The Latest
Day One: ‘The Bronze’ Makes A Raunchy Premiere, John Legend Shines at ‘What Happened, Miss Simone?’
Sundance.org is dispatching its writers to daily screenings and events to capture the 10 days of festivities during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Check back each morning for roundups from the previous day’s events.
2015 Sundance Film Festival ‘A Celebration of Music in Film’ Concert Shines a Spotlight on Songs of Nina Simone
Park City, UT — Sundance Institute today announced that the 2015 Sundance Film Festival’s ‘A Celebration of Music in Film’ concert on January 25 will be a tribute to jazz icon Nina Simone, who is the subject of What Happened, Miss Simone?, from director Liz Garbus and making its world premiere in the Festival’s Documentary Premieres section. Performing at the event will be Common, Erykah Badu, Aloe Blacc, Kate Davis, Andra Day and Al Schackman, Simone’s long time guitarist/musical director who appears in the film. The event is hosted by the Sundance Institute Film Music Program.
Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre Wins 2015 Sundance Institute/NHK Award
Park City, UT — Sundance Institute and NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) have announced French writer-director Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre as winner of the 2015 Sundance Institute/NHK Award for her upcoming debut feature film, Mustang. The award will be presented at a private ceremony at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
Clermont-Tonnerre is currently a screenwriting fellow at the 2015 Sundance Institute January Screenwriters Lab.
3 Native American– and Indigenous-Directed Films Premiering at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival
In 2014 Sundance Institute celebrated the 20th Anniversary of the formal existence of its Native American and Indigenous Program though the commitment has been consistent since the Institute’s founding. Through sustained and continuous support of filmmakers with grants, Labs, mentorships and the platform of the Sundance Film Festival, great strides have been made in nurturing an Indigenous-created body of cinema which did not exist before the Institute’s involvement.
Twenty years later, we continue to support Native American and Indigenous filmmakers through grants, labs, fellowships and the platform of the Sundance Film Festival.
How to Follow the Sundance Film Festival Remotely
The Sundance Film Festival commences in a few short days, and chances are you’re lamenting missing out on another January in Park City. The bad news is that the Festival truly is an inimitable experience. The good news is that as the official website of the Sundance Film Festival, Sundance.
Comedian David Cross on Why and How He Decided to Self-Distribute ‘Hits’
Hi, David Cross here. In 2013, I was lucky enough to get my film Hits accepted to Sundance. It was an honor, and immeasurably helpful for the life of the film.
Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program Announces Projects Selected for Fall 2014 Support
Twenty three independent documentary films have been selected for Sundance Institute support in Fall 2014. Filmmakers were chosen from 881 applications received worldwide from filmmakers working in 111 unique countries of origin. Selected grantees include original voices from in-country artists from People’s Republic of China, Romania, Syria, Russia, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Czech Republic, Pakistan, Israel, the U.
Sundance Off-Screen Preview: Your Guide to Everything Beyond Film
If the term ‘panel’ leads you to shudder at the idea of tedious subject matter and sterile conversations, Off Screen at the Sundance Film Festival is here to offer a corrective. While we can’t do away with the term entirely, this year’s slate of conversations will certainly amend how it’s perceived. John Nein, a senior programmer for the Festival—and one of the lead curators behind Off Screen’s medley of panels, discussions, and art—offers his annual breakdown of what can’t be missed.
‘Whiplash,’ and ‘Boyhood,’ Receive Oscar Nods For Best Picture
Director Damien Chazelle’s fruitful year has finally come full circle. Almost a year to the day since it first premiered for rapt audiences at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, the Grand Jury Prize winner Whiplash received Oscar nominations this morning for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Sound Mixing. Also earning an Oscar nod for the film was J.
Sundance Institute to Honor Alejandro G. Iñárritu at Los Angeles Benefit in June 2015
Los Angeles, CA — Sundance Institute today announced that it will present Alejandro G. Iñárritu with its Vanguard Leadership Award at the fifth annual Sundance Institute benefit on June 2, 2015 in Los Angeles. The evening brings the creative community together to highlight both a great visionary in independent film as well as an emerging artist with unique talent and creative independence.
How to Experience the Sundance Film Festival on a Budget
There is hardly an element of thrift associated with today’s moviegoing—I mean, really, who isn’t clandestinely stashing Sno-Caps and licorice to save a bill or two at the theater? But as with most things, a little extra work can often yield important savings. At the Sundance Film Festival, there are plenty of ways to preserve frugality while still getting to see everything on your festival checklist.
If you’re a Utah local, the Townie Tuesday and Best of Fest screenings are free programs and an unprecedented benefit—not to mention a hearty thank-you to the state of Utah for offering its home every year.
Sundance Institute Expands Support for Filmmakers Spotlighting Urgent Social Issues with a $2.5 Million Grant from the Skoll Foundation
Park City, UT — Sundance Institute, in collaboration with the Skoll Foundation, will broaden the scope of the Sundance Institute | Skoll Stories of Change initiative, which connects independent storytellers with renowned social entrepreneurs to support the creation of films that shine a spotlight on solutions to urgent social issues.
With an additional $2.5 million grant from the Skoll Foundation, the initiative will expand to include feature film and new media artists as well as documentary filmmakers.
2015 Sundance Film Festival Celebrates the Art of Film with Panels with Robert Redford, George Lucas and More Discussing the Craft of Filmmaking
Park City, UT — Sundance Institute announced today that the 2015 Sundance Film Festival will take an unprecedented look at the art and craft of filmmaking with its new ‘Art of Film Weekend’ series of offscreen programming. The 2015 Festival, taking place January 22 to February 1 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah, is the centerpiece public program for the Institute, which provides resources to independent artists on a year-round basis through its 24 annual residency labs and more than $2.5 million in grants.
Sundance Tips: How to Get Around Park City without Renting a Car
The art of deftly navigating Park City during the Sundance Film Festival hinges on two hard-and-fast rules: 1. Do not rent a car. 2.
The Art of Storytelling in Gaming: Dispatches from Sundance Institute’s New Frontier Story Lab
Over the past 40 years, the gaming industry has evolved to become one of the largest storytelling mediums in terms of revenue and consumption. Not only has the technology emerged to a point where users can literally embody the characters in the story worlds, but the integrity of the discipline as an artistic medium is undeniable. Games have done more work to pioneer best practices in interactive and participatory storytelling than any medium since the ancient theater traditions.