The Latest
A Ukrainian Refugee’s Ode to Cuba Comes to the Stage in Havana
Librettist Elise Thoron and composer Frank London’s new opera “Hatuey: Memory of Fire” premieres in Havana this March. Below they retrace their journey at the Sundance Institute Theatre Program’s residency at Ucross, their recent rehearsals, and the cultural significance of opening their play in Cuba.
Sitting having a daiquiri at the Nacional Hotel, gazing at the vast sea, down the Malecon with palm trees golden in afternoon sun, words from our new Cuban nightclub opera Hatuey Memoria del Fuego float in our head: “S’z himl un vaser un shtilkayt in bloy…” (Sky and water and stillness in blue…) Our hero Oscar was a young poet who came to Havana from the frozen steppe of the Ukraine.
Shaking Things Up with Sundance Ignite Filmmaker Olivia Peace
Before finding out that I’d been accepted into the Sundance Ignite Fellowship program, I was at a bit of a crossroads in my filmmaking career.I’d just graduated with a film degree from Northwestern University and my first foray into the work world wasn’t exactly what I’d expected. Transitional periods can be lonely.
“Breathe In, Breathe Out” with Sachin Dharwadker
Sundance. Since the Festival’s humble beginnings in 1978, the name has become synonymous with boundary-pushing filmmaking of all shapes and forms — to such an extent that a common goal amongst aspiring independent filmmakers is to make it there, someday. As the Festival has grown in size and scope, however, “getting into Sundance” has become an increasingly difficult proposition for that particular demographic, especially as digital filmmaking tools have given more people than ever the ability to make a movie.
Women In Film, Sundance Institute and 50 Hollywood Leaders Launch ReFrame to Create Sustainable Gender Equity in Film and Television
Suggested Tweet: 50 Hollywood leaders join @sundanceorg & @womeninfilm to launch ReFrame to create gender equity in film, TV & media bit.ly/si-reframe
Los Angeles, CA — Fifty Hollywood leaders and influencers, including studio heads, agency partners, senior network executives, talent and guild representatives brought together by Women In Film and Sundance Institute today announce the launch of ReFrame, a formal action plan to further gender parity in the media industry.
Building on last year’s two-day convening of this group, ReFrame’s unique strategy is its peer-to-peer approach, in which ReFrame Ambassador teams engage senior industry decision-makers.
Editor Lewis Erskine’s Call to Action: “Examine Your Privilege; Question It Constantly”
Last month at the Sundance Film Festival, documentary editor Lewis Erskine presented the third annual keynote during Sundance Institute and Karen Schmeer Fellowship Art of Editing Lunch. In the spirit of extending Erskine’s call to action, we’ve published an edited transcription of the speech.
“I was born a Negro and I grew up Black.
“You are not here by luck”: Johanna Nyberg and ‘Comedians’
It felt so strange leaving the airport in Salt Lake City and leaving the bubble I’d been caught up in for almost a week. I am sure the latitude and jetlag was behind some of it, but not all of it. I tried to grasp the feelings from what I had experienced and it was just too surreal and overwhelming to even know where I should begin.
Introducing the 2017 Knight Fellows
As part of their commitment to developing and nurturing the next generation of creative voices, Sundance Institute and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation annually select four Knight Fellows to attend the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
Count ‘Em: Kickstarter’s Seventh Go-Around at the Sundance Film Festival
Kickstarter celebrated some major milestones at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. It was the seventh year that Kickstarter-funded films have screened at the Festival, with two of our alumni winning major awards. Indiewire’s online gallery presented a nostalgic timeline of Kickstarter’s journey with the Festival and the Institute, and showcased the breadth of films and diverse creators who have run bold engagement campaigns that put them on the road to Sundance success and beyond.
What to Watch in February
It’s one of the quickest turnarounds in recent memory for a Grand Jury Prize Winner, but Macon Blair’s aptly titled I Don’t Feel at Home in this World Anymore comes to Netflix in February. Led by a brilliantly bizarre turn from Melanie Lynskey, Blair’s idiosyncratic tale of a woman’s search for a sense of purpose after her home is burglarized is full of baffling reroutes – as well as being a true sign of the times, as is its immediate post-Festival digital release.Also opening this month, Jena Malone and Riley Keough navigate a muddled and fluctuating intimacy in Lovesong, director So Yong Kim’s wistful portrait of relationships, neglect, and the fluidity of love.
We Stand with Artists from Around the World Against the Immigration Ban
Sundance Institute stands in solidarity with artists in our global community. Freedom of expression and freedom of movement are inextricably linked. Banning Muslims from particular countries is not simply a U.
2017 Sundance Film Festival Awards: Global Independent Creativity Reaches New Heights
I don’t feel at home in this world anymore.
Credit: Allyson Riggs
Chasing Coral
Credit: The Ocean Agency/XL Catlin Seaview Survey/Aaron Spence
Crown Heights
Credit: Ben Kutchins
Park City, Utah — After 10 days, 119 feature films and three feet of snow, an evening of humor and humanity marked the 2017 Sundance Film Festival’s Awards Ceremony, with host Jessica Williams emceeing and jurors presenting 27 prizes for feature filmmaking in Park City, Utah. Honorees, named in total below, range from sharp comedies to provocative and timely documentaries and represent new achievements in global independent storytelling.
Barbara Kopple Reveals Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about YouTube Sensation Gigi Gorgeous
If you’re convinced you already know everything about Gigi Gorgeous, think again. With her latest documentary, This Is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous, award-winning filmmaker Barbara Kopple (Harlan County U.S.
‘The Incredible Jessica James’: A Star-Making Performance by Jessica Williams
Sundance.org is dispatching its writers to daily screenings and events to capture the 10 days of festivities during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Check back each morning for roundups from the previous day’s events.
2017 Sundance Film Festival Awards Ceremony
Hi everyone, and welcome to the live blog for the 2017 Sundance Film Festival Awards Ceremony. For the fifth consecutive year, we’re Eric Hynes, Jeremy Kinser, and Nate von Zumwalt, and we’ll be your eyes and ears for tonight’s festivities. We’re stationed to the right of the stage, astride the sea of folding chairs that await ticketholders.
Day 8: ‘The Wound’ Presents a Queer Perspective on a South African Ritual of Manhood
Sundance.org is dispatching its writers to daily screenings and events to capture the 10 days of festivities during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Check back each morning for roundups from the previous day’s events.