Los Angeles, CA — With November as ‘Native American Heritage Month,’ three films about Native American culture make their digital premieres today through the Sundance Institute Artist Services access to distribution program, which provides Institute artists with exclusive opportunities for creative self-distribution, marketing and financing solutions for their work. Look for the films on iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, Microsoft Xbox Video, Sony Entertainment Network, SundanceNOW, VUDU and YouTube. Films will be available on Hulu, Netflix and SnagFilms in the coming weeks.

Park City, UT — Sundance Institute Executive Director Keri Putnam announced the appointment of Sarah Pearce and Laurie Hopkins to the positions of Co-Managing Directors of the Institute. Reporting to Putnam and based in Park City, Utah, Hopkins and Pearce will share duties as internal and external leaders of the organization, each with distinct areas of responsibility. In addition, Brooke McAffee has been promoted to Chief Financial Officer of Sundance Institute.

Los Angeles, CA — Screenwriting fellows for the eighth edition of the Rawi Screenwriters Lab were announced today by The Royal Film Commission-Jordan and Sundance Institute. The Rawi Screenwriters Lab is an example of Sundance Institute’s longstanding international work to support emerging filmmakers around the world. Former Rawi Fellows include Cherien Dabis (Amreeka), Mohammed Al Daradji (Son Of Babylon) and Sally El Hosaini (My Brother The Devil).

Fall foliage, crisp wintry air, Thanksgiving turkey—autumn hardly begets a period of intense film contemplation. Nevertheless, we’re roughly two months out from the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, and there’s a feverish, borderline manic temperament that pervades the Sundance Institute offices. Staffers have shed the fleeting tranquilities of summer and are standing face-to-face with next year’s Festival—except, “next year” is deviously misleading.

Park City, UT — Locals planning to attend the 2013 Sundance Film Festival that have not yet purchased passes or ticket packages should consider individual ticketing options.  The 2013 Sundance Film Festival will be January 17-27, 2013.
From tomorrow (November 6) through December 17 at 5:00 p.

New York, NY — Sundance Institute today announced the seven artists selected for its 2013 Playwrights Retreat at Ucross Foundation, February 4-22, 2013. The annual writing colony at the 20,000-acre working cattle ranch outside of Sheridan, Wyo. provides a supportive environment for artists to create new work and receive guidance and reactions to it at an early stage.

As America hovers in election limbo over the next 48 hours, we offer you a brief respite from the conjecture with a slate of politically charged films from the annals of the Sundance Film Festival. Give your bit-chomping, hand-wringing ways a rest and check out these titles.8: The Mormon Proposition Directors: Reed Cowan and Steven GreenstreetCowan and Greenstreet not only make for a potent-sounding law firm, but also a socially and politically biting documentary.

“Through the act of watching a film about Cuba, in Chinese or in English, we are one audience. We are finding a space for one dialogue. I left China with a renewed belief in art as a way to find common ground for constructive discussion.

On the eve of the year’s most devious day, and in deference to the spirits, creatures, and other nocturnal dwellers of our world, we’ve nominated five Sundance-supported films for your Halloween viewing pleasure. And if that’s not enough, check out Gowatchit.com’s curated channel featuring the best films culled from the Sundance Film Festival’s Park City at Midnight category.

Below, filmmaker Razelle Benally—known for shorts like I Am Thy Weapon, Raven, and Te Kaitiaki—recounts her experiences at Sundance Institute’s NativeLab. Driving to the airport the morning before my departure, I stared aimlessly at passing cars, my thoughts focused on the forthcoming workshop intensive. It was no surprise how anxious and almost diffident I had become because of my selection into the NativeLab.

Anyone who starts their presentation, full-suited, gingham shirt, and purple-checkered tie, by renaming it Aesthetics #FTW, has my full attention. A game designer, teacher, artist, and second-time New Frontier Story Lab Advisor, Nick Fortugno’s pretty much a perfect human. With a passion for creating emotion through experiences, his work designing video games for interactivity is perfectly suited for a #transmedia Lab such as this one.

The post-Summer torpor at the box office is well underway, a seasonal trend that has hit studios and filmmakers with increased force in recent years. But our Sundance alumni remain undeterred in their efforts, continuing to invest their talents in several noteworthy projects for the upcoming year—some seemingly more prolific than others, but all warranting attention. Check out what director Spike Lee, actor David Oyelowo, and other alumni have planned for the next year in this edition of Sundance Alumni Updates.

The 2012 New Frontier Story Lab takes place at the Sundance Resort in Utah, where six creative teams and projects undergo an intensive residential retreat focused on creative support, which includes individualized story sessions, conversations about key artistic, design and technology issues, and case study presentations. Below is a recap of creative advisor Lance Weiler’s presentation of his latest work, “Wish For the Future.”“I like to disrupt.

The O2, London, 22 October 2012 — Robert Redford, Sundance Institute and AEG Europe announced today that following the success of the first-ever Sundance London film and music festival in April 2012, the event will return to the world famous London venue, The O2, for a further two years, in 2013 and 2014. Passes and ticket packages for the 2013 event will go on general sale on 9 November online.

New York, NY — Sundance Institute today announced that it has established a first-of-its-kind Tennessee Williams Award to honor emerging playwrights who have participated in its Theatre Program Labs. Permission was given by The University of the South, the beneficiary of the Williams’ estate.
The first Tennessee Williams Award will be presented at a benefit for the Institute’s Theatre Program, April 8, 2013 in New York.