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Robert Redford: “All of us have a part to play in bringing the country together again”
Like many of you, I find myself reflecting and looking ahead to a new year, with both optimism and a sense of trepidation.I’m hoping it will bring positive changes: a return to democratic values, more justice for all, less divisions and anger, and a renewed consciousness for our civic duty to protect the environment we all depend on, no matter which political party we align with.I’m also looking back a bit (something I don’t allow myself to do too often).
So You Want to Be a Film Producer? Mallory Schwartz on the Making of “Before You Know It”
The role of the film producer is often obscured by the far-reaching definitions of the job—which are expansive to say the least. With the Feature Film Creative Producing Lab and Fellowship currently accepting applications for the 2019 program, we checked in with 2016 Fellow Mallory Schwartz—and her project Before You Know It (formerly known as Stupid Happy)—to shed light on her journey of producing an independent film. Before You Know It was directed by Hannah Utt and stars Judith Light and Mandy Patinkin alongside co-writers Utt and Jen Tullock.
Sundance Institute Announces 2019 January Screenwriters Lab Fellows: Emerging Writers and Experienced Advisors Come Together for Creative Dialogue
Distinctive Projects from Unique Voices Reflect Boldness and Passion;
Ten Alumni Projects to Premiere at 2019 Sundance Film Festival
Los Angeles, CA — Fifteen screenwriters from countries including the U.S., Lebanon, South Africa, Turkey, and the United Kingdom will bring twelve projects to the Sundance Institute Screenwriters Lab, taking place January 18-23, 2019 at the Sundance Mountain Resort in Utah.
So You Want to Be a Film Producer? Producer Diane Becker On Beating the Clock to Make “Inventing Tomorrow”
It’s an artistic process that often goes unheralded, and one that certainly warrants more conversation: the day-to-day work of the nonfiction producer. To coincide with the launch of the 2019 application for the Documentary Creative Producing Lab and Fellowship, we checked in with 2017 Fellow Diane Becker and her project Inventing Tomorrow, which is directed by Laura Nix and premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. The documentary “follows six young scientists from Indonesia, Hawaii, India and Mexico as they tackle some of the most complex environmental issues facing humanity today.
2019 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL: NEW FRONTIER LINEUP ANNOUNCED
Park City, UT — Sundance Institute spotlights work at the dynamic crossroads of film, art and
technology with the New Frontier selections for the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, announced today. This curated
collection of cutting-edge independent and experimental media works are by creators who are pushing artistic
innovation across new mediums that include VR, AR, mixed reality (MR) and AI. Programmers assembled a global slate of
work from a mix of invitations and submissions to an open call for VR work earlier this year.
Wrestling the Edit: How the Makers of ‘The Cinema Travellers’ Reached the Final Cut
Directors Shirley Abraham and Amit Madheshiya attended the 2014 Documentary Edit and Story Lab with their film “The Cinema Travellers,” about the last traveling cinemas in the faraway villages of India. Below, Amit chronicles their time at the lab and the journey to arriving at the final cut of their film.
“We are here to experiment.
Sundance Institute Theatre Program:Fellows Convene for Lab at MASS MoCA, Currently Underway
Four projects include New Work from Palestine, Australia and U.S.A.
2019 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL: INDIE EPISODIC, SHORTS AND SPECIAL EVENTS ANNOUNCED
12 Episodic Works, 73 Short Films, 4 Special Events Join Festival Slate
Park City, UT — Works selected across the Indie Episodic, Shorts and Special Events sections of the 2019 Sundance Film Festival were announced today, underlining Sundance Institute’s commitment to showcasing bold independent storytelling regardless of form, format or length.
Kim Yutani, the Festival’s Director of Programming, said “Our newly-expanded programming team took in a full spectrum of human experience across genres and formats in creating this year’s Festival program. Following the success of last year’s inaugural Indie Episodic section, we’re immensely proud to showcase these stories told across installments, alongside several provocative, conversation-starting Special Events.
