The filmmakers behind the member-exclusive 2018 short film collection give us an inside look into their Sundance Film Festival experience and share how the Institute’s support, which is made possible by your generous contributions, has impacted them. Thank you for championing these distinctive voices.

Christopher Winterbauer


Wyrm

“Film festivals can be … brutal. Half-empty theaters, terrible sound and projection quality, and a (borderline un)healthy
amount of rejection. I rarely allowed myself to fantasize about being selected to screen at Sundance. When we were invited
(after confirming it wasn’t an elaborate hoax), I tempered my expectations with a dose of my previous festival-attending
experience. I needn’t have. My Sundance experience was truly once in a lifetime. The screenings were packed, the audiences
excited to watch our films. The projection and sound quality were incredible [and] I was blown away by the films in our
block. The networking opportunities were unbelievable—connections I made at the Festival have helped us secure financing
for my first feature film. I can’t wait to get back (hopefully with another film).”

Reema Sengupta


Counterfeit Kunkoo

“The 2018 Sundance Film Festival was a life-changing experience. Even though the Festival is so big in scale and features
so many films, they are very careful with taking care of each film and film team. The programmers, our artist liaison,
and PR liaison were absolutely amazing, and went beyond their responsibilities to connect us with other filmmakers and
industry professionals that they felt would make for good future collaborations. The Festival is so well thought out. All
the activities are arranged to facilitate the maximising of exposure and connections that an independent filmmaker might
need. … [And] the credibility that Sundance has given to my film and me as a filmmaker has opened doors I had only hoped
I could walk through one day. We couldn’t have asked for a better world premiere! It really feels like we are part
of the Sundance family and the relationship has only just begun.”

Dime Davis and Elle Lorraine


Wild Wild West

“Sundance is, by far, one of the most thrilling festivals to attend. It’s also one of the most nerve-racking.
Our schedules were completely packed from start to finish: films, panels, parties, and the occasional meal. To be completely
transparent, we had to plan meals around our screening schedule! From the moment Elle and I stepped foot into Park City,
we felt the gravity of it all. We had the honor of celebrating our accomplishment, the industry we love, and the peers
we admire. It was everything we’d hoped for and more. But above all, the staff won our hearts. They supported us
through our nerves, came to our rescue when we needed them (and boy, did we need them!), and made it their personal goal
to put a smile on our faces at every turn. We’re so incredibly grateful for that. The truth is, our first Sundance
was … perfect. Flaws and all. And now we can’t wait for round two!”

Myrsini Aristidou


Aria

“My experience at the Sundance Film Festival was so valuable in the advancement of my work and career as a young filmmaker,
and at the same time such a pleasant time spent with fellow filmmakers and artists in Park City. It was really a great
honor for me to have my short film
Aria as part of the selection this year, and as the first-ever accepted film from Cyprus. It really meant so much
to the team of the film, myself, and to the small film industry of my country. The experience overall at the Festival was
fantastic, as the Sundance staff, the locals, and the Festival-goers were friendly and always ready to assist with anything.
I feel very grateful that I was given this opportunity, and I hope I’ll be able to come back to the Festival with my work
in the future.”

Jack Henry Robbins


Painting with Joan

“During my first Sundance two years ago, there was a huge huge snowstorm and we were the geniuses who were staying
on a mountain. A lot of my time there involved bribing Uber drivers, digging out our car with our hands, frozen feet, and
a lot of vitamin C. But at the core of it I saw something that will forever inspire me to make movies. Here was a transplanted
community of people who were walking through a biblical blizzard, through sleet, dirt, and slush just to see films—films
for the most part without stars, without explosions, sometimes with no hype except a 25-word description and the Sundance
stamp of approval. At the time I was very down on the film industry—a few fallen apart projects, you’ve heard the
story. But Sundance fired me up. I ended up seeing 20 films that year, and my DP met his girlfriend of two years, who he
is probably going to marry. So overall our first trip to Sundance was a success.”

Jun Hoo


Eyebags

“I was born in Hong Kong, a very small city with many limitations in developing art and design. Getting a chance to
be one of the selected animations in the Animation Spotlight is just like a dream for me. When I found out that 9,000 short
films were submitted and Sundance was showing only 69 of them, I couldn’t believe I was one of them. So I really
think that I have already hit the jackpot. Getting the chance to come to Sundance—my first time to visit America, first
time to see the snow, first time to show my animation to an international audience—Sundance has given me so many first
times. The most treasurable moment is to communicate with the audience. I really enjoy listening to their comments and
sharing my purpose and creative process; I always learn something new from them. In Hong Kong, there is a lack of this
kind of communication. … I [also] had a chance to meet the international artists, animators, and filmmakers—and I am so
impressed by their passions. I enjoy the Sundance Film Festival so much. I think it provides motivation to every filmmaker,
creator, and storyteller. It encourages us to keep on.”

Shaka King


LaZercism

“Screening
LaZercism was a special experience because as a short screening before a feature I didn’t get to take part in a Q&A.
All I had to go off of in terms of how the film played was the reaction from the audience in the moment. And it’s a film
that features a few jarring tonal shifts that by the end you don’t really know how to feel. Screening it without a Q&A
in a lot of ways felt like we were pranking the audience … in the best way.”

Luis De Flippis


For Nonna Anna

“Thank you to the Sundance members and donors. Having
For Nonna Anna be invited to play Sundance 2018 and receive a Special Jury Award has been a dream come true. Self-representation
in cinema is vital—for film is an alchemical process with the power to transmute passive viewers into invested players
while educating under the guise of entertaining.”