Although this planning had started as a response to an economic downturn and global health crisis, it became an opportunity for creative and expansive thinking.
So enough of the conceptual stuff — what might this look like on the ground? Seven months out, we are actively planning for the following public health scenario: We are allowed to gather, but there is no widely available COVID-19 vaccine. With the knowledge that as of now socially distanced gatherings are permitted in Utah and o...
8 filmmakers have been chosen to participate in the Sundance Institute’s inaugural Art of Editing Lab and Fellowship. This is a new Lab developed after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, expressed digitally this year on Sundance Co//ab. The Fellowship evolved out of the Documentary Film Program’s standing commitment to supporting new voices in nonfiction feature editing. The Lab aims to develop artists personal artistic voice through mentorship as well as creative and strate...
11 independent filmmakers developing 10 projects have been selected for the 2020 Sundance Institute Directors and Screenwriters Labs, reimagined and expressed digitally this year on Sundance Co//ab. These Labs are at the heart of the nonprofit Institute’s long-standing support for artists, and will connect curated selections of Fellows with Creative Advisors and Industry mentors across multiple disciplines.
At the Directors Lab (June 1-19th), filmmakers will...
22 Projects from 19 Countries Receive Unrestricted Support
Sundance Institute today named the global cohort of 22 independent nonfiction filmmakers and their projects that comprise the latest Grantees of the Institute’s Documentary Fund.
Grant support, unrestricted and totaling $520,000, will be extended to projects in all stages of development, production, post-production and audience engagement; grants are made possible by Open Society Foundations and MacArthur Foundati...
Groundbreaking Group of Emerging Media Creatives Convene to
Push the Boundaries of Storytelling and Technology
Six projects and artist teams have been selected for the 2020 Sundance Institute New Frontier Story Lab, which supports independent artists working at the cutting-edge convergence of film, art, media, live performance, and technology.
Reimagined for this year as a digital experience on Sundance Co//ab, the New Frontier Story Lab empowers independent creativ...
Announcing the Sundance Institute COVID-19 Respond and Reimagine Plan with $1Million in Emergency Relief for Independent Artists and Organizations
Being an independent artist means daring to tell bold, authentic stories with no strings attached and no compromises. It means taking risks, centering new perspectives, searching for meaning, and deepening our connection to the world around us.
The COVID-19 pandemic has cast a bright light on the importance of art, remin...
Dear Sundance Institute family and friends,
As the coronavirus crisis forces festivals including SXSW, Tribeca, and many others to cancel or postpone, we at Sundance Institute stand with our peer organizations, and commend them for making the difficult but responsible choice to prