International Women’s Day with This World-Spanning Sundance Watchlist
At the first-ever Sundance Film Festival in 1985, an English director named Sally Potter brought a unique project to Park City. Her debut feature, The Gold Diggers, was made with an all-women production crew that was paid equally, including Potter’s co-writers, Lindsay Cooper and Rose English; producers Nita Amy and Donna Grey; and cinematographer Babette Mangolte. That same year, the Festival also hosted Lina Wurtmüller’s A Joke of Destiny (Italy), Gillian Armstrong’s Mrs.
Announcing the 2021 Sundance Institute Screenwriters Intensive Fellows
We’re thrilled to announce the 11 screenwriters selected to participate in Sundance Institute’s ninth annual Screenwriters Intensive, taking place digitally on March 4–5, 2021. The Intensive is a two-day workshop for emerging independent writers and writer/directors developing their first fiction features. This cohort of artists from traditionally underrepresented communities will have the opportunity to interrogate their stories and refine their artistic practice, all under the guidance of established writers and the Institute’s Feature Film Program, led by me and the program’s Founding Director, Michelle Satter.
Sundance-Supported New Releases to Watch This March, from ‘Violation’ to ‘The Courier’
Growing up, Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli were fascinated by iconic male anti-heroes like Taxi Driver’s Travis Bickle and Harvey Keitel’s titular character from Bad Lieutenant. “These were the films that made us want to make movies, and we realized we weren’t really seeing the same number of female antiheroes,” they explained to us before the U.S.