Overview of Opportunities

Learn about all of the labs, grants, and fellowships we offer and how our programs work together to support independent storytellers in developing their craft.

Programs

Initiatives

Workshops

Open to all artists, and held around the country, Workshops and Day Labs offer participants premium resources and expert advice on topics ranging from screenwriting to digital distribution.

Sundance Alumni Artists

Have you participated in a program or had a film in one of our festivals? Then you're part of our alumni community. Learn about the on-going support and benefits we offer you!

Supported Artists and Projects

Discover the artists and work supported through Sundance Institute's labs and festivals with our digital archive.

Apply/Submit

Find support for your story. Apply for upcoming labs, fellowships, grants, and more.

News & Stories

Serving Up Independent Culture

Photo Gallery

Check out our favorite shots from festivals, labs, screenings and events.

Events

Support Overview

Meet the diverse group of Sundance Institute supporters. A passionate community of groups and individuals who believe that everyone has the right to tell their story.

Membership

Join a community of like-minded individuals who believe in the power of great art.

Individual Giving

Corporate Support

Sundance Institute builds multi-faceted collaborations with leading brands to engage with a creative community of artists and audiences.

Foundation Giving

Foundation grants provide stability for existing Programs and seed the launch of new initiatives.

Government Support

Contributions from federal, state, and community agencies and embassies provide endorsements for our local, national, and international work.

Sundance Film Festival

International Festivals

Shorts Tour

Showcasing a wide variety of story and style, the Sundance Film Festival Short Film Tour is a 95-minute theatrical program of eight short films from the 2016 edition of the January Festival

Utah Community Events

Programs for Utah audiences to experience independent film, theatre, and music through free screenings and discussions.

Watch Films

Watch Films

Shop

Digital Archive

Explore our digital archive to discover all the independent artists and stories supported through Sundance Institute’s labs and festivals.

Stunts & Effects For Independent Filmmaking

This 1988 festival panel featured a live fire demonstration by a member of the United Stuntmen’s Association.

A commitment to Native artists since our founding

Indigenous filmmakers have long been involved in the Institute, going back to Larry Littlebird (Laguna/ Santo Domingo Pueblo) and Chris Spotted Eagle (Houmas Nation) who participated in the original founding meetings.

Festival Award Winners Through the Years

Searching took home both the Audience Award: NEXT and the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize in 2018. Take a look back at all the Festival award winners.

1985: Festival Year One

Sundance Institute assumed creative and administrative control of the U.S. Film Festival, expanded it to 10 days, and showcased American independent and international films, including: John Schlesinger’s The Falcon and the Snowman, Robert Rosenberg and Greta Schiller’s Before Stonewall, William Duke ’s The Killing Floor, John Sayle’s Brother from Another Planet, Roland Joffé’s The Killing Fields. Award-winning films included the Coen brothers’ debut film Blood Simple and Jim Jarmusch’s Stranger than Paradise.

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The Arm, a short film about friendship and texting

At the 2012 Sundance Film Festival Brie Larson premiered the short film The Arm, which she directed with two of her best friends Jessie Ennis and Sarah Ramos. The girls pooled together a shoestring budget of $800–the largest expense being breakfast burritos according to Larson–and pursued their creative vision. Having never made a film before and being uncertain of the final product, they hesitated to even submit it to Sundance. Fortunately, they were convinced by Larson’s agent, and the trio ended up taking home a Special Jury Award for Comedic Storytelling.

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