The Latest
NEXT FEST: The Zellner Bros. Help Unearth Mysteries of Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter
Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter will screen at the Theatre at Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, August 9, as part of Sundance NEXT FEST. Following the screening, the Zellner Brothers will be joined by a special guest for a lively conversation and Q&A. Click here to purchase tickets.
Carte Blanche: Sundance Institute Native Program Screening Series at MoMA
Since the early days of Sundance Institute, and true to the vision of Robert Redford, supporting Native Film has been an integral part of the work we do. The Native American and Indigenous Program at Sundance Institute boasts over 20 years of celebrating community and the exchange of ideas among Native American and Indigenous filmmakers and the global film community. To commemorate this milestone, Sundance Institute has partnered with multiple institutions which have a commitment to film and Native and Indigenous cinema.
Steve James on Premiering ‘Hoop Dreams’ at the Sundance Film Festival
“These works are like our children,” says Steve James, surely echoing the sentiment of any filmmaker who’s toiled over their art. “We put so much of ourselves into them, it’s unfathomable to contemplate that they might disappear and be forgotten.” Yet somehow, the prospect still remains that independent films with invaluable cultural or social significance become lost or damaged.
July Now Playing: A Raw Portrait of Ebert in Life Itself, Brit Marling Returns in I Origins
In January, Festival Director John Cooper called Life Itself “absolutely, positively the easiest film to program.” As declarations go, that one could draw allegations of hyperbole. That is, until you view Steve James’ raw, often difficult-to-watch but nonetheless faithfully directed portrait of legendary critic Roger Ebert, which continues its journey to theaters Friday, July 4.
New Frontier Artist Residency Program Launches with Support from the Rockefeller Foundation
Over eight years, New Frontier has cultivated a community of inventive minds, creative technologists, and talented storytellers from a variety of backgrounds. Just like the innovators at the dawn of the film age, New Frontier artists are creating language, forms, and methodologies that will become the standard for the future storyteller. To deepen this process, Sundance Institute recently launched the New Frontier Artist Residency program, designed to place New Frontier storytellers in resource rich environments to innovate the art and form of story.
How to Save Indie Distribution in 5 Easy Steps
Straith Schreder is the Director of Content Strategy, BitTorrent, Inc., which has worked with Drafthouse Films on its BitTorrent Bundle, which Chief Content Officer Matt Mason spoke on at #ArtistServices San Francisco Workshop. Below, Schreder outlines the ways in which Drafthouse Films is an indicator of where independent distribution is headed and highlights five ways that Drafthouse Films gets the new distribution model right.
Sundance Institute Announces Film and Music Lineup for Sundance NEXT FEST, Aug. 7-10
LOS ANGELES, CA — Sundance Institute today announced the films and music acts that will headline the Sundance NEXT FEST summer festival August 7-10 in Los Angeles. NEXT FEST, headquartered at the Theatre at Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles, celebrates the intersection of film and music and the renegade spirit of independent artists. Tickets ($15-25) go on sale to Sundance Institute members today and all others tomorrow at sundance.
Life After Beth, Father John Misty, Imperial Dreams, and Warpaint Set for Sundance NEXT FEST
Film and music go together like [blank] and [blank]. We’ll leave the platitudes to you. But if you’re stumped, today’s Sundance NEXT FEST program announcement may elicit some ideas.
5 Things You Should Know: Directors Lab Fellows “Daniels” on Crass Humor
“It’s gonna be our Apocalypse Now, where we disappear into the forest for weeks and lose our minds and discover who we are as men,” say Daniels, the lone directing duo at this year’s Sundance Institute Directors Lab, where they’re joined by seven other nascent writer-directors and their projects. But Daniels (never to be preceded by “the,” they assure me), made up of longtime music video collaborators Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, have developed a symbiosis that renders them more operative together than apart. And while yes, it’s a testament to Aristotle’s “sum of its parts” philosophy, it has also yielded dividends in the form of countless industry accolades, from their Grammy nomination for Foster the People’s “Houdini” to countless Vimeo Staff Picks.
