The Latest
We the People: Documentary Filmmakers Capture the Power of Protest
Editor’s note: This story was originally published after the 2012 Festival in the wake of the Occupy Wall Street Movement and the Arab Spring. We’re republishing it this week as we witness the power of protests and activism to combat the systemic racism that has long plagued our country and its criminal justice system. There is still much work to be done.
Parker Posey to Host 2012 Sundance Film Festival Awards Ceremony
Park City, UT – Sundance Institute announced today the 23 members of the six juries awarding prizes at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, as well as the host of the Awards Ceremony on January 28. The Festival takes place January 19 through 29 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah.
Actress and writer Parker Posey will serve as the host of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival Awards Ceremony, set to take place January 28 at 7:00 p.
Sundance USA: Meet the Venues
On January 26, Sundance Film Festival USA dispatches nine filmmakers from Park City to nine cities across the country to screen and discuss their direct-from-Festival films with audiences. In the coming weeks, we’ll introduce you to this year’s hosts by featuring them in our venue profile series.
Music Box Theatre Chicago, IL
Patrons of the Music Box Theatre in Chicago frequently used to ask me about my Festival experience each year: What was it like? Did I meet any interesting filmmakers? What will be the next Sundance film to make it big? Was there a little gem that might get overlooked by the industry and never be seen again? During these conversations, it was very apparent that they would have loved nothing more than to experience firsthand the Festival they had heard so much about.
FreeFail: Indie Film Game-Changer Outs Herself as a Failure (Despite Evidence to the Contrary
On Monday, January 20, with #FreeFail, the Sundance Film Festival will dedicate a day to exploring a vital aspect of the creative process: Failure. To kick off the festivities, filmmaker Jennie Livingston (Paris is Burning) reflects on the challenges she has faced as the self-proclaimed World’s Slowest Filmmaker.
While investigating links for a website for the film I’m making, Earth Camp One, I came across a blog that described me as someone who’d made an important film and then failed to follow it up with a career.
Everything You Wanted to Know About Digital Deliverables (But Were Afraid to Ask)
Few people go into the business of making films because of a passion for file conversions or frame rate quandaries. But the truth is that every filmmaker who wants his or her film to be seen, screened, distributed, or streamed needs to contend with these and other issues pertaining to the swiftly changing world of digital deliverables. Gone are the days when reels of 35mm film were all you needed to show your film; now you need to juggle between ProRes files, HDCAMs, and DCPs—and that’s just for starters.
Andrew Rossi Investigates the Alarming Cost of Education in Ivory Tower
Documentary filmmaker Andrew Rossi is drawn to worlds that at first seem impenetrable. In his previous film, the riveting Page One: Inside the New York Times (which premiered at Sundance in 2011), Rossi obtained a “fly-on the-wall” look at the newspaper industry in a state of transition and turmoil. Now, with his latest documentary Ivory Tower, Rossi departs The Grey Lady’s sanctified headquarters for the hallowed halls of Harvard to find an explanation for the staggering cost faced by Americans in pursuit of higher education.
12 Women-Directed Films to Watch For Women’s History Month
A recent proliferation of “official” and “unofficial” holidays has provoked some gratuitous celebrations—shout out to National Doughnut Day. On the other hand, some less facetious days of recognition warrant a more substantial nod. Cue Women’s History Month, which dates back to 1981 and corresponds with International Women’s Day on March 8.
National Endowment for the Arts
Sitting around the campfire on a cool evening after a long day of rehearsals at the Sundance Labs, you’ll often hear the story of how Sundance first came to be. It was around 1981, when Founder Robert Redford conceived of a place for American artists to share ideas and take creative risks with their work. That year, the newly-established Sundance Institute made an appeal to the nation’s leading funder of artistic endeavor — the National Endowment for the Arts — to support its nascent program for independent storytellers.
A Former U.S. Soldier Hones Her Script at the Sundance Screenwriters Lab
Nicole Riegel is a 2014 January Screenwriters Lab Fellow whose project Lynch tells the story of an American P.O.W.
HP Feature Film Fellowship
As a longtime Presenting Sponsor of the Sundance Film Festival and Sundance London, HP was striving for the opportunity to have deeper connection with a filmmaker team as a vehicle to strengthen their support of independent storytelling.
HP recently initiated a Fellowship to further support emerging talent who have exhibited strength and innovation relating to technology. The 2014 Fellows are Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, working on their film Swiss Army Man.
The Weirdest Dads to Hit the Screens at Sundance
Of all the hackneyed representations of “dads” in film, none rings more true than the “weird dad.” Perhaps the notion arrived in tow with our other absurd father fascinations of late—#DadJokes and #DadBods, anyone? This Father’s Day, we take a look at some of the strangest dads to come through Sundance.The Squid and the WhaleDirector Noah Baumbach’s 2005 film is a keen portrait of a family at odds in the wake of a failed marriage, and a demonstration on the ‘don’ts’ of fatherhood.
Four Additional Films Selected for 2012 Sundance Film Festival
Park City, UT – Sundance Institute announced today the selection of four additional films for the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. The Festival will be January 19 through 29 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah. The complete list of films is available at www.
Film Independent Spirit Awards
A bevy of 2011 Sundance Film Festival films and artists were nominated last month for the Film Independent Spirit Awards, held annually to honor the premier talent in independent film. Online voting opens January 27, and winners will be announced at a February 25 awards ceremony broadcast on IFC (10 p.m.
12 Feature Film Projects Selected for Sundance Institute January Screenwriters Lab
Los Angeles, CA — Sundance Institute has selected 12 projects for its annual January Screenwriters Lab, an immersive, five-day (January 13-18) writers’ workshop at the Sundance Resort in Utah. Participating independent screenwriters – drawn from around the world, including the United States, China, South Africa, and Europe – will have the opportunity to work intensely on their feature film scripts with the support of established writers in an environment that encourages innovation and creative risk-taking.
Michelle Satter, Director of the Sundance Institute Feature Film Program, said, “We are very excited to support these filmmakers who are giving voice to a world in transition with a diverse range of stories, genres and contemporary themes.