It’s hard to imagine a more irreplaceable filmmaker than Chris Marker. The legendary filmmaker passed away last week on his 91st birthday—although he was so elusive about his own past, refusing interviews and even photos of himself, he could have just as easily been born the same day the camera was invented.In fact, that’s just the type poetic symmetry that might have found its way into one of Marker’s many short films, including La Jetee (1962), the gold standard of the form and the work for which he’ll best be remembered.

Howard Goldberg is a Sundance alumn who developed the screenplay “Eden” at the 1993 Screenwriters Lab. The completed film was in the Dramatic Competition at the 1996 Sundance Festival. His latest film, “Jake Squared,” starring Elias Koteas, Virginia Madsen, and Mike Vogel, is seeking funding through Kickstarter.

Last week was all at once the culmination and zenith of a journey for the audacious filmmaking team behind the Sundance Institute-supported documentary Semper Fi: Always Faithful. Sundance Institute received thrilling news from directors Rachel Libert and Tony Hardmon that Congress had passed the ‘Honoring America’s Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act’—which encompasses the Janey Ensminger Act—to provide health care benefits to veterans and family members exposed to contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune, a Marine base in North Carolina. The impetus for the legislation was Libert and Hardmon’s searing documentary exposé, which tracks former Marine Master Sgt.

Park City, Utah  — Sundance Institute in collaboration with the Chickasaw Nation and the Chickasaw Cultural Center in Sulphur, Oklahoma today announced two unique film events that will take place in Oklahoma September 6 to 8: A Native Filmmaker Summit and FILM FORWARD: Advancing Cultural Dialogue.
FILM FORWARD, a touring film program that offers screenings, workshops, and discussions designed to foster dialogue and cross-cultural understanding, is an Initiative of Sundance Institute and The President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Filmmakers in Oklahoma are invited to a one-day Native Filmmaker Summit at 10 a.

Beyond the tape-delay broadcasts, ubiquitous spoilers, and compulsory diplomacy, I’ve always been rapt by the galvanizing powers of the Olympic Games. They’re a rare opportunity to revel in nationalism without condemnation, and better yet, the Games are always good for a generous helping of controversy. Really though, it’s like clockwork (see: Voula Pappachristou and Michel Morganella).

After a week of intense work the Film Forward 2012 team returned home. This program, an initiative of Sundance Institute, is to stimulate cultural dialogue through the independent film. For seven days the director of the film On the Ice, Andrew McLean Okpeaha, and the producer of the documentary Buck, Sofia Santana, participated in discussions held with various segments of the population of Bogota, Cali, and Manizales.

Ciara Lacy is a Native Hawaiian filmmaker who attended the 2012 Sundance Institute NativeLab with her feature documentary project “Out of State.” Below she recalls her experience interacting with Lab Advisor and Sundance alum Adam Bhala Lough.I was sitting across from Adam Bhala Lough.

In this small world of variety, complexity, and contrast, the term “film forward” is a great alternative for understanding life, culture, and sharing. “Film” is this great learning window, and “forward”represents the sharing, reflecting, inspiring, and understanding among different cultures. The FILM FORWARD program in Bogotá, Colombia, generated an incredible atmosphere of exchange and knowledge.

Read Part 1 of Andrew’s journey here.
Thinking back on my trip to Colombia and my entire FILM FORWARD experience.  I love travelling.

Monday July 9, 2012
First Day In Bogota
I arrived last night in Colombia to start the FILM FORWARD program.  It’s kind of funny being on a trip with a bit of a diplomatic feel to it in a country that I have never called home, but feels like my homeland.  My mother is Colombian and since the age of two I have been here often (in particular to her hometown of Cartagena) to spend time with family.

Frank Pierson was just plain brilliant – as a screenwriter, educator and leader. He was never afraid to have an opinion and was always fiercely independent and ready for an honest debate. Frank began coming to the Sundance Screenwriters Lab in the early days of the 1980s and was one of the founding writers of the Program.