This summer we’re pulling back the curtain on Sundance Labs by sharing letters from the program heads on the Institute’s vital work to support artists. Join us in supporting that mission by donating to Sundance now.

By Ilyse McKimmie

Now, more than ever…

That’s a phrase so often used in the last few years that I’ve come to dread seeing it in notes like this one. And yet, when asked to reflect on what I’m looking forward to about our upcoming Sundance Labs, and why they are essential, these are the very words that spring to mind.

I always look forward to the summer labs, though this year our Directors Lab is actually happening in late spring. This week, we’ll be at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado — the first time the lab is hosted in a location other than the Sundance Resort. I’m excited by the opportunities that come with a new venue and partners, and also grateful for the spirit of nurturing community that the Sundance Resort has helped us foster over the years. We’ll carry that with us to the mountains of Colorado. The lab doesn’t work without it, and everyone who makes the lab happen needs that community (here’s your cue!) now, more than ever.

The kickoff for the lab is a particularly exciting moment for me, because months of preparation are coming to fruition. We’ve helped the fellows choose two scenes from their screenplays to rehearse, shoot, and edit that represent key creative issues they want to explore. We’ve relied on casting directors to find talented actors who are ready to embrace the workshop spirit of the lab, and we’ve assembled a fantastic crew who will be crucial collaborators in helping the directors make key discoveries. Finally, we’re bringing in a stellar group of creative advisors who will embrace each fellow’s unique vision, while pushing them to try things they are not yet sure of. All of these people donate their time, for which we are eternally grateful. The two weeks of the lab are always somehow both the fastest and longest two weeks of my year, and I can’t wait to get started.

The work of the Directors Lab and the support it provides is especially urgent because of the uncertain moment the independent film ecosystem finds itself in. Although many of the challenges facing us today are cyclical, it also feels like an inflection point, and questions about how we will move forward in a sustainable way abound. I don’t dismiss the obstacles, but in this moment of anxiety, we are doubling down on our steadfast belief — in these seminal artists, in the moving, entertaining, unforgettable stories they are telling, and in the power and value of indie film in our culture. 

Every time we gather at a Sundance Lab, it’s a call to action and a statement of purpose. We cultivate the flame of creativity and freedom of expression. We demand rigorous creative engagement, bold risk-taking, and vulnerability. We celebrate generosity, discovery, and collaboration. We believe these films can connect disparate audiences, provoke necessary conversations, and generate empathy, understanding, and joy. And we do it all as an article of faith — in defiance of doubt — with a relentless conviction that independent film matters, and will continue to matter, but only if we keep showing up and doing the work. 

So yes — hell, yes. Now, more than ever.