“The site was a place that had itself experienced a deep loss, and it was healing,” Rebirth director Jim Whitaker said about Ground Zero. Whitaker decided to document that healing process by creating Rebirth—a documentary about the trauma, grief, and recovery of five individuals who suffered personal loss in the tragedy.Process is at the heart of Rebirth as it explores through time-lapse photography the changes at Ground Zero—the transition from a disaster area to a search and rescue operation and then to a rebuilding project—and as it documents, also in time-lapse fashion in the form of yearly interviews, the progression of its human subjects.

Ramona Emerson is a Navajo filmmaker from Tohatchi, New Mexico. She participated in the 2010 Sundance Institute Native Filmmakers Lab with her project Opal, and is now using Kickstarter to fund the final stages of the film’s production. Opal has been a journey.

New York, NY — The Sundance Institute Theatre Program today announced the three projects selected for its 2012 Theatre Lab at White Oak in Yulee, Florida. The Lab provides creative support and direction for innovative musical theatre projects and ensemble-generated projects, which have unique needs for collaboration and rehearsal time. Under the supervision of Philip Himberg, Producing Artistic Director of the Theatre Program, and Associate Director Christopher Hibma, the two week Lab (October 30 – November 13, 2011) is produced in partnership with the Howard Gilman Foundation.

David Becker participated in the Sundance Institute Independent Producers Conference for his film Small Steps: Creating the High School for Contemporary Arts, which went on to air nationally on PBS. He also coordinated the restoration and re-release of Barbara Kopple’s landmark documentary Harlan County, USA, which screened at the 2005 Festival.I’m writing from upstate New York, where the devastating effects of Hurricane Irene can still be seen all around: uprooted trees, downed power lines, the mud and mess left behind by flooded rivers.

Nekisa Cooper is an independent producer who most recently worked on Dee Rees’ 2011 Festival selection, Pariah. She is currently producing Maris Curran’s debut feature Five Nights in Maine along with a team of Sundance Film Festival alumni.In 2008, I participated in the inaugural Sundance Institute Creative Producing Lab and it was an experience that truly changed my life.

Los Angeles, CA — Sundance Institute today announced that its Native American & Indigenous Program will host its first Native Producers Workshop, August 17 and 18 in Santa Fe, NM. The invitation-only event builds on the Institute’s 30-year tradition of supporting Native American cinema through its Labs and Festival and will focus on the opportunities and challenges unique to producing Native American film, as well as independent cinema in general. The workshop is an extension of Sundance Institute’s offerings for producers, including its annual Creative Producing Labs and Creative Producing Summit.

Andrew Okpeaha MacLean is an Iñupiaq filmmaker born and raised in Alaska. His short film Sikumi premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and his debut feature On the Ice screened at the 2011 Festival.Making a movie 320 miles north of the Arctic Circle is hard.

Heather Rae is a filmmaker and Sundance Institute trustee who has produced three Sundance Film Festival selections including the 2008 Grand Jury Prize-winning and Oscar nominated Frozen River. She recently participated at the first-ever Native Producers Workshop in Santa Fe, New Mexico. At the Native Producers Workshop this past week we sat in a circle on Museum Hill – a complex featuring four world-class museums – in Santa Fe and discussed the state of independent film and the way in which Native production plays a role in the marketplace.

The focus of the fourth Sundance ShortsLab to date, held at the Cinefamily @ The Silent Movie Theatre in Los Angeles on Saturday, August 6, was the craft of comedic short filmmaking and exhibition. Over the course of the day-long event, writers, directors, actors, and distributors dissected the art of short form storytelling.
Comedy ShortsLab: LA began with a discussion around the discovery and development of the comedic voice moderated by Emmy-nominated comedy writer Scott Aukerman and featuring Julie Delpy (2 Days in Paris), Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland), and Mike White (Year of the Dog).