Category: From the Labs

Q&A: Native Filmmaker Christopher Kahunahana on His Project ‘Karaoke King’

Last week, the Sundance Institute Native American and Indigenous Program kicked off its annual fellowship with a four-day workshop on the homelands of the Mescalero Apache Tribe in New Mexico. On the heels of his rigorous week at the Native Lab, Native Hawaiian filmmaker Christopher Kahunahana opened up about his creative impulses and how he’s arrived at his current project, Karaoke Kings, a singular story oriented around the homeless community in Honolulu’s Chinatown. Can you offer a brief description of your project and your personal connection to—or why you’re compelled to tell—this story?During the past 10 years that I’ve worked in Chinatown I’ve seen the homeless population grow immensely.

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Dylan Mohan Grey Recalls His “Eureka Moment” at Mumbai Mantra Screenwriters Lab

Every year, in collaboration with our hard-working partners and amazing hosts Mumbai Mantra (Mahindra), we conduct a Screenwriters Lab in India that supports eight emerging independent voices in Indian cinema. The following post comes from screenwriting fellow Dylan Mohan Gray.
I thought that writing a few paragraphs about my experiences at the Sundance Institute | Mumbai Mantra Screenwriting Lab would be a piece of cake.

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Listen to This: A Spotify Playlist Featuring Songs by Sundance Institute Lab Advisors

On April 12 in Los Angeles, the Sundance Institute Film Music Program will host the third annual Composers Lab: LA featuring a series of informative conversations and interactive networking opportunities with renowned composers and industry professionals. The Lab offers film composers insight into the process of creating music for film. In anticipation of the event, we’ve curated a Spotify playlist showcasing some of the iconic work of our advisors.

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“We Are a Tribe”: Naomi Foner on the Mumbai Mantra Screenwriters Lab

Every year, in collaboration with our hard-working partners and amazing hosts Mumbai Mantra (Mahindra), we conduct a Screenwriters Lab in India that supports eight emerging independent voices in Indian cinema. March 2014 was our third installment, and as luck would have it, this year’s lab commenced on the ancient Hindu Holi festival, which signifies the start of spring and the triumph of good over evil. The following post comes from Oscar-nominated screenwriter and veteran Sundance Institute lab advisor Naomi Foner.

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