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Get to Know This Fall’s Filmmakers Through These 27 Sundance Institute–Supported Titles
Steve Zahn, Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke, and Janeane Garofalo star in Ben Stiller’s “Reality Bites,” which premiered at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival. By Lucy

“Rabbit Trap” Pulsates With Folklore Dread
(L–R) Jade Croot, Rosy McEwen, and Bryn Chainey attend the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of “Rabbit Trap” at Eccles Theatre on January 24, 2025,

Short and Sweet: Indigenous Program Short Films’ Past, Present, and Future
By Katie Arthurs The phrase “we stand on the shoulders of giants” was a sentiment taught to me as a child, but one that’s meaning

“Love, Brooklyn” is a Testament to the Power and Beauty of Community
Director Rachael Abigail Holder introduces the premiere of her film “Love, Brooklyn” at the Eccles Theater in Park City. (Photo by George Pimentel/Shutterstock for Sundance

“Twinless” Is James Sweeney’s Darkly Comic Exploration of Loss and Connection
(L—R) Dylan O’Brien and James Sweeney attend the 2025 Sundance Film Festival “Twinless” premiere at Eccles Theatre. (Photo by George Pimentel/Shutterstock for Sundance Film Festival)

Film Festival Watch: 9 Sundance Institute–Supported Must-Sees to Catch at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival
(Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones appear in Train Dreams by Clint Bentley, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute
The Latest

Get to Know This Fall’s Filmmakers Through These 27 Sundance Institute–Supported Titles
Steve Zahn, Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke, and Janeane Garofalo star in Ben Stiller’s “Reality Bites,” which premiered at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival. By Lucy

“Rabbit Trap” Pulsates With Folklore Dread
(L–R) Jade Croot, Rosy McEwen, and Bryn Chainey attend the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of “Rabbit Trap” at Eccles Theatre on January 24, 2025,

“Social Studies” Director Lauren Greenfield on the Art of Documenting America’s Most Connected Generation
By Jessica Herndon Lauren Greenfield has always had an eye for America’s obsessions. For over two decades, the Emmy Award–winning filmmaker has focused her lens
Festival

“Rabbit Trap” Pulsates With Folklore Dread
(L–R) Jade Croot, Rosy McEwen, and Bryn Chainey attend the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of “Rabbit Trap” at Eccles Theatre on January 24, 2025,

“Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake)” Cinematically Narrates a Short Story Collection of Place
& & & Sierra Falconer attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of “Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake)” at The Ray Theatre on

“Love, Brooklyn” is a Testament to the Power and Beauty of Community
Director Rachael Abigail Holder introduces the premiere of her film “Love, Brooklyn” at the Eccles Theater in Park City. (Photo by George Pimentel/Shutterstock for Sundance
Festival Highlights
News

Get to Know This Fall’s Filmmakers Through These 27 Sundance Institute–Supported Titles
Steve Zahn, Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke, and Janeane Garofalo star in Ben Stiller’s “Reality Bites,” which premiered at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival. By Lucy

“Rabbit Trap” Pulsates With Folklore Dread
(L–R) Jade Croot, Rosy McEwen, and Bryn Chainey attend the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of “Rabbit Trap” at Eccles Theatre on January 24, 2025,

Short and Sweet: Indigenous Program Short Films’ Past, Present, and Future
By Katie Arthurs The phrase “we stand on the shoulders of giants” was a sentiment taught to me as a child, but one that’s meaning
Artist Spotlight

Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Mathias Broe, the Director Behind “Sauna”
By Jessica Herndon One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival is having a front-row seat for the bright future of independent

Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Shoshannah Stern, the Director of “Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore”
By Jessica Herndon One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival is having a front-row seat for the bright future of independent

Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez, the Co-Directors of “Sujo”
By Jessica Herndon One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival is having a front-row seat for the bright future of independent
From the Labs

Inside the Archives: A Closer Look at the 2025 Spring and Summer Labs
Documentary Producers Lab fellows Wendy P. Espinal, Loi Ameera Almeron, Elijah Stevens, Crystal Isaac, and Nicole Tsien have a little fun for their group photo.

