The Latest
Sundance Institute Vanguard Award Celebration to Honor Siân Heder and Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson
Los Angeles, CAs — The nonprofit Sundance Institute announced today that it will present the 2021 Vanguard Award to filmmaker Siân Heder for her work on her feature film CODA, and filmmaker Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson for his work in documentary filmmaking on his directorial debut Summer Of Soul (…
A Fond Farewell from Bird Runningwater, Reflecting on 20 Years at the Sundance Institute
“This home has come to an end; it’s time to move to the next home.” — Mescalero Apache ceremonial song
During my 20 years at the Sundance Institute, I’ve tried to imbue my work with inflections of my own Cheyenne and Mescalero Apache cultures. I saw the work of supporting Indigenous artists as a ceremony of transitioning storytellers into their full potential, much like my Mescalero community does when we ritually sing our young women into womanhood and into our matriarchy.
Straight Out of Sundance: America Ferrera on Her Big-Screen Debut in ‘Real Women Have Curves’
Earlier this year, the Sundance Institute marked its 40th anniversary, and to commemorate the occasion, we caught up with dozens of Institute alumni to learn more about how they brought some of their very first projects from development to debut.
Eight Nonfiction Films Combine Art, Science, Storytelling
Park City, UT — The nonprofit Sundance Institute and Sandbox Films today announced the 12 filmmakers and eight projects selected as the next cohort for support by the Sundance Institute | Sandbox Fund. The fund aims to elevate the voices of independent artists working at the intersection of science and nonfiction storytelling as they produce and promote work and discourse that highlights the overlap of science and art.The eight selected project teams will receive unrestricted and non-recoupable grants totaling $255,000.
2021 Sundance Institute Film Music Intensive: Meet the Fellows
In spring of 2021, the Sundance Institute conducted an online Film Music Intensive, an all-too-infrequent chance to create and claim some free creative space and examine something that fascinates us all: What happens when you combine music and film to tell a story?
We welcomed extraordinary emerging composers Chanell Crichlow, Olivia Komahcheet, Kalaisan Kalaichelvan, Alexandra Kalinowski, Dana Lynn, and EmmoLei Sankofa as fellows. They worked with a stellar group of creative advisors from across the industry, including Kathryn Bostic, George S. Clinton, Mychael Danna, Laura Karpman, Heather McIntosh, Blake Neely, Jeff Rona, Adam Smalley, and Christopher Willis.
Straight Out of Sundance: “Reservation Dogs” Creator Sterlin Harjo on Making His First Feature, “Four Sheets to the Wind”
Earlier this summer, the Sundance Institute marked its 40th anniversary, and to commemorate the occasion, we caught up with dozens of Institute alumni to learn more about how they brought some of their very first projects from development to debut. In our Straight Out of Sundance series, we’ll be sharing more of their stories with you. Want to learn more about the nonprofit Institute’s year-round work supporting artists around the world — and how you can help? Visit our Membership page today.
Sundance Film Festival: Asia Is Set for 23–26 September; Program Announced, Will Take Place Virtually
JAKARTA — The Sundance Institute and XRM Media, with support from IDN Media, announced today the program of feature films and panel discussions for the 2021 Sundance Film Festival: Asia, taking place online 23–26 September 2021. The films will be available for viewing online in Indonesia, and digital screening passes for online screenings will be available beginning on Wednesday, 15 September; buy yours at sundancefilmfestivalasia.org.
16 Sundance Films to Watch Before Fall Movie Season, From ‘The Eyes of Tammy Faye’ to ‘Thank You for Smoking’
Just as nature brings out new and vivid colors in the fall, filmmakers step forward with their best and brightest as we head into the serious cinema season — not that some fun romps aren’t in store as well. In reviewing the fall movie season lineup, we started to notice some familiar faces from past labs and Festivals popping up behind the camera, from Daniel Deston Cretton to Chloé Zhao. Thus, we have another installment in our ongoing lesson: You find Sundance alums in some of the most exciting places.
6 Sundance Institute–Supported Projects to Catch at Venice, Telluride, TIFF, and NYFF
The arrival of September means the start of fall festival season, beginning with the Venice International Film Festival, which hosts its opening night tonight. We’re excited at the prospect of getting to see Sundance Institute–supported projects in person at events around the world, beginning tomorrow, September 2, with the world premiere of Diana El Jeiroudi’s Republic of Silence, which was made with support from our Documentary Film Fund.
In addition to El Jeiroudi’s film, we’ve rounded up four additional Sundance Institute–supported projects that appear on the lineups of Venice (September 1–11), Telluride (September 2–6), Toronto (September 9–18), and the New York Film Festival (September 24–October 10).
Release Rundown: What to Watch in September, From ‘My Name Is Pauli Murray’ to ‘El Planeta’
Betsy West and Julie Cohen, the team behind the Oscar-nominated film about Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, bring another trailblazing personality to light this fall.
My Name Is Pauli Murray, which premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, is one of eight Sundance-supported gems opening to wider audiences in the United States this September. The pair’s previous project, RBG, played the Festival in 2018.
We the Animals is a Magical Fever Dream Tracking a Volatile Childhood
Through our #Sundance40th series, we’re offering a decade-by-decade look back at the Sundance Institute’s first 40 years, celebrating the artists and projects that have been such a vital part of our history. And our story doesn’t end here: We need your help in supporting the storytellers of tomorrow. Donate now.
Sundance Institute’s Native American and Indigenous Program Stands By Navajo Code Talkers and The Art of Native Storytelling
Through our #Sundance40th series, we’re offering a decade-by-decade look back at the Sundance Institute’s first 40 years, celebrating the artists and projects that have been such a vital part of our history. And our story doesn’t end here: We need your help in supporting the storytellers of tomorrow. Donate now.
NEA Proposed Cuts
Through our #Sundance40th series, we’re offering a decade-by-decade look back at the Sundance Institute’s first 40 years, celebrating the artists and projects that have been such a vital part of our history. And our story doesn’t end here: We need your help in supporting the storytellers of tomorrow. Donate now.
2018 Short Film Collection: Hear from the Artists
Through our #Sundance40th series, we’re offering a decade-by-decade look back at the Sundance Institute’s first 40 years, celebrating the artists and projects that have been such a vital part of our history. And our story doesn’t end here: We need your help in supporting the storytellers of tomorrow. Donate now.
Stories of Change Convening
Through our #Sundance40th series, we’re offering a decade-by-decade look back at the Sundance Institute’s first 40 years, celebrating the artists and projects that have been such a vital part of our history. And our story doesn’t end here: We need your help in supporting the storytellers of tomorrow. Donate now.