Sundance Institute
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Sundance Institute Launches TV-Based Lab Program
It was only a matter of time. With quality, funds and star power funneling into television, the Sundance Institute is the latest name to hop on board the medium, in announcing their first ever Episodics Story Lab to be held in the Fall of 2014. Designed for TV and online serial writers, the six day lab will pair the chosen few with accomplished mentors who will aid in script development as they also impart wisdom on the production and distribution landscape. Cary Fukunaga, Louis CK and Lena Dunham are among Sundance’s Screenwriters Lab alumni who enjoyed breakouts through their television […]
by Sarah Salovaara on Mar 19, 2014 -
Ian Hendrie and Jyson McLean at the Sundance Creative Producing Summit
Co-writer/directors Ian Hendrie and Jyson McLean were recently at the Sundance Creative Producing Summit with Mercy Road, a feature based on real-life events that “traces the spiritual odyssey of a small town housewife and mother, as she becomes willing to commit violence and murder in the name of God.” The following is what the pair wrote about their experiences at the summit. We are making our third and final climb up “The Mountain.” As the shuttle from the airport snakes up the winding forest-crested road, we anticipate spending a few last days in this special place. There’s a feeling of coming […]
by Ian Hendrie and Jyson McLean on Aug 12, 2013 -
Gabrielle Nadig at the Sundance Creative Producing Summit
Producer Gabrielle Nadig was recently at the Sundance Creative Producing Summit with King Jack, a project written and directed by Felix Thompson about a 15-year-old boy looking after his younger cousin for the weekend who must also deal with the local bully. The following is what Nadig wrote about her experiences there. The Sundance Creative Producing Lab has changed my life. I realize this is a bold statement but I know that my five fellow producers chosen to participate in this year’s Lab would say the same. I have never been a part of a program that was so nurturing, generous, uplifting, […]
by Gabrielle Nadig on Aug 9, 2013 -
Sundance Institute Announces 29 Documentary Grant Recipients
Yesterday, the Sundance Institute announced the 29 documentary projects that have been selected to receive in total $550,000 worth of grant money from its Documentary Film Program and Fund. A lot of these are for projects in development by emerging filmmakers, but in there are also some films by more established names such as Jesse Moss (Full Battle Rattle), Lucia Small and Ed Pincus (The Axe in the Attic) and Ashley Sabin and David Redmon, who received audience engagement money for their 2011 doc Girl Model. In a press release, Cara Mertes, the Director of the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program […]
by Nick Dawson on Jul 12, 2013 -
Sundance Institute Selects 2013 Directors and Screenwriters Lab Projects
Sundance Institute announced the 13 projects selected for its annual June Directors and Screenwriters Labs, taking place at the Sundance Resort in Utah from May 27 through June 27. Under the leadership of Michelle Satter, Founding Director of the Institute’s Feature Film Program, and the artistic direction of Gyula Gazdag, the Fellows selected for this year’s program include emerging filmmakers and projects from the United States, Europe, Mexico, Peru and Somalia. Projects supported through the Directors and Screenwriters Labs receive continued, customized, year-round support from the Feature Film Program, which can include the following resources: ongoing creative and strategic advice, […]
by Billy Brennan on May 9, 2013 -
Numbers? What Numbers?
I’m sure I’m not the only person who wondered why the Sundance Institute and Women in Film Los Angeles needed to spend who-knows-how-much money and time to study whether women are getting a fair shake in the independent film world. The answer has two letters, and it starts with “n.” Am I right, ladies? Nevertheless, they went ahead with the research, and the resulting 43-page report, “Exploring the Barriers and Opportunities for Independent Women Filmmakers,” was released in January. Spoiler alert: The news is not good. While independent film has a higher percentage of women behind the lens, compared to mainstream […]
by Mikki Halpin on Apr 23, 2013 -
Sundance Institute Artist Services Program Expands Self-Distribution Opportunities
Keri Putnam, Executive Director of Sundance Institute, announced today that the Institute’s Artist Services program – which provides Institute artists with exclusive opportunities for creative self-distribution, marketing and financing solutions for their work –has expanded to include selected films supported by one foundation and five nonprofit organizations. Additionally, these organizations will join with Sundance Institute in continuing to shape the program and the services it offers. The Bertha Foundation, BRITDOC, Cinereach, Film Independent, the Independent Filmmaker Project and the San Francisco Film Society will each select films that they have supported to receive access to best-in-class digital distribution arrangements that […]
by Billy Brennan on Jan 18, 2013 -
Sundance Institute Announces Selections for the Feature Film Program 2013 Screenwriters Lab
Sundance Institute has selected 12 projects for its 2013 January Screenwriters Lab, an immersive, five-day (January 11-16) writers’ workshop at the Sundance Resort in Utah. Participating independent screenwriters will have the opportunity to work intensely on their feature film scripts with the support of established writers including Marcos Bernstein, D.V. DeVincentis, Michael Goldenberg and Erin Cressida Wilson. The 2013 Lab is dedicated to the memory of Frank Pierson (1925-2012), a founding creative advisor of the Feature Film Program. Keri Putnam, Executive Director of Sundance Institute, said, “Across all Sundance Institute Labs, which include offerings for various forms of artistic expression, […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Dec 17, 2012 -
PAUL FEDERBUSH NAMED SUNDANCE INTERNATIONAL DIRECTOR, FEATURE FILM PROGRAM
Distribution veteran Paul Federbush has been named International Director, Feature Film Program, at the Sundance Institute. Through his work at a number of companies over the years, Federbush is well known in the independent community. Most recently, Federbush formed the distribution company Red Flag Releasing with Laura Kim, and previously he was Senior Vice President of Acquisitions and Production at Warner Independent, where he developed such projects as Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire, and Hany Abu Assad’s Paradise Now. From the press release: In his new role, Federbush is responsible for the planning and execution of the international work of Sundance […]
by Scott Macaulay on Sep 11, 2012 -
ROGER ROSS WILLIAMS AT THE SUNDANCE DOCUMENTARY LABS
The Sundance Documentary Edit and Story Labs took place earlier this month, and director Roger Ross Williams — attending with his film, God Loves Uganda, described as “a journey into the heart of East Africa, where Ugandan pastors and their American counterparts spread God’s word and evangelical values to millions desperate for a better life” — wrote the following blog post about his experiences there. Alfred Hitchcock said, “In feature films the director is God; in documentary films God is the director.” Yes — and it doesn’t help when God is also the subject. Setting out to make a doc on […]
by Roger Ross Williams on Jul 24, 2012
