The Latest

Film Forward Travels to Bosnia Herzegovina 2014

Park City, UT — Sundance Institute and the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities announced today that Film Forward: Advancing Cultural Dialogue will host free screenings of eight films with moderated discussions, panels and artist roundtables in Sarajevo, Zenica, Zavidovici, Banja Luka, Doboj and Brcko; Bosnia and Herzegovina. For a full schedule of events and venues in Bosnia and Herzegovina visit sundance.org/filmforward.

5 Earth Day Films That Will Change How You Treat Our Planet

In an era of incessant dispute concerning the Earth’s environment, one thing remains indisputable about our planet: It is the only one we have. Upon Googling “global warming,” even the first search result cannot evade controversy. According to Wikipedia, “Global warming refers to an unequivocal and continuing rise in the average temperature of Earth’s climate system.

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Highlights and Adventures In Storytelling at the Skoll World Forum

“Our ambition should be to rule ourselves, the true kingdom for each one of us; and true progress is to know more, and be more, and to do more.” —Oscar Wilde
The Skoll World Forum takes place in Oxford every year, a vibrant convening of civil society organizations run by committed and often renowned social entrepreneurs, all working to build sustainable human-centered business models and find solutions to “the world’s most pressing challenges.”  
This year, the conference was built around the theme of ambition.

Connecting Stories: Director Kim Mordaunt Shares The Rocket with Audiences in Pennsylvania

At Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, I talked with some of the documentary students.  A student named Aimee, with a particular interest in narrative, asked about the origins of the “isolation” of protagonist Ahlo in The Rocket. The conversation broadened to displacement from home, from one’s own history and the isolation that comes form losing one’s sense of self.

Mildly Terrified: Director Kim Mordaunt Screens The Rocket in Pennsylvania

I have clambered over live bombs in foreign lands but when it comes to showing my work, I am always mildly terrified, especially in places far from my home and the origin of the film.  But screening The Rocket at the Harrisburg Area Community College was full of all the emotion, curiosity and connection that makes filmmaking worthwhile.   Firstly, Will Guntrum (Department Chair – Communications, Humanities and the Arts) shook my hand with all that crushing masculinity that I thought, “Oh…he didn’t like something in the film and is about to tell me.

12 Independent Films to Make Digital Debut via Sundance Institute’s Artist Services Program

The Cold Lands Makes Its Digital Premiere June 3 Following a Theatrical Run
Los Angeles, CA — Sundance Institute today announced the 12 independent films that will make their digital debut this spring through a variety of platforms and storefronts, via the Institute’s Artist Services program, which provides artists supported by the Institute with exclusive opportunities for creative self-distribution, marketing and financing for their work. Titles began premiering today, and will roll out through June 3. For details visit sundance.

Sundance London Short Film Competition Winners Announced

The O2, 15 April 2014 — Sundance Institute and The O2 today announced the winners of the Short Film Competition for the third Sundance London film and music festival, 25-27 April at The O2: Russian Roulette by Ben Aston has won the Official Selection Award and Shadows of Time by Sambit Banerjee has won the Community Choice Award. Both films will screen at the festival and both filmmakers will receive prizes including a three-night stay at The Langham Hotel in London. Also announced today was a new prize: that a selection of the finalists’ films will screen on London Live.

Interview: ‘Dinosaur 13’ Recounts the Heartbreaking Story of the World’s Greatest Dinosaur Discovery

“I’ve jokingly said I wasn’t a full-blown nerd, but I was halfway there,” Todd Miller says, only mildly veiling his proclivity for dinosaurs. Lucky for everyone else, Miller’s youthful fascination blends with a display of striking filmmaking in the documentary Dinosaur 13. The film itself employs a tantalizing excavation process, beginning with the 1990 discovery of “Sue,” the most complete Tyrannosaurus rex ever found, and later spirals through a mess of legal and political battles that sees the team—led by the doc’s protagonist, Peter Larson—behind the discovery stripped of their beloved T.

David Cross Makes a Seamless Move to Director with the Dark Comedy Hits

Hits premiered last January at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and screens again at Sundance London beginning Saturday, April 26. Click here to learn more and purchase tickets. Director David Cross will also be on hand for a conversation with fellow comedic writer and filmmaker David Wain on April 26 at the Brooklyn Bowl.

Sundance London Announces FREE Talks, Screenings, Events and Music Performances

The O2, 8 April 2014 — Sundance Institute and The O2 announced today the programme of FREE talks, screenings, events and music performances for the third Sundance London film and music festival, happening at The O2 from 25-27 April. Many of these events will take place in the Festival Hub at Brooklyn Bowl, The O2’s newest entertainment venue, which will be open to the public over the festival weekend.
On-stage talks (the “Brooklyn Bowl Sessions”) were programmed by Sundance Institute, which annually presents the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, U.

An Arts Festival in Egypt Draws Creativity From Conflict

Tonight is my last night in Cairo. I’ve been here for almost one week attending the Downtown Cairo Arts Festival. This is my first visit to Egypt, and I must admit that prior to my coming here, I was a bit apprehensive about my safety, given the western media’s portrayal of the Revolution and subsequent attacks.

Sundance Institute Tours Package of Short Films from 2014 Sundance Film Festival to Theaters Across

Los Angeles, CA — Sundance Institute today announced that it will tour a package of eight short films from the 2014 Sundance Film Festival to a variety of destinations including art house theaters, museums, college theaters and general event spaces, across the country throughout.
Showcasing a wide variety of story and style, the 94-minute Sundance Film Festival Short Film Tour features both fiction and documentary short films and includes three films that won awards at the 2014 Festival. Venues that wish to book the short film program and audiences interested in seeing if it will visit a location near them should go to sundance.

Dylan Mohan Grey Recalls His “Eureka Moment” at Mumbai Mantra Screenwriters Lab

Every year, in collaboration with our hard-working partners and amazing hosts Mumbai Mantra (Mahindra), we conduct a Screenwriters Lab in India that supports eight emerging independent voices in Indian cinema. The following post comes from screenwriting fellow Dylan Mohan Gray.
I thought that writing a few paragraphs about my experiences at the Sundance Institute | Mumbai Mantra Screenwriting Lab would be a piece of cake.

Listen: Sebastian Silva, Cherien Dabis, and Kat Candler Offer Tips to Shorts Filmmakers

Last month, Sundance Institute hosted a pair of ShortsLabs in Philadelphia and Miami that offered day-long workshops for shorts filmmakers. Focusing on narrative short-form storytelling, each event featured panels, discussions, and screenings with a wide-ranging mix of filmmakers and industry professionals. Below you can listen to a podcast of highlights from each event that includes tips, advice, and anecdotes from a variety of filmmakers.

Sundance Institute Film Forward: Advancing Cultural Dialogue Travels to Taipei, Taichung and Taitung

Park City, UT — Sundance Institute and the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities announced today that Film Forward: Advancing Cultural Dialogue will host free screenings of eight films with moderated discussions, panels and artist roundtables in Taipei, Taichung and Taitung, Taiwan. For a full schedule of events, venues and partners in Taiwan visit sundance.org/filmforward.