Sundance Film Festival 2023
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“Raising Funds for a Film ‘About Abortion’ Is Never Easy” | Tracy Droz Tragos, PLAN C
Opening today in 20 markets across the United States is Tracy Droz Tragos’s Plan C, a documentary about social scientist Francine Coeytaux and her team’s work on expanding access to abortion pills online. With Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Minneapolis-St. Paul opening today, and New York’s IFC Center run beginning October 13, we are reposting the director’s answer to our annual Sundance Question about the various challenges she faced while making the film. — Editor Every production faces unexpected obstructions that require creative solutions and conceptual rethinking. What was an unforeseen obstacle, crisis, or simply unpredictable event you had to respond to, […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Oct 6, 2023 -
“What ‘Motherhood’ Really Means”: Laura Moss on birth/rebirth
The following interview was originally published during our Sundance 2023 coverage and is being republished today ahead of birth/rebirth hitting theaters via IFC Films and Shudder this weekend. — Editor The narrative kernel of birth/rebirth, Laura Moss’s debut feature, was originally planted in the writer-director’s mind 20 years ago. The filmmaker (and former EMT) was creatively stirred after reading Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and feeling that its interest in unnatural procreation could translate well to an all-female retelling. As the decades passed, Moss began negotiating integral facets of their identity—namely coming out as non-binary and becoming increasingly convinced they would never have […]
by Natalia Keogan on Aug 18, 2023 -
Sundance 2023 Documentary Sales and Beyond: Stark Realities, Golden Opportunities
Distribution strategist Peter Broderick, whose articles on microbudget filmmaking were foundational in the early days of this magazine, publishes a weekly newsletter that is a must-read for anyone tracking the independent film industry. A recent edition, his report on Sundance 2023 documentary sales, has prompted discussion and clarified important current trends in non-fiction acquisitions. This report is reprinted with his permission. Sign up for Broderick’s newsletter here. — Editor “Every independent filmmaker should learn the lessons of Sundance. This year’s festival revealed critically important developments in the indie ecosystem.” Let’s start with the same two sentences that began my Special Report […]
by Peter Broderick on Jun 2, 2023 -
New Generation: How A24 Is Helping Keep Art Films Alive
A trio of celebrated and highly distinctive breakout movies at this year’s Sundance Film Festival—Raven Jackson’s visionary All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, Savanah Leaf’s heartrending Earth Mama and Celine Song’s gripping Berlin Competition selection Past Lives—share a few conspicuous elements: They were all debut features made by women of color, they each display an impressive mastery of their forms and they were all backed by A24. A24 has been celebrating one of its biggest years ever—a record 18 total Oscar nominations and its highest grossing film in Everything Everywhere All At Once—but amidst the genre mashups, prestige star vehicles and […]
by Anthony Kaufman on Mar 16, 2023 -
“We Wanted To Create a Mosaic Film”: Editor Ula Klimek-Piątek on Pianoforte
Jakub Piątek’s documentary Pianoforte follows several young participants in the International Chopin Piano Competition, which has been held in Warsaw every five years since 1927. The competitors navigate intense qualifying rules, several stages and the intimidating presence of world renowned jurors as they vie for a shot at professional recognition. Editor Ula Klimek-Piątek, also the filmmaker’s spouse, discusses the process of cutting the documentary, including the “magic” often captured on stage that was palpable “even in the dark editing room.” See all responses to our annual Sundance editor interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Feb 6, 2023 -
“An Escape to the Coolest Boho Pad on the Beach”: DP Tim Cragg on The Deepest Breath
Italian freediver Alessia Zecchini and Irish safety diver Stephen Keenan set their sights on the famous Blue Hole located 184 feet below the Red Sea in The Deepest Breath from documentary filmmaker Laura McGann. Hell-bent on breaking a new world record, Alessia trains to make the seemingly impossible oceanic descent by holding one single breath without the aid of any scuba gear. Cinematographer Tim Cragg discusses his artistic vision on the shoot, which also featured technological complications. See all responses to our annual Sundance cinematographer interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Feb 6, 2023 -
“In This Case, Starting at the End Made Sense”: Editor Julian Hart on The Deepest Breath
In Laura McGann’s documentary The Deepest Breath, Italian freediver Alessia Zecchini strives to set the new world record in the extreme sport that entails descending to unimaginable oceanic depths without the use of scuba gear. Due to the high risk of blacking out upon ascension, safety divers like Stephen Keenan are vital for ensuring the safety of those who undertake these challenging dives. Forming an intense bond, Alessia and Stephen set their sights on the legendary Blue Hole in Dahab, Egypt, an 85-foot-long tunnel that plummets 184 feet below the Red Sea. Editor Julian Hart discusses cutting the film, which […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Feb 6, 2023 -
“Music Became an Important Voice in the Storytelling”: Editor Beverly Mills on Poacher
The hunt for justice on the behalf of slaughtered elephants in India is the basis of Poacher, an eight episode limited series from Richie Mehta. A fledgling team of NGO workers, wildlife conservationists and passionate volunteers venture into the the jungles of Kerala to protect a severely threatened species—uncovering a series of conspiracies and cover-ups that indict several individuals who are tasked with protecting these very creatures from the ivory trade. Editor Beverly Mills offers insight on cutting the limited series, including the challenge of working with foreign language dialogue. See all responses to our annual Sundance editor interviews here. […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Feb 6, 2023 -
“The Complexity of Parenting Adults”: Editor Tricia Holmes on A Little Prayer
Bill (David Strathairn) must confront his son David’s (Will Pullen) faltering faithfulness to his wife Tammy (Jane Levy) in A Little Prayer, the latest from writer-director Angus MacLachlan. However, before Bill can help David, he must reflect on his own bad habits when it comes to his relationship with wife and David’s mother Venida (Celia Weston). Editor Tricia Holmes talks about navigating the film’s cut and accentuating each character’s complex relationship to each other. See all responses to our annual Sundance editor interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? What were […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Feb 6, 2023 -
“The Alexa Has a Wonderful Creaminess to Its Capture”: DP Scott Miller on A Little Prayer
In writer-director Angus MacLachlan’s A Little Prayer, a father-son relationship becomes strained when family patriarch Bill (David Strathairn) discovers that his son David (Will Pullen) is cheating on his wife Tammy (Jane Levy). While attempting to guide David back onto the path of monogamy, he realizes that his own bad habits might have unintentionally been passed down to his son. DP Scott Miller tells Filmmaker about the shoot, including his affinity for the Alexa Mini on this project. See all responses to our annual Sundance cinematographer interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Feb 6, 2023
