The Latest
Sundance NEXT FEST Heats Up L.A. Aug. 10-13 with Movie Premieres and Electrifying Musical Performances at The Theatre at Ace Hotel
DinaCredit: Courtesy of Sundance Institute
Quentin Tarantino and Steve Buscemi at 1991 Directors LabCredit: Sandria Miller
Sleigh BellsCredit: Courtesy of Sundance Institute
Los Angeles, CA — Sundance NEXT FEST takes it to the NEXT level with the announcement of seven films direct from the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, paired with three energizing musical performances. The fest lights up Los Angeles August 10-13 at The Theatre at Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles, and this year will include presentation of the Institute’s Vanguard Awards to Quentin Tarantino and Dee Rees. This marks the fifth annual Sundance NEXT FEST and fourth consecutive year that The Theatre at Ace Hotel has hosted the festival.
Rise Up: It’s Time for Native Nations to Take Back Our Voice
Jessie Littlebird is based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and is a 2017 Sundance Institute Full Circle Fellow, a program aimed at supporting the next generation of Native American storytellers. This blog was originally published on Pyragraph.I had the opportunity to attend the 2017 Sundance Film Festival this year after being chosen as a Full Circle Fellow through Sundance’s Native and Indigenous Program.
A Syrian Playwright Brings His Work to Life in Germany
Coming into Sundance Institute’s Playwrights Residency in Germany, I thought my play would require some adjustments – crossing off some ideas, adding a few details. But I thought mostly that it was almost done and that this residency would help me refine it. I thought one piece was missing to complete the puzzle; turned out, a lot of pieces were placed upside down and needed relocation.
From Sundance to Cannes: 5 Feature Film Program-Supported Projects Make Their Premieres
The just completed 70th Cannes International Film Festival also marked the premiere of five Feature Film Program-supported films. Paul Federbush, our International Director and Anne Lai, our Director of Creative Producing and Artist Support were both there to attend the premieres, host an Alumni Reception and experience this annual celebration of film through screenings and industry meetings. Although I didn’t attend, I read all the reviews of our films while taking great pride in the filmmakers and the visions that they brought to life and shared for the first time with worldwide audiences.
Sundance NEXT FEST Returns to DTLA: Movies, Music & Mischief Collide August 10-13
Shamir, Credit: Frazer Harrison/WireImage
The Theatre at Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles Marquee, Credit: Ryan Kobane
Elizabeth Wood, Credit: Ryan Kobane
Los Angeles, CA — The Sundance Film Festival travels from the snow-capped peaks of Park City, Utah to the summer sun of Los Angeles for the fifth Sundance NEXT FEST, August 10-13. The movie and music festival celebrates the renegade spirit of independent artists in one of the most remarkable and historic gems in the city — The Theatre at Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles, a bold and loving reanimation of a 1920s movie palace. Each movie will be paired with exclusive, dynamic live elements, including musical performances and provocative conversations with filmmakers and cinema-world favorites.
Sundance Institute Gathers Emerging Global & U.S. Creators at 2017 Directors and Screenwriters Labs
Radha Blank
Aleem Khan
Francisca Alegria
Reinaldo Marcus Green
Tayarisha Poe
Brett Weiner
Emma Fletcher
Hannah Pearl Utt
Jen Tullock
Grainger David
Cory Miller
Colman Domingo
Amirah Tajdin
Clea DuVall
Marcos Díaz Sosa
Lyle Mitchell Corbine, Jr.
Los Angeles, CA — Thirteen new independent feature projects from Cuba, Chile, Kenya, the UK and the U.S.
Manifesto Demands 13 Different Characters From Cate Blanchett
This story was originally published January 25, 2017, following the premiere of Manifesto at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. The film is currently screening at Film Forum in NYC.In her latest film, Cate Blanchett plays a choreographer.
Sundance Institute Selects 11 Artists with VR and Emerging Media Storytelling Projects for New Frontier Story Lab
Rosie Haber
Silas Howard
Charlotte Stoudt
Laura Wexler
Heather Dewey-Hagborg
Toshiaki Ozawa
Griffin Frazen
Sutu
Charles Henden
Callum Cooper
Amelia Winger-Bearskin
Los Angeles, CA — Sundance Institute announced today the six projects selected for the annual New Frontier Story Lab, which supports independent artists working at the cutting-edge convergence of film, art, media, live performance and technology.
The New Frontier Story Lab is a week-long intensive that empowers creatives with individualized story sessions, conversations about key artistic, design and technology issues and case study presentations from experts in diverse related disciplines. Past participants include Roger Ross Williams, Yung Jake, Chris Milk, Hasan Minhaj, Tommy Pallotta, Navid and Vassiliki Khonsari, Karim Ben Khelifa, Tracy Fullerton and Yasmin Elayat.
‘Casting JonBenet’: Director Kitty Green Isn’t Here to Crack a Cold Case
Before her film debuted at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, and before it was made available to millions of homes and devices last week via Netflix, director Kitty Green met with Sundance.org to discuss Casting JonBenet. It’s the second feature for the Australian born filmmaker, following Ukraine Is Not a Brothel, which tracked a group of topless feminist activists in Ukraine whose efforts at social change seemed undermined by the shadowy figures who had orchestrated and funded their rise.
Native Filmmakers Erin Lau and Shaandiin Tome Workshop Short Films at Sundance Institute Lab this Month in Santa Fe, NM
Los Angeles, CA — Two emerging Native storytellers, Erin Lau (Native Hawaiian) and Shaandiin Tome (Diné) will participate in the 2017 Sundance Institute Native Filmmakers Lab, continuing the Institute’s year-round work in the discovery and development of artists from diverse backgrounds.
The Lab takes place May 14-19 in Santa Fe, NM. During the Lab, Fellows work with a cast, crew, and supervising producer to shoot workshop versions of scenes from their short films under the expert creative mentorship of Program alumni and other established industry professionals and Program staff.
Curtain Up: New Works for the Stage at Sundance Institute’s 2017 Theatre Lab
2013 Theatre LabCredit: Jonathan Hickerson
2015 Theatre LabCredit: Fred Hayes
2015 Theatre LabCredit: Jonathan Hickerson
Los Angeles, CA — Sundance Institute today announced a characteristically diverse and eclectic slate of projects that will be developed at their Theatre Lab, July 14-30 at Sundance Resort in Utah. The Lab is the centerpiece of the Institute’s year-round work with the theatre community, and for nearly four decades has creatively supported projects including Indecent, Appropriate, Fun Home and A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder.
Under the supervision of Artistic Director Philip Himberg and Producing Director Christopher Hibma, Fellows at the Lab enjoy a continuum of support from the theatre community, with dedicated time, space and resources for creative development, rehearsals and constructive guidance and feedback.
Columbus and Unrest Secure Groundbreaking New Distribution Arrangement, with Support from Sundance Institute
Columbus
Photographer Credit: Elisha Christian
Unrest
Photographer Credit: Jason Rothenberg
Los Angeles, CA — Sundance Institute announced today the films selected for its Creative Distribution Fellowship, a new initiative to support filmmaking teams seeking a more entrepreneurial approach to the release of their work. Chosen to receive support from the Fellowship are two acclaimed works from the 2017 Sundance Film Festival: Columbus, from director and screenwriter Kogonada, and Unrest, a documentary directed by Jennifer Brea.
Keri Putnam, Executive Director of Sundance Institute, said, “Columbus and Unrest are perfect examples of the creative spirit of independent filmmaking, and this new Fellowship will provide them with resources, mentorship and tactical support to pioneer independent pathways to audiences.
If We Want a Better World, We Must Start With Ourselves
With Sundance Institute’s generous invitation, I had the privilege of attending the 2017 Skoll World Forum on social entrepreneurship as a Stories of Change Fellow.Our task was to meet with Skoll Foundation awardees to excavate stories and search for points of connection and to see what possibilities existed between our work as storytellers and the stories embedded in their work. Many of the awarded organizations are sitting on an ocean of stories, a dream for any filmmaker.
Sundance in India: “Local Stories Are Universal Stories”
Over the past five years, Sundance Institute’s sustained focus on Indian cinema has provided support for some of the most notable independent films from India in recent years, including Prashant Nair’s Umrika, which won the Audience Award at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival; Shonali Bose’s Margarita With A Straw, winner of the NETPAC Award at the 2014 Toronto Film Festival; and Neeraj Ghaywan’s Masaan, which made its world premiere in Un Certain Regard at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, where it received the Avenir Prize. After five editions of its Screenwriters Labs in India supporting nearly 40 fellows and their projects, Sundance Institute will spend the coming year evaluating its program to make sure it continues to respond to the challenges facing the country’s independent filmmakers.
The Institute was first inspired to create a dedicated Screenwriters Lab in India after selecting Ritesh Batra for the 2009 Screenwriters and Directors Labs.
The Metroplex and Sundance Institute present Sundance Friday
(Hong Kong – April 26, 2017) The Metroplex and Sundance Institute will host the 4th edition of the Sundance Film Festival: Hong Kong September 21 to October 1, celebrating Hong Kong audiences’ passion for independent films. In addition, on Friday nights starting May 26, a selection of films showcased in the Midnight section of the Sundance Film Festival in Utah, U.S.