The Latest
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.
4 Tips to Help Screenwriters Find Their Story
To paint the picture: it’s 9:28 a.m. on a Saturday in Miami.
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.
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.
Meet the 2015 Sundance Institute Miami Screenwriters Intensive Fellows
This weekend, Miami welcomes the Sundance Institute Screenwriters Intensive, supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
‘True Story’ Director on Casting James Franco: “He’s Playing With What It Means to Be a Movie Star”
Journalistic ethics and the relationship between storytelling and the truth are at the forefront of True Story, a compelling cat-and-mouse drama that marks the debut feature from acclaimed theater director Rupert Goold. The film, which premiered out of competition at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, stars Jonah Hill as Mike Finkel, a disgraced New York Times reporter, and James Franco as Christian Longo, who’s been arrested for the murder of his wife and children. The director, who also adapted the screenplay from Finkel’s memoir, True Story: Murder, Memoir, Mea Culpa, acknowledged the importance of casting the right actors, for what is essentially a two-hander.
Sundance Institute to Host Summer Film and Music Festival in Downtown LA
Los Angeles, CA — Sundance Institute today announced it will host Sundance NEXT FEST August 7-9, 2015, for the second year at The Theatre at Ace Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. The weekend-long summer festival celebrates the renegade spirit of independent artists by pairing five new independent films with either a special music act that shares a complementary artistic sensibility or conversations between the filmmakers and those who inspired them.
This will mark the festival’s third year in Los Angeles.
Sundance Institute & New York University to Host Workshop on Music in Film & Television on May 9
Los Angeles, CA — Sundance Institute and New York University (NYU) Steinhardt’s Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions today announced they will host Sundance Institute Film Music Program at NYU: Steinhardt, a day-long workshop for composers, filmmakers, students and other industry professionals interested in music in film and television on Saturday, May 9 at the Fredrick Lowe Theatre (35 West 4th Street, between Greene Street and Washington Square East). This marks the first collaboration of its kind between the Institute and NYU Steinhardt and the Institute’s first-ever film music workshop in New York. For more information and to purchase tickets ($20 each), visit http://2015filmmusiclabnyu.
Writers and Creative Advisors Selected for Inaugural Drishyam | Sundance Institute Screenwriters Lab in Goa, India April 12-16
Los Angeles, CA — Sundance Institute and Drishyam today announced the artists and creative advisors selected for the inaugural Drishyam | Sundance Institute Screenwriters Lab in Goa, India April 12-16. The Lab supports emerging filmmakers in India, as part of the Institute’s sustained commitment to international artists, which in the last 25 years has included programs in Brazil, Mexico, Jordan, Turkey, Japan, Israel and Central Europe.
The Lab is a five-day writer’s workshop that gives independent screenwriters the opportunity to work intensively on their feature film scripts in an environment that encourages innovation and creative risk-taking.
“An Iliad” Premieres on the Fringes of Tahrir Square at an Egyptian Arts Festival
Amazingly, I find myself back in Cairo tonight for the second time in 12 months. My Theatre Program colleagues (Philip Himberg & Roberta Levitow) and I have been in the region for nine days already as we wrap up our 1.5 year R&D phase of our MENA initiative (stay tuned for some exciting program announcements).
Sundance Institute Brings Free Filmmaker Workshop and Film Screenings to Minnesota April 28 – May 1
Los Angeles, CA — Sundance Institute, host of the renowned Sundance Film Festival, announced today that it will host a free filmmaker workshop and film screenings and discussions in St. Paul, Minneapolis and Northfield, Minnesota April 28 through May 1, with support from the John S. and James L.
Now Playing: James Franco and Jonah Hill Play Cat and Mouse in ‘True Story’
While we lament a dearth of Sundance-supported releases hitting theaters this month, April is still apt for film viewing from the couch with a gathering of great stories coming to DVD, Blu-Ray, and On Demand. Among the small batch of theatrical releases, Rupert Goold’s True Story—yes, based on a true story—follows disgraced New York Times reporter Michael Finkel (Jonah Hill) and convicted murderer Christian Longo (James Franco) in a tale of journalistic ethics and unlikely relationships. And if you’re so inclined to do your viewing from home, check out 9 #ArtistServices titles newly available on Netflix and a crop of indies coming to DVD and Blu-Ray.
Kamal Sinclair: Impostor Syndrome, Anyone? Oh, Everyone?
A few months ago, I was standing in the middle of the New Frontier exhibition at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival with people swirling around me, clamoring to get into the virtual worlds our storytellers had created inside the various headsets offered in the space. The artists and technologists curated by Shari Frilot (co-director and curator, New Frontier) for this exhibition are some of the most exciting innovators of our time with intimate knowledge of the software and hardware that will shape our lives in ways we can hardly imagine today.
I was giving tours of the space from the moment the doors opened, until the moment they shut to artists, curators and producers; technology, gaming, and film executives; venture capitalists, major foundation and non-profits heads; even Ferguson activists…repeating my self-authored talking points over and over again.