Los Angeles, CA — Sundance Institute announced today that it has been awarded a grant from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The grant, which was made through the Academy’s Educational Grants Program, supports four annual Labs hosted by the Institute’s renowned Feature Film Program (FFP): the June Screenwriters Lab, the Directors Lab, the Creative Producing Lab, and the Creative Producing Summit.
FFP Labs, built on a model established by Sundance Institute President & Founder Robert Redford in 1981, give aspiring independent filmmakers the skills and knowledge they need to make theatrical motion pictures. These educational experiences enable Fellows to work with expert mentors and each other to learn the crafts of directing and screenwriting. The Labs’ rigorous creative process encourages collaboration and risk-taking in an extraordinary natural setting, offering Fellows the physical and mental space to develop and hone their craft. By providing essential education for film artists developing their first or second features, these Labs enrich the field of independent cinema.
Recent award-winning projects supported by the FFP include Ryan Coogler’s Fruitvale Station, Benh Zeitlin’s Beasts of the Southern Wild, Sean Durkin’s Martha Marcy May Marlene, Cary Fukunaga’s Sin Nombre, Dee Rees’ Pariah, Cherien Dabis’ Amreeka and Haifaa Al Mansour’s Wadjda.
The nonprofit Sundance Institute relies on the generosity of corporations, foundations and donors who share a commitment to nurturing new artists, supporting unique and diverse creative voices, and furthering the reach of independent feature and documentary films around the world. All funds offset the Institute’s year-round programs for artists, including Labs, grants and the Sundance Film Festival.
Sundance Institute
Founded by Robert Redford in 1981, Sundance Institute is a global, nonprofit cultural organization dedicated to nurturing artistic expression in film and theater, and to supporting intercultural dialogue between artists and audiences. The Institute promotes independent storytelling to unite, inform and inspire, regardless of geo-political, social, religious or cultural differences. Internationally recognized for its annual Sundance Film Festival and its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, film composers, playwrights and theatre artists, Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as Born into Brothels, Trouble the Water, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Fruitvale Station, Sin Nombre, An Inconvenient Truth, Spring Awakening, Light in the Piazza and Angels in America. Join Sundance Institute on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
The Academy
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world’s preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy Awards–in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners–the Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies. www.oscars.org
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