Category: News

Darren Walker to Receive the Inaugural Vanguard Award for Philanthropy

Evening Featuring the World Premiere of Crip Camp: Tickets on Sale Now Here
Park City, UT — Sundance Institute invites champions of independent storytelling to attend An Artist at the Table Presented by IMDbPro, Sundance Institute’s annual fundraising event hosted on the first night of the Sundance Film Festival, Thursday, January 23, 2020, in Park City, Utah. During the celebratory event, Darren Walker, President of the Ford Foundation, will be honored with the Vanguard Award for Philanthropy. Proceeds from the evening will advance Sundance Institute’s mission and programs that discover, support and amplify risk-taking and exciting independent film, media and theatre artists.

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.