“The Diary of a Teenage Girl” Is 10! How One of Cinema’s Most Honest Coming-of-Age Films Came Together
By Jessica Herndon In writer-director Marielle Heller’s feature debut, The Diary of a Teenage Girl, a scene opens with titular teen Minnie (Bel Powley) and

Reflecting on the 2025 Summer Season of the Sundance Institute Labs
The 2025 Directors Lab fellows gather together for a group photo. Photo by Gabe Rovick Dear friends, As I sit outside in the long golden
Now Playing

Get to Know This Fall’s Filmmakers Through These 27 Sundance Institute–Supported Titles
Steve Zahn, Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke, and Janeane Garofalo star in Ben Stiller’s “Reality Bites,” which premiered at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival. By Lucy

Release Rundown: What to Watch in September, From “Twinless” to “Eleanor the Great”
June Squibb stars in Scarlett Johansson’s “Eleanor the Great,” which was supported by Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program. By Lucy Spicer Fall is just around

Release Rundown: What to Watch in August, From “It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley” to “A Little Prayer”
A still from Amy Berg’s documentary “It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley,” which premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. By Lucy Spicer Devotees of independent
Collab

“Social Studies” Director Lauren Greenfield on the Art of Documenting America’s Most Connected Generation
By Jessica Herndon Lauren Greenfield has always had an eye for America’s obsessions. For over two decades, the Emmy Award–winning filmmaker has focused her lens

“The Pitt” Director Amanda Marsalis Unpacks the Art of Crafting Raw Emotion and Visual Flair
By Jessica Herndon When it comes to high-stakes television, few shows have captured the intensity and heart of trauma medicine quite like The Pitt. HBO

Take 5: Sundance Collab Instructor Patrick Shen on What He Learned From His Biggest Failure
By Jessica Herndon Welcome to the first edition of Take 5, where we invite you to get familiar with the talented instructors behind our Sundance
Creative Distribution

From the Archives: The 3 Things It Takes to Be an Independent Producer
As the spiritual closing of Sundance Institute’s Creative Producing Summit, Sundance Film Festival director John Cooper wrapped up the weekend with the “One Word Challenge.”Cooper’s challenge to his three keynote guests was simple: “It is 2011, and the most important thing a producer needs to survive is …” Panelists were given this one-word task by email before arriving in Utah and told to bring their best thinking to the audience of creative fellows and advisors. The experiment is both simple and profound, and audience members were invited to play along with cards of their own.

‘I Knew People Wanted to See It’: The ‘In Reality’ Team on Why and How They Self-Distributed
In part one of this interview, In Reality writer/director/star Ann Lupo and producer Holly Meehl shared how they got their anti-romantic comedy feature off the ground. In this second and final part, we explore how they navigated self-distribution.
Were you building an audience along the way? How did you keep people engaged?
AL: During post-production I took on a side project editing a short for Casey Neistat called “Filmmaking is a Sport,” and it completely changed my perspective on YouTube.

From Short Film to Unexpected Feature: How ‘In Reality’ Came to Life
Liz Manashil is a filmmaker and former manager of Sundance Institute’s Creative Distribution Initiative.
A few months ago, before I had a baby, I encountered the anti-romantic comedy feature film In Reality, which I immediately fell for. As I told the filmmakers later, it was the movie I needed when I was in my early 20s.
From the Archives

Get to Know This Fall’s Filmmakers Through These 27 Sundance Institute–Supported Titles
Steve Zahn, Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke, and Janeane Garofalo star in Ben Stiller’s “Reality Bites,” which premiered at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival. By Lucy

“Rabbit Trap” Pulsates With Folklore Dread
(L–R) Jade Croot, Rosy McEwen, and Bryn Chainey attend the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of “Rabbit Trap” at Eccles Theatre on January 24, 2025,

“Social Studies” Director Lauren Greenfield on the Art of Documenting America’s Most Connected Generation
By Jessica Herndon Lauren Greenfield has always had an eye for America’s obsessions. For over two decades, the Emmy Award–winning filmmaker has focused her lens

“Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake)” Cinematically Narrates a Short Story Collection of Place
& & & Sierra Falconer attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of “Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake)” at The Ray Theatre on