Sundance Institute Selects 20 Fellows for 2014 Documentary Edit and Story Labs
Park City, UT — Sundance Institute today announced the selection of 20 Fellows representing eight documentary film projects to participate in the 2014 Documentary Edit and Story Labs, June 20-28 and July 4-12 at Sundance Resort in Sundance, Utah. These are part of 10 residential Labs hosted by Sundance Institute this summer, collectively representing 15 weeks of residency support and mentorship for the most promising new independent film and theatre projects from the United States and around the world.
Built upon the immersive Lab model launched in 1981 by Sundance Institute President & Founder Robert Redford, each session of the Documentary Edit and Story Labs brings together director and editor teams with world-renowned documentary filmmakers and Sundance Institute staff to support creative risk-taking around issues of story, dramatic structure and character development.
Native American Filmmakers on the Importance of Representation in Hollywood
Last month, the Sundance Institute Native American and Indigenous Program kicked off its annual fellowship with a rigorous four-day workshop on the homelands of the Mescalero Apache Tribe in New Mexico. In May, we chatted with Native Hawaiian filmmaker Christopher Kahunahana (Karaoke Kings) and Carmen Tsabetsaye (Puebloan in Praha) about their respective projects and their orientations as Native and Indigenous artists. Now we round out our coverage by exploring two disparate stories from fellows Daniel Flores and Missy Whiteman, both of which straddle issues of gender identity, depression, and the challenges of reclaiming Native American storytelling.
Theatre Program Alumni Triumph During Awards Season
Last week, the 68th annual Tony Awards marked the unofficial coda to theater awards season with a triumphant evening for Robert Freedman and Steven Lutvak’s musical, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder. But often the zenith of a project’s creative life tends to eclipse its own fascinating journey, like Gentleman’s voyage since participating at the 2006 Sundance Institute Theatre Lab. That raucous black comedy, along with a handful of other award winners below, each at some stage participated in the Theatre Program’s three-week play development retreat designed to support the creation of new work by playwrights, directors, composers and librettists.
6 Sundance Alumni Paving the Way in Episodic Storytelling, from Cary Fukunaga to Jill Soloway
Earlier this year, Sundance Institute announced the formation of the Episodic Story Lab dedicated to supporting writers and creators of series for television and online platforms, and just yesterday, we revealed the 10 writers selected for the inaugural Lab taking place at the Sundance Resort from September 27 through October 2. Every applicant for the program was required to submit a spec pilot and series overview as the basis of their creative work at the Lab. The selected writers are Desiree Akhavan (Switch Hitter); Peter Biegen (Small Change); Nate Crocker (Scar Tissue); Katori Hall (The Dial); Barry Jenkins (Radical); Nick Keetch (Borderline); Lisa Kron (The Schaeffers); Crystal Liu (The White Sheep); Heather Marion (Bury Me); and Matt Young (Still).
Is College Worth It? Andrew Rossi Investigates the Alarming Cost of Education in Ivory Tower
Documentary filmmaker Andrew Rossi is drawn to worlds that at first seem impenetrable. In his previous film, the riveting Page One: Inside the New York Times (which premiered at Sundance in 2011), Rossi obtained a “fly-on the-wall” look at the newspaper industry in a state of transition and turmoil. Now, with his latest documentary Ivory Tower, Rossi departs The Grey Lady’s sanctified headquarters for the hallowed halls of Harvard to find an explanation for the staggering cost faced by Americans in pursuit of higher education.
Sundance Institute and Skywalker Sound Select Independent Filmmakers and Film Composers
Los Angeles, CA — Sundance Institute and Skywalker Sound today announced the independent directors and composers selected for one of two Sundance Institute Music and Sound Design Labs at Skywalker Sound. This will be the second year the Music and Sound Design Labs take place at the Skywalker Ranch in northern California. This is one of 10 residential Labs hosted by Sundance Institute this summer, collectively representing 15 weeks of residency support and mentorship for the most promising new independent film and theatre projects and artists from the United States and around the world.