The Latest
Sundance Returns to Havana: A Brief History of the Institute’s Work in Cuba
As I arrived at the Hotel Nacional, 16 years since I was last in Cuba, I was immediately swept up by the majesty of an historic hotel that has been such an important destination for travelers to Havana over many decades. My colleague Paul Federbush, who has been leading the Institute’s work in Cuba, was there to greet us, and we were off and running.
We would spend the week presenting a suite of programs in screenwriting, producing, film music and documentary editing, in a new partnership with the International Festival of New Latin American Cinema and La Escuela Internacional De Cine Y TV.
Akilah Hughes Takes Her Bi-Racial Twins Comedy to the Episodic Story Lab
“I just hope we get to meet Ro-Ro,” Lyle Friedman, my writing partner, sleepily whispered on the van ride from Salt Lake City’s airport to the Sundance Resort. Ro-Ro, of course, being her pet name for beloved film icon/perfect person, Robert Redford. I, too, deeply wished that I would at least get to see him once in real life so I’d have something to immediately brag about on Facebook.
Sundance Institute Announces Short Film Program For 2016 Sundance Film Festival
Park City, UT — Sundance Institute announced today its full lineup of 72 short films that will leave a lasting impact on audiences long after the lights go up at their screenings at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, January 21-31 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Sundance and Ogden, Utah. Among the short films the Festival has shown in recent years are World of Tomorrow, Whiplash, The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom and Fishing Without Nets. This year’s short film lineup will include both a Midnight and a New Frontier section, tying into the Festival’s other programmatic strands.
Sundance Institute Completes Feature Film Lineup For 2016 Sundance Film Festival
Park City, UT — Sundance Institute today completed its feature film lineup for the 2016 Sundance Film Festival with the highly anticipated narratives, documentaries, episodic work and events in the Premieres, Documentary Premieres, Spotlight, Sundance Kids and Special Events sections. The Festival takes place January 21-31 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Sundance and Ogden, Utah. Among the films that have premiered in these sections in recent years are Boyhood, Brooklyn, Twenty Feet from Stardom, Life Itself, The End of the Tour, Mistress America, Frank, Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, Shaun the Sheep and The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst.
Sundance Institute Celebrates New Frontier 10th Anniversary at 2016 Festival
Park City, UT — A revolution a decade in the making, Sundance Institute celebrates the 10th Anniversary of its New Frontier program with an exhibition of new work at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, including immersive cinematic works, virtual reality installations, an extensive lineup of documentary and narrative mobile VR experiences and an inside look at the innovations being developed at some of world’s leading media research labs. 10th Anniversary exhibitions will also be presented with MoMA in New York City in April, and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis as part of Northern Spark in June.
(L-R) #100humans, Credit: 8i; theBlu: Encounter, Credit: Wevr; Queen Rose Family (da Stories), Credit: Kalup Linzy Studio.
Sundance Institute Announces Films In Competition and NEXT for 2016 Sundance Film Festival
Park City, UT — Offering a first look at the year ahead in independent film, culture and new ideas, Sundance Institute announced today the 65 films selected for the U.S. Competition, World Competition and out-of-competition NEXT category set to premiere at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, January 21-31 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah.
Breaking Down the 2016 Sundance Film Festival Competition Program
Editor’s Note: In light of today’s terrible and developing news of yet another mass shooting, this time in San Bernardino, CA, our thoughts are with the victims and their families and the San Bernardino community. We are reminded of the ways that independent film can add insight and nuance that help us understand people and situations unknown. Our selections this year include a few films related to gun violence in America, and it is our hope — more than ever — that these films will lead to greater awareness of this issue and amplify the need for change.
Throw Yourself Off Balance: Tips from Joan Tewkesbury on Building Characters in Your Screenplay
The morning of the Sundance Institute Detroit Screenwriters Intensive, 13 writers, including myself, gathered at the University of Michigan’s Detroit outreach office.
We came with anticipation, nervousness, and curiosity as to how the day’s events would unfold. As we nervously nibbled at the breakfast buffet and shyly introduced ourselves over coffee the same thought undoubtedly ran through many of our minds: How did I get here?
I never imagined I would ever attend a Sundance workshop, much less one held in Detroit.
Spirit Awards: ‘Tangerine,’ ‘Diary of a Teenage Girl,’ ‘It Follows’ Lead Sundance-Supported Noms
Filmmaker Sean Baker has garnered applause and accolades year-round since premiering Tangerine, his “like-nothing-you’ve-ever-seen” film that channels relentless candor and realism in a refreshingly honest portrayal of transgender sex workers in Los Angeles. To kick off awards season, the film and its team received four Film Independent Spirit Awards nominations in an announcement that also saw Sundance favorites The Diary of a Teenage Girl and It Follows make plenty of noise. Below, we take a look at all of the Sundance-supported films and filmmakers nominated for the 31st Film Independent Spirit Awards.
From a Tree Stand to Sundance: How ‘Christmas, Again’ Is Thinking Creatively About Distribution
From day one, there wasn’t much about the making of Christmas, Again that you could describe as “traditional.” So when it came to releasing the film, it only felt natural to explore the less “traditional” routes. I use “traditional” in quotes because in 2015 I can safely say that nontraditional strategies are the new norm, if not the only viable option for any film, big or small (we’ve seen quite a few high-profile, big-budget “traditional” releases tank this year).
Sundance Institute Announces First Nine Films for 2016 Sundance Film Festival
Park City, UT — Adrenaline junkies and genre film-lovers know the real fun at the Sundance Film Festival starts at midnight. Sundance Institute tonight offers a first look at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival by announcing the nine feature films that will screen in its iconic Midnight section, which has launched films including The Blair Witch Project, SAW, Super Troopers, The Babadook, Black Dynamite, What We Do In The Shadows, Dead/Alive, Delicatessen, The Descent and Hard Candy. Explore this year’s nine Midnight films — seven of which feature badass leading ladies — in more detail on the Festival’s Digital Program Guide.
Portraits of the Artist as a Young Woman: Saoirse Ronan Leaves Her Precocious Childhood Behind
Saoirse Ronan is ready for the second act of her career. Over a decade after first appearing on Irish television, and eight years after her take-notice performance in Atonement garnered Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations, Ronan is already a veteran movie actress. Yet somehow she’s also just 21 years old.
Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program Announces Projects Selected for 2015 Support
Thirty-three independent documentary films have been selected for Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program support in 2015, with grantees including original voices from around the world.
The Sundance Documentary Fund moved to a limited rolling open call in 2015, encouraging filmmakers to submit applications only when they feel their film is ready to share. Rahdi Taylor, Film Fund Director, said, “This past year was one of experimentation and change.
Christopher Abbott Melds Arrogance and Empathy in ‘James White’
For all the autobiographical narratives, in-depth profiles, and passion projects at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, James White may have been the most intimate film at Park City. From first scene to last, wherever James White (Christopher Abbott) goes, the camera follows, and closely. Whether he’s wandering through a crowded New York club, getting into a bar fight, bombing at a job interview, navigating his deceased father’s Shiva, or tending to his ailing mother (Cynthia Nixon), we’re right there to read his face, register his desperation or confusion, and ride his emotional rollercoaster.
Calling All Producers: 5 Reasons to Apply to the Creative Producing Lab & Fellowship
We’re thrilled to announce our call for submissions for the 2016 Creative Producing Lab & Fellowship. This marks the beginning of our eighth year of the program, which has supported 47 producers, 41 films (17 completed), and many awards spread among them. Although stats can be helpful markers of success, we want to recognize how our Labs can serve as incubators for the artist eager to learn, grow their career, and be part of a community.