Category: News

The 2020 Golden Globe nominees were announced earlier this morning in Los Angeles, and we’re excited to congratulate projects with ties to Sundance Institute and the Sundance Film Festival on being recognized. Lulu Wang’s family dramedy The Farewell, which premiered at the Festival earlier this year before being released by A24 in July, collected two nominations: one for Awkwafina’s breakout performance and one for Best Motion Picture—Foreign Language. Find the complete list of nominations for Sundance-supported films below, and tune in on Sunday, January 5, 2020, to watch the ceremony on NBC.

47 Projects from 27 Countries Receive Over $1.5 Million in Grants

Los Angeles, CA — Sundance Institute today named the global cohort of independent nonfiction film
projects that comprise its latest Documentary Fund Grantees, including specialized grants administered by The Kendeda
Fund and the Stories of Change Fund.

Unrestricted granting support, totaling $1.

Sundance Institute has helped independent artists tell their stories for decades—and now we’re introducing a way to help them preserve their work too.

Want to see a list of projects helmed by Indigenous filmmakers at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival? Click here.
In 1990, U.S.

Los Angeles, CA — Sundance Institute today announced the Future of Culture Initiative, an action plan that includes partnerships with Johns Hopkins University and Stanford University in order to implement key recommendations from a two-year global field scan that analyzed strategies for improving equity and inclusion in emerging media. The initiative puts artists in discourse with technologists, scientists, policymakers, advocates and business leaders to imagine and design for the future of culture.
“New Frontier is dedicated to creating, advancing and deepening partnerships that put ‘artists at the table’ in sectors where their voices could be transformative but, historically, haven’t been heard,” interim Director, New Frontier Lab Programs, Ruthie Doyle said of the program.

Sundance Co//ab offers film and media makers a place to develop their stories, receive individual feedback, and learn from experienced mentors from the Sundance community
Los Angeles, CA —November 7, 2019— Sundance Institute today announced that Sundance Co//ab, an emerging global creative platform for independent storytellers to learn, share, and connect, has exited beta, with a thriving base of dedicated users and expanding offerings of courses, classes, challenges, and other offerings. Sundance Co//ab advances Sundance Institute’s mission to discover, support, and inspire independent artists by creating a digital community that amplifies creative voices, wherever they are in the world, at whatever stage they are in their career. The platform offers complimentary educational videos, webinars and curated resources, as well as deeper, interactive learning and individual project feedback for a modest subscription fee.

NORTH ADAMS, MA — Sundance Institute’s Theatre Program will support three ambitious new works for the stage, and their four women creators, at this year’s two-week Theatre Lab at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA). The Lab, which runs from November 10 to November 24th, will feature the concentrated and abundant time and resources, including individual casting from a dedicated acting company and daily rehearsals, that has long been a signature of Sundance’s Labs.
Christopher Hibma, the Theatre Program’s interim Director, said “This year’s cohort represents women at the vanguard of creativity and performance — not only the women who create these works, but the entire artistic community of women artists around them.

Year-Long Fellowship For Underrepresented Filmmakers Enters Second Year, Supporting Eight Visionary Artists
New Launch Grant Fund Empowers Underrepresented Artists to Break Systemic Barriers in Launching First Feature Film
Los Angeles — Sundance Institute announced today two support tracks for artists from underrepresented communities, continuing the Institute’s commitment to fostering inclusive artistic visions. Announced today are the eight members of the second class of the Momentum Fellowship, a full-year program of deep, customized creative and professional support for writers, directors, and producers from underrepresented communities who are poised to take the next step in their careers, working across documentary and feature filmmaking, and episodic content. Sundance Institute also announced the four awardees of the inaugural Launch Grant Fund, a new opportunity for emerging filmmakers from underrepresented communities launching their first feature film.

As we continue to celebrate and recognize the amazingly rich and diverse contributions to art and culture from Latinx artists, Institute staff and alumni sat down and put together a list of some of our favorite films by Latinx filmmakers.
Films that speak about the complexity of localized social dynamics, documentaries that take us deep into the inner chambers of a president in turmoil, adapted screenplays of celebrated literature—these are only a few of our favorites that we hope you discover or revisit soon. They are eternally influential and inspirational pieces of work.

The Producers Confidential is a public program hosted by Sundance Institute’s Documentary Film Program, and it spotlights the artistry and creative spirit embedded in nonfiction filmmaking from the perspective of the producer. Mariales Diaz was in attendance at this year’s confidential. They are a director, producer, NeXt Doc fellow, and Jacob Burns Creative Culture fellow.

Sundance Institute and the Latino Theater Company brought together local Latinx creators at the Los Angeles Theatre Center in early September for a panel discussion, followed by a Playwriting Intensive for LA-based emerging playwrights of color hosted by Center Theatre Group.
At the panel discussion, four artists shared their personal journeys, offered guidance for navigating a career as a writer, and called for change within the industry. East LA native playwright and screenwriter Evelina Fernández (A Mexican Trilogy, East Los High) told the audience that the reason she continues to tell stories about the U.