The Latest
15 Celebrated Sundance Screenwriters Lab Alumni
There is a well-known refrain imparting that it takes some “breaking down” to build something (or someone) up—figuratively speaking, of course. At the Sundance Screenwriters Lab, that notion is nothing short of creed. It’s become a not-so-veiled secret of the lab that, contrary to its name, writing is strongly discouraged, if not altogether forbidden.
Q&A: The Zellner Bros. on ‘Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter,’ Their Ode to Exploration
To this day, David and Nathan Zellner talk about epic odysseys and unexplored lands in a wistful tenor. It’s as if they lament losing their curiosity to GPS devices and Google Maps. “There’s no real mystery left with the world anymore,” says Nathan Zellner.
23 Hacks for Optimizing Your Independent Film Release
Within the past several years, the emergence and maturation of lightweight, user-friendly technology platforms like Quiver Digital, Vimeo, and VHX has made distributing films easier than ever. As new technologies and distribution approaches continue to disrupt conventional release windows, funding cycles, and acquisition deals, how do indie filmmakers navigate this shifting landscape while balancing audience engagement and revenue?Our #ArtistServices team presented at #SXSW in 2015, and they took a look at the obstacles and opportunities, successes, and failures that come out of self-distribution. Their panel (“Hacking Technology for Your Indie Film Release”) was about what it takes to get your film seen in an overcrowded marketplace by using technology as your secret weapon.
#TBT: ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’
Don’t look now, but it’s been 17 years since John Cameron Mitchell premiered and starred in his raucously eccentric musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch Off-Broadway. In the ensuing years, Mitchell worked to refine the film adaptation of Hedwig at the 1999 Sundance Institute Screenwriters and Directors Labs before eventually premiering the film at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival. There, Hedwig immediately enticed audiences and garnered instant “cult classic” designations from critics while also winning the Audience Award and the Directing Award.
In Memory of Filmmaker Richard Glatzer, 1952-2015
Sundance Institute mourns the loss of Richard Glatzer, whose feature film Quinceañera, written and directed with his long-time creative partner and husband, Wash Westmoreland, won the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. His comedy, Grief, also premiered in competition at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival.
Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmorelandat the 2006 Sundance Film Festival.
Help Find the ‘Lonely Whale’ with Adrian Grenier and Josh Zeman
Hello! Can anybody hear me? Is anybody out there—listening? Radio silence…
Albert Maysles, Renowned Documentarian and Sundance Veteran, Dies at 88
Renowned documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles, a visionary in the realm of cinema verite who directed no less than five Sundance Film Festival selections, died Thursday evening. He was 88.
Albert Maysles and his brother David Maysles are best known for spearheading the American cinema verite movement with films such as Salesman, Grey Gardens, and Gimme Shelter.
4 Knight Fellows on How Community Shapes Their Creativity
Sundance Institute annually selects up to four artists from the eight Knight resident communities to attend the Sundance Film Festival. These artists reflect Sundance Institute’s commitment to developing and nurturing the next generation of creative voices. Knight Fellows were in residence for five days during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, where they participated in a specially curated program.
March Now Playing: ‘It Follows,’ ‘Kumiko,’ and more
Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter, the Zellner Brothers’ mythical, Fargo-influenced drama leads a batch of Sundance-supported releases hitting theaters this month. Kumiko premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and screened at last summer’s Sundance NEXT FEST. David Robert Mitchell’s It Follows, a brazenly creepy teen horror also comes to the screen after premiering at Cannes and screening in Sundance’s Midnight section.
Leonard Nimoy, Friend and Supporter of Sundance, Dies at 83
Leonard Nimoy, a longtime friend and supporter of Sundance Institute who is best known for his iconic role as the always pragmatic “Spock” in Star Trek, died Friday morning. He was 83.
Leonard Nimoy and his wife Susan Bay Nimoy are ardent supporters of the Institute’s Women’s Initiative, a joint effort with Women in Film/ LA and a group of allied organizations in the field of women and media aimed at fostering gender equality in American independent cinema by supporting women filmmakers.
Ignite Fellow Khidr Joseph on Facing Fears and Finding Invigoration at Sundance
Ten young people were selected for the Ignite Fellows pilot program, a curated Festival experience designed to provide meaningful opportunities for engagement, mentorship and industry exposure for emerging filmmakers 18 to 25 years of age.I have decided that the best way to describe the Sundance Film Festival is not through a bunch of meaningless adjectives but rather through the impact it has had on my life. If I were to describe Sundance I would say that it’s a unique experience, which is why I can’t truly describe it.
Awards Weekend In Review: Congrats to Sundance-Supported Winners At the Oscars and Spirit Awards
It’s a wrap on the most esteemed film awards weekend of the year, and today we’re congratulating the Sundance-supported projects and artists that took home hardware from the Spirit Awards and the Oscars. Led by Damien Chazelle’s 2014 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize winner Whiplash, eight films supported by the Institute and the Festival were recognized over the weekend. Additionally, last night’s “Best Director” winner Alejandro González Iñárritu (Birdman) is set to be honored this with the Vanguard Award this June at the Sundance Institute Los Angeles Benefit for the originality and independent spirit of his films.
Oscars Preview: ‘Ida,’ Poland’s Nomination for Best Foreign Language Film
Something about Ida’s protracted journey just feels “right.” Pawel Pawlikowski’s chilling Polish drama premiered all the way back in 2013 at the Toronto International Film Festival and was honored by the Polish Film Academy that same year as the country’s Best Film. Months later, Ida screened out-of-competition at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival in the Spotlight category, home to a small batch of Sundance programmers’ favorite films that they cull from the festival circuit and elsewhere around the globe.
Inspired By: Sydney Freeland on C.S. Lewis, Casablanca, and ‘Drunktown’s Finest’
Director Sydney Freeland’s tenacity to make Drunktown’s Finest was born from a misguided news story. After seeing her hometown of Gallup, New Mexico, portrayed as “Drunktown, USA,” she felt compelled to offer a corrective. Enter: Drunktown’s Finest, an unwaveringly honest drama that sheds light on the southwest’s Navajo Nation through the lenses of three disparate characters—a transgender aspiring model, a man headed off to basic training, and a Christian woman.
Damien Chazelle and Miles Teller on Their True-to-Life Drumming Drama ‘Whiplash’
What a difference a year can make. Few would challenge that Damien Chazelle’s nascent career was on track for eventual success, but a small albeit successful feature debut (Guy and Madeline On a Park Bench) and a Sundance Short Film Jury Prize (a proof-of-concept film for Whiplash) didn’t exactly portend Oscar bliss for the 30-year-old director. Of course, now that his 2014 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize winner Whiplash has been nominated for four Academy Awards, we could say we saw it coming all along.