The Latest
Blake Neely on ‘Star Wars’ and the Moment He Knew He Wanted to Compose
It’s easy to dismiss musical composition as an abstruse kind of necessity in film and television.
It’s an element of the artistic equation that the average viewer knows little about despite its universal resonance. We’re acutely aware that Jaws’s most menacing moments would be toothless without its iconic John Williams score, or that The Social Network’s nefarious ambiance is owed to Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s calculated score, but that tends to be the depth of our wisdom.
7 Groundbreaking Mexican Filmmakers to Celebrate This Cinco de Mayo
Cinco de Mayo can be a puzzling holiday for some Americans. First, there is the prevailing notion that May 5 is Mexico’s equivalent of the United States’ July Fourth. In fact, Cinco de Mayo is the anniversary of the Battle of Puebla, during which Mexico defended itself against French invasion in a proverbial David versus Goliath clash.
Michael Almereyda, Sara Colangelo, and Kenny Riches Offer Up Advice on Making a Short Film
Last week, Sundance Institute and the Knight Foundation held ShortsLab Miami, a free workshop dedicated to informing and supporting aspiring filmmakers in an open forum. In attendance were filmmakers Michael Almereyda, Sara Colangelo, and Kenny Riches, who participated in Q&A discussions moderated by Sundance short film programmer Mike Plante on topics such as the actor-director relationship, transitioning from shorts to feature films, finding financing and producers, and how to engage with and draw inspiration from your local arts community. Below, we’ve distilled the day down to include some of the most enlightening points overheard at ShortsLab Miami.
May Now Playing: “Slow West,” “Results,” and more
Michael Fassbender stars as a bounty hunter in romantic pursuit of a female fugitive in John Maclean’s award winner Slow West, a European rendering of the classic Western that brandishes its six-shooters with a serving of gallows humor. Also coming to theaters in May, director Andrew Bujalski trains his lens on the idiosyncratic world of fitness trainers in Results, starring Guy Pearce, Kevin Corrigan, and Cobie Smulders. Check out all of this month’s releases below.
If You Want Your Stories to Change the World, They Have to Belong to the World
The Skoll World Forum happens in Oxford every April; it is a gathering of over 1,000 social entrepreneurs who are leading organizations that are changing the world, at tremendous scale. From global health to child trafficking, literacy to poverty, climate change to global corruption — the commitment, vision and passion of this community is breathtaking. Every year I meet someone who just picked up her Nobel Prize, or just had lunch with the Dalai Lama, or just helped lead the movement that created 1,000 new health centers in India and is now headed to Africa to do the very same thing.
Filmmaker Dawn Porter on Why She Made ‘TRAPPED,’ a Documentary on U.S. Abortion Rights
Thirty percent of American women will have an abortion in their lifetime. Nearly half of these women live at or below the federal poverty line, and they’re four times more likely to be women of color. Startling statistics like these are why I’m making the documentary TRAPPED.
“Fun Home” Nominated for 12 Tony Awards
It was a prolific morning for Lisa Kron and Jeanine Tesori’s Fun Home, which garnered 12 Tony Award nominations today, including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, and Best Original Score. Kron and Tesori’s adaptation of Alison Bechdel’s 2006 graphic memoir of the same name was developed in part at the 2012 Sundance Institute Theatre Lab. After a critically acclaimed run Off-Broadway in 2013-2014, Fun Home made its Broadway premiere on April 19 at Circle In the Square Theatre.
Film Financing 101 with ‘Hellion’ Director Kat Candler
Last week’s Female Filmmakers Initiative Financing Intensive was exactly that—intense. But greatly so. It was a jam-packed day of intimate round tables, case studies, disheartening research coupled with empowerment coaching and Q&As with venture capitalists, financiers, and digital media leaders.
Your Favorite Sundance Films Have a New State-of-the-Art Home
Lebec, California. I’d never been there, and as I drove north from Los Angeles, I worried that I’d miss the freeway exit. Fifty-seven miles came and went, but the surrounding hillside looked nothing like where I was supposed to be.
Contemplating the Cut: Jonathan Oppenheim on the State of the Nonfiction Film Editor
On April 18, the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program and the Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship hosted a half-day of panel discussions with a gathering of documentary film editors, directors, and producers to discuss the art of editing. The goal of the day and future events is to shine a light on the role of the editor in the filmmaking process, build community, and celebrate an underexplored and often misunderstood collaboration between director and editor. The day began with a keynote from Jonathan Oppenheim (Paris is Burning, The Oath), included here.
Sundance Institute Announces 2015 and 2016 International Film Festivals In Hong Kong and London
Park City, UT — Sundance Institute announced today that it will continue its film festivals in Hong Kong this year and London next year, with selections for each largely drawn from the Institute’s renowned Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, U.S.A.
Sundance Institute Announces Nine Projects Selected for 2015 Theatre Lab at Sundance Mountain Resort in Utah, July 6-26
New York, NY — Sundance Institute today announced the nine projects selected from 827 submissions for its 2015 Theatre Lab at Sundance Mountain Resort in Utah, July 6-26. Under the supervision of Artistic Director Philip Himberg and Producing Director Christopher Hibma, the Lab is the centerpiece of the Institute’s year-round work with the theatre community and is one of 24 residency Labs the Institute hosts each year for independent artists in theatre, film, new media and episodic content.
The Theatre Lab supports both emerging and established theatre-makers developing new work for the stage, with a focus on assuring that the playwright’s deepest impulses and visions can be realized.
4 Tips to Help Screenwriters Find Their Story
To paint the picture: it’s 9:28 a.m. on a Saturday in Miami.
17 Environmentally Conscious Films We’re Watching This Earth Day
The way I tend to contemplate environmental protection is analogous to the way I think about investing in a retirement plan. Is it convenient or instantly gratifying? No. Is it necessary? Most likely.
Sundance Institute And Women In Film Los Angeles Unveil Groundbreaking Study On Careers Of Female Directors
Los Angeles, CA — Sundance Institute and Women In Film Los Angeles, co-founders of the Female Filmmakers Initiative, unveil Phase III of a groundbreaking study that reveals the barriers and opportunities in the careers of female narrative film directors after premiering a film at the Sundance Film Festival. The study, authored by Dr. Stacy L.