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Magical Moments and Letting Your Brain Free: A Conversation With Lisa Steen, Director of “Late Bloomers”
(L–R) Louise (Karen Gillan) and Antonina (Margaret Sophie Stein) strike up an unconventional friendship in “Late Bloomers.” By Lucy Spicer The title of Lisa Steen’s
![](https://www.sundance.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot-2024-07-24-at-4.43.44 PM.png)
Talking Story and Building Community: A Conversation With Indigenous Program Alumni and Advisor Bryson Chun
by Ianeta Le’i I honestly don’t remember the first time I met Bryson Chun, but what I do know is that it’s always fun when
![A bearded man in all black, a woman with dark grey hair and a long black scarf, and a woman in a pink dress with medium-length curly hair, all stand in front of a step and repeat at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.](https://www.sundance.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/1458027673-scaled-1.jpg)
There Are No Heroes or Villains in “Against the Tide”
PARK CITY, UTAH – JANUARY 20: (L–R) Quentin Laurent, Sarvnik Kaur, and Koval Bhatia attend the 2023 Sundance Film Festival “Against the Tide” premiere at
![](https://www.sundance.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Didi-弟弟-Still1_Izaac_Wang.jpg)
Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Sean Wang, the Writer-Director of “Dìdi (弟弟)”
By Lucy Spicer One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival is having a front-row seat for the bright future of independent
![](https://www.sundance.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/SFF_Logo_Black_Fill.png)
Sundance Institute Announces Finalists in RFP Process
to Host the Sundance Film Festival in 2027 and Beyond Sundance Institute Announces Finalists in RFP Process to Host the Sundance Film Festival in 2027
![](https://www.sundance.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/SD_FY24_TPIA_1920x1080_FINAL.png)
2024 Trans Possibilities Intensive Fellows Announced
Today the nonprofit Sundance Institute announced the artists selected to participate in the Sundance Institute Trans Possibilities Intensive, a three-part event held online from July
The Latest
![](https://www.sundance.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/01_45_01_21-768x429.jpg)
Magical Moments and Letting Your Brain Free: A Conversation With Lisa Steen, Director of “Late Bloomers”
(L–R) Louise (Karen Gillan) and Antonina (Margaret Sophie Stein) strike up an unconventional friendship in “Late Bloomers.” By Lucy Spicer The title of Lisa Steen’s
![](https://www.sundance.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot-2024-07-24-at-4.43.44 PM-768x514.png)
Talking Story and Building Community: A Conversation With Indigenous Program Alumni and Advisor Bryson Chun
by Ianeta Le’i I honestly don’t remember the first time I met Bryson Chun, but what I do know is that it’s always fun when
![A bearded man in all black, a woman with dark grey hair and a long black scarf, and a woman in a pink dress with medium-length curly hair, all stand in front of a step and repeat at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.](https://www.sundance.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/1458027673-scaled-1-768x512.jpg)
There Are No Heroes or Villains in “Against the Tide”
PARK CITY, UTAH – JANUARY 20: (L–R) Quentin Laurent, Sarvnik Kaur, and Koval Bhatia attend the 2023 Sundance Film Festival “Against the Tide” premiere at
Festival
![A bearded man in all black, a woman with dark grey hair and a long black scarf, and a woman in a pink dress with medium-length curly hair, all stand in front of a step and repeat at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.](https://www.sundance.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/1458027673-scaled-1-768x512.jpg)
There Are No Heroes or Villains in “Against the Tide”
PARK CITY, UTAH – JANUARY 20: (L–R) Quentin Laurent, Sarvnik Kaur, and Koval Bhatia attend the 2023 Sundance Film Festival “Against the Tide” premiere at
![](https://www.sundance.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Didi-弟弟-Still1_Izaac_Wang-768x432.jpg)
Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Sean Wang, the Writer-Director of “Dìdi (弟弟)”
By Lucy Spicer One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival is having a front-row seat for the bright future of independent
![](https://www.sundance.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/SFF25-Shape-of-Fest_16-9-logo-768x432.jpg)
Counting Down the Days to the 2025 Sundance Film Festival!
Dear Sundance Community, I hope you’re having a great summer. With the 2025 Sundance Film Festival six months away, I’m writing today to share plans
Festival Highlights
News
![](https://www.sundance.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/01_45_01_21-768x429.jpg)
Magical Moments and Letting Your Brain Free: A Conversation With Lisa Steen, Director of “Late Bloomers”
(L–R) Louise (Karen Gillan) and Antonina (Margaret Sophie Stein) strike up an unconventional friendship in “Late Bloomers.” By Lucy Spicer The title of Lisa Steen’s
![](https://www.sundance.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot-2024-07-24-at-4.43.44 PM-768x514.png)
Talking Story and Building Community: A Conversation With Indigenous Program Alumni and Advisor Bryson Chun
by Ianeta Le’i I honestly don’t remember the first time I met Bryson Chun, but what I do know is that it’s always fun when
![A bearded man in all black, a woman with dark grey hair and a long black scarf, and a woman in a pink dress with medium-length curly hair, all stand in front of a step and repeat at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.](https://www.sundance.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/1458027673-scaled-1-768x512.jpg)
There Are No Heroes or Villains in “Against the Tide”
PARK CITY, UTAH – JANUARY 20: (L–R) Quentin Laurent, Sarvnik Kaur, and Koval Bhatia attend the 2023 Sundance Film Festival “Against the Tide” premiere at
Artist Spotlight
![](https://www.sundance.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Thelma-Still2-RichardRoundtree_JuneSquibb-768x432.jpg)
Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Josh Margolin, the Filmmaker Behind “Thelma”
By Bailey Pennick One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival is having a front-row seat for the bright future of independent
![](https://www.sundance.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/2018_Directors-Lab_Brandon-Cruz_0003-768x512.jpg)
From the Labs: 30 Years of Advising From Icons Joan Darling and Joan Tewkesbury
(L–R) Joan Tewkesbury and Joan Darling at the 2018 Sundance Institute Directors Lab (Photo by Brandon Cruz) By Lucy Spicer It’s easy to feel cynical
![A young teen rides a motorcycle with two others riding on the back. City lights are in the background.](https://www.sundance.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Sujo-Still4-2-768x432.jpg)
Mexico City Watchlist: 7 Sundance Festival Films Written by Women
[Pictured: A still from Sujo] By Stephanie Ornelas “There are so many stories and layers to be told within Ciudad de México,” Paloma Riojas says over
From the Labs
![](https://www.sundance.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot-2024-07-24-at-4.43.44 PM-768x514.png)
Talking Story and Building Community: A Conversation With Indigenous Program Alumni and Advisor Bryson Chun
by Ianeta Le’i I honestly don’t remember the first time I met Bryson Chun, but what I do know is that it’s always fun when
![](https://www.sundance.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/June_Blog_Header-768x509.jpeg)
Inside the Archives: Put Your Sundance Film History Knowledge to the Test
By the Archives team Let the summer games begin! While we wait a few more weeks for the Paris Olympics, we’re introducing some Sundance
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Get to Know Troy Lewis: 2024’s Sally Menke Fellow and Editor of “Daughters”
“I am still processing what it means to be part of the Sally Menke Fellowship and the Sundance Directors Labs,” says Troy Lewis from a
Now Playing
![](https://www.sundance.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/01_45_01_21-768x429.jpg)
Magical Moments and Letting Your Brain Free: A Conversation With Lisa Steen, Director of “Late Bloomers”
(L–R) Louise (Karen Gillan) and Antonina (Margaret Sophie Stein) strike up an unconventional friendship in “Late Bloomers.” By Lucy Spicer The title of Lisa Steen’s
![](https://www.sundance.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Skywalkers_ALoveStory-Still1__-768x432.jpg)
Release Rundown: What to Watch in July, From “Dìdi (弟弟)” to “Skywalkers: A Love Story”
Daredevils Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus ascend to dizzying heights in Jeff Zimbalist’s documentary “Skywalkers: A Love Story.” By Lucy Spicer It’s that time of
![Alexis Chikaeze as Kai in 'Miss Juneteenth,' coming to digital platforms June 19](https://www.sundance.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/MissJuneteenth_Press004c-768x436.jpg)
Channing Godfrey Peoples on a Bittersweet ‘Miss Juneteenth’ Release and the Urgency of Portraying Black Humanity on Screen
After premiering at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, Channing Godfrey Peoples’s debut feature is hitting digital platforms this Juneteenth—the day for which the film is named and which is very close to the director’s heart. “I feel like I’ve been living Miss Juneteenth my whole life,” she says.
The June 19 holiday—which commemorates the day slavery was finally abolished in Texas (more than two years after the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation was issued)—is celebrated in her hometown of Fort Worth with a deep sense of reverence and community, with barbecues, a parade, and a scholarship pageant for young Black women.
Collab
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Glen Mazzara’s Six Rules for Writing a Compelling TV Episode
by Sundance Collab team Showrunner Glen Mazzara (The Walking Dead, The Shield) thinks that writing for TV has one rule: Cool people doing cool stuff
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“Choose Your Partners Wisely”: Highlights From a Discussion With Mira Nair, Director of “Mississippi Masala” and “Monsoon Wedding”
By Stephanie Ornelas Mira Nair first aspired to be an actor, but working as a street performer in India made her realize she was destined
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5 Takeaways From a Sundance Collab Conversation With Alexander Payne, Director of “The Holdovers”
By Stephanie Ornelas Alexander Payne has deep roots with Sundance Institute, having been a lab fellow, creative advisor, and a Festival juror over the last
Creative Distribution
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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.
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‘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.
![](https://www.sundance.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/InReality_Still1-300x169.jpg)
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
![](https://www.sundance.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/01_45_01_21-300x168.jpg)
Magical Moments and Letting Your Brain Free: A Conversation With Lisa Steen, Director of “Late Bloomers”
(L–R) Louise (Karen Gillan) and Antonina (Margaret Sophie Stein) strike up an unconventional friendship in “Late Bloomers.” By Lucy Spicer The title of Lisa Steen’s
![](https://www.sundance.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot-2024-07-24-at-4.43.44 PM-300x201.png)
Talking Story and Building Community: A Conversation With Indigenous Program Alumni and Advisor Bryson Chun
by Ianeta Le’i I honestly don’t remember the first time I met Bryson Chun, but what I do know is that it’s always fun when
![A bearded man in all black, a woman with dark grey hair and a long black scarf, and a woman in a pink dress with medium-length curly hair, all stand in front of a step and repeat at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.](https://www.sundance.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/1458027673-scaled-1-300x200.jpg)
There Are No Heroes or Villains in “Against the Tide”
PARK CITY, UTAH – JANUARY 20: (L–R) Quentin Laurent, Sarvnik Kaur, and Koval Bhatia attend the 2023 Sundance Film Festival “Against the Tide” premiere at
![](https://www.sundance.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Didi-弟弟-Still1_Izaac_Wang-300x169.jpg)
Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Sean Wang, the Writer-Director of “Dìdi (弟弟)”
By Lucy Spicer One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival is having a front-row seat for the bright future of independent