Digging for Truth in the 2019 Sundance Film Festival Program
A theater can serve as a sanctuary of sorts. Stories on screen can whisk us off to worlds unknown, or introduce us to voices seldom heard. They can liberate us from the clamor of daily life, or excavate truth when it’s been submerged for far too long.
2019 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL: 112 FEATURES ANNOUNCED
RECORD-BREAKING 14,259 SUBMISSIONS FROM 152 COUNTRIES
Pahokee, photo by Patrick Bresnan
Park City, UT — The nonprofit Sundance Institute announced today the showcase of new independent
feature films selected across all categories for the
2019 Sundance Film Festival. The Festival hosts
screenings in Park City, Salt Lake City and at Sundance Mountain Resort, from January 24 – February 3, 2019.
The Festival is the Institute’s public program flagship alongside Festivals in London and Hong Kong and other
screenings and events elsewhere throughout the year.
Sundance Institute Announces Inaugural Class of Momentum Fellows
Reimagined Program Expands Former Women at Sundance Fellowship to Include Artists from Underrepresented Communities; Alexandria Bombach (On Her Shoulders) and Yance Ford (Strong Island) Among Artists Supported
Los Angeles — Sundance Institute announced today the eight members of the inaugural class of the Momentum Fellowship, a full-year program of deep, customized creative and professional support for writers, directors, and producers from underrepresented communities working across documentary and feature filmmaking, episodic content, and virtual reality, who are poised to take the next step in their careers.
The Momentum Fellowship evolved from the former Women at Sundance Fellowship, a highly successful model that merited evolution and expansion for impact across a greater cohort of underrepresented communities. Those eligible for this larger, more intersectional program now include artists identifying as women, non-binary, and/or transgender, artists of color, and artists with disabilities.
2019 Sundance Film Festival: Amid Record High Submissions, Announcing New Hires, Talent Forum, Data-Driven Demographic Initiatives & Critic Stipends
Park City, Utah — With less than two weeks until the program is announced, and less than three
months until Day One, Sundance Institute today announces new hires on its programming team and new initiatives to
deepen support for independent storytellers and broaden access to the Festival. The 2019 Festival will showcase work
drawn from over 14,200 submissions, a record high.
Kim Yutani, the Festival’s recently-named Director of Programming, said: “This
year’s record-breaking number of submissions are phenomenally strong: we’re invigorated and inspired by
the work we’ve been seeing.
Native American Heritage Month: 5 Native and Indigenous Artists Invited to Join the Academy
In November, organizations across the United States observe National Native American and Alaska Native Heritage Month. During this month and throughout the year, Sundance Institute acknowledges the ancestral keepers of the land in the communities where we work and supports the important artistic contributions that Native and Indigenous storytellers have made in film, theatre, film music, episodic storytelling, and emerging platforms.
As part of this month’s celebration of the ongoing and enormous creativity and vitality of Native and Indigenous artists, Sundance Institute and the Native Program pay tribute to five outstanding Native and Indigenous artists who have been invited to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
ReFrame and IMDbPro Award 62 TV and Streaming Series with the First-Ever ReFrame Stamp for Television
ReFrame and IMDbPro Recognize Gender-Balanced TV Programs including “GLOW,” “Insecure,” “Jane the Virgin,” “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and “This Is Us”
Los Angeles, CA — ReFrame™ (ReFrameProject.org), a coalition of industry professionals and partner companies founded by Women In Film and Sundance Institute—whose mission is to increase the number of women of all backgrounds working in film, TV and media—and IMDbPro (imdbpro.
So You Want to Be a Film Producer? Checking in with Producer Lauren McBride and “Selah and the Spades”
The role of the film producer is often obscured by the far-reaching definitions of the job—which are expansive to say the least. To coincide with the launch of the 2019 application for the Feature Film Creative Producing Lab and Fellowship, we checked in with 2017 fellow Lauren McBride—and her project, Selah and the Spades—to shed light on her journey of producing an independent film.
Selah is a film directed by Screenwriters and Directors Lab fellow Tayarisha Poe and follows 17-year-old Selah, who rules the student body of The Haldwell School with an iron fist wrapped in a velvet glove.