The Latest
‘Bending the Arc’ Screens at the Skoll World Forum
Bending the Arc, a Stories of Change supported film that revisits a group of health advocates’ unprecedented mission to make quality healthcare available to everyone, screened in Oxford to an audience of 500 as part of the Skoll World Forum. Tabitha Jackson led a post-film discussion with subjects Jim Yong Kim, Dr. Paul Farmer, Professor Agnes Binagwaho, Cori Shepherd Stern and Melquiades Huauya Oré.
Ask Yourself These Questions When Developing Your Documentary Film
Kevin Sharpley recently attended the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program’s Story Development Workshop supported by the Knight Foundation, which offers intensive story development sessions for a group of select nonfiction filmmakers from the Miami area. Below, he shares his learnings: the questions you should ask when developing your documentary film.When I walked into the room at the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program’s Story Development Workshop in Miami, it felt electric.
‘All These Sleepless Nights’: The Party Never Stops in Poland
All These Sleepless Nights opens Friday, April 7, at the Nuart Theatre in Los Angeles before expanding throughout the country. The following interview was originally published during the film’s premiere at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. The music pounds, young people flirt and dance and mope and opine, and the camera swings all around them, doing more than just watch.
‘Selah and the Spades’ Director Tayarisha Poe: “Something Was Wrong with My Script”
When I applied to the Sundance Institute Screenwriters Lab, I knew there was something wrong with my script. When I interviewed for the lab, I once again shared that feeling. And then when I got the call from Michelle Satter and Ilyse McKimmie welcoming me and my story (Selah and the Spades) into the fold, I felt a quiet relief—like finally getting an appointment to see a doctor after months of a very sore throat.
‘Indecent’: The Story of a 1920s Yiddish Play and its Obscenity Charges Comes to Broadway
Broadway previews for “Indecent” begin April 4. Click here for discounted tickets by using the code INSUN224.
The year was 1923.
‘Women Who Kill’ Director on the (Almost) Impossible Task of Getting a Second Feature Film Made
Ingrid Jungermann was nominated for the Independent Spirit Someone to Watch Award for her debut feature, Women Who Kill, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. She recently attended Sundance Institute’s two-day intensive as part of the FilmTwo Initiative, which provides support to a diverse group of independent filmmakers in response to the specific challenges they face in developing and completing their second feature film.
Making your first feature film shouldn’t happen.
Craig Johnson on Woody Harrelson’s “Likability” and the Misanthropic ‘Wilson’
Ed. note: This interview was originally published following the premiere of “Wilson” at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.
For his third feature film, director Craig Johnson opted to do something he’d never done before — direct a screenplay he didn’t write.
“We Make the World Go Round”: 14 Women on Why We Need Women’s Voices
The film industry’s gender paradox remains a perplexing one. Its challenges have been expounded through research, combatted with resources, and at least partially rectified through more films made by women—largely presented at independent film festivals throughout the country. But we continue to overlook the voices of women in film at a rate that perpetuates cinema’s homogeneity, particularly when it comes to the box office.
‘Nine Days’ Filmmaker Edson Oda Exploring the Power of Vulnerability in Screenwriting
Edson Oda is a Los Angeles–based, Brazilian writer/director of Japanese descent and a recipient of the Asian American Feature Film Program Fellowship, supported by the A3 Foundation. Oda’s fellowship included participation at the January Screenwriters Lab with his project “Nine Days,” which he writes about below.
Since I moved to the U.
Are You a Native Artist Looking to Get Your Film Made? Apply Now for the 2017 Fellowship
Razelle Benally is of Oglala Lakota and Navajo blood and an alumna of the 2012 and 2015 Native Filmmaker Labs with her short film project “I Am Thy Weapon.” Click here for more information on how to apply to the Native Filmmaker Lab available to Native American, Native Hawaiian, and Alaskan Native film artists working in the U.S.
Sundance Institute Announces Lynne Diane Gugenheim as Chief Advancement Officer
Los Angeles, CA — Sundance Institute announced today the appointment of Lynne Diane Gugenheim as Chief Advancement Officer, overseeing all development activities for the Institute’s year-round programs for independent artists.
In her new role as part of the Institute’s Leadership team, Gugenheim will participate in shaping the Institute’s strategy, lead the organization’s work sourcing, structuring and stewarding of contributed revenue from foundations, corporations and individuals, as well as all development events, including its annual benefit. She reports to Executive Director Keri Putnam and will work closely with the Board of Trustees including Chair Pat Mitchell and Jacki Zehner, chair of the Development Committee.
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.