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Sundance Institute Directors Lab 2025: Chheangkea
Chheangkea at the Sundance Institute Directors Lab
This month Filmmaker is publishing diaries from writers and directors who attended the 2025 Sundance Institute Directors Lab. Today we’re sharing the diary of Chheangkea, who traveled to the Lab with Little Phnom Penh. Here’s the description: “Spanning two ever-changing decades,… Read more
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“My Tendency Is to Prioritize Collaboration”: Eva Steinmetz on Her Student Short Film Showcase Winner Marina
A father-daughter relationship finds eventual catharsis through conflict in Marina, writer-director Eva Steinmetz’s MFA thesis film completed during her studies at Temple University. The titular character (Grace McLean) struggles as the sole caretaker for her mentally and physically declining father (Peter Friedman). Indeed, their shifting roles has caused quite a rift in their relationship—and even rehashes past resentments—causing both parties to simmer with perpetual frustration. With the help of an ice cold Klondike bar, the two are able to enjoy each other’s company for the first time in a while; a moment so uncanny that it takes place during an […]
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“A Lot of Pent-up Grief with Life”: Calleen Koh on Her Student Short Film Showcase Winner My Wonderful Life
Loosely based on her mother’s grueling daily schedule, Calleen Koh’s delightfully animated My Wonderful Life brings to life the deranged fantasies that can plague the overworked. Office drone Grace Lee falls strains her body beyond its breaking point—the demands of her workplace, family and even a local stray cat cause her to collapse on the job. When she wakes up in the hospital, she feels an odd sense of relief and relaxation. She can finally rest without feeling guilty; as a result, she resolves to extend her hospital stay by any means necessary. When her body begins to heal itself, […]
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Read Interviews With the Sixth Annual Student Short Film Showcase Winners, Awarded By The Gotham, JetBlue and Focus Features
Graduate students hailing from UT Austin, Temple University, UCLA, Loyola Marymount University and CalArts are the winners of the sixth annual Student Short Film Showcase, co-presented by JetBlue, Focus Features and The Gotham, Filmmaker‘s publisher. In a refreshing turn this year, all of the awardees are women. Indeed, their films focus on the rift in perspective between young women and the generation that came before them. Nicole Chi’s Los Mosquitos explores the tension between a 15-year-old Honduran teen and her adorable younger cousin who, to her chagrin, becomes a bottomless vessel for adult praise; Eva Steinmetz’s Marina chronicles a difficult […]
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Sundance Institute Directors Lab 2025: Leo Aguirre
This month Filmmaker is publishing diaries from writers and directors who attended the 2025 Sundance Institute Directors Lab. Today we’re sharing the diary of Leo Aguirre, who traveled to the Lab with Verano. Here’s the description: “An unruly teenager’s summer plans are upended when his parents decide to foster an adolescent from Central America who is seeking asylum in the United States. As the two teens realize they must share more than just a bedroom, they are forced to confront their differences amid their harsh realities.” A complete list of Sundance Labs participants can be found here. — Editor JUNE 1: Couldn’t […]
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Sundance Institute Directors Lab 2025: Andrea Ellsworth
This month Filmmaker is publishing diaries from writers and directors who attended the 2025 Sundance Institute Directors Lab. Today we’re sharing the diary of Andrea Ellsworth, who traveled to the Lab with The Dispute, co-written with Kasey Elise Walker (whose diary can be found here). Here’s the description: “Down on their luck and desperate for more, two best friends from South Central take a chance encounter as an invitation to trade their dead-end lives in Los Angeles for something new. When chaos ensues during their seemingly lucrative adventure, they realize the true cost of their actions.” A complete list of Sundance […]
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Sundance Institute Directors Lab 2025 Diary: Kasey Elise Walker
This month Filmmaker is publishing diaries from writers and directors who attended the 2025 Sundance Institute Directors Lab. First up is Kasey Elise Walker, who traveled to the Lab with The Dispute, co-written with Andrea Ellsworth. Here’s the description: “Down on their luck and desperate for more, two best friends from South Central take a chance encounter as an invitation to trade their dead-end lives in Los Angeles for something new. When chaos ensues during their seemingly lucrative adventure, they realize the true cost of their actions.” A complete list of Sundance Labs participants can be found here. — Editor I’m freaking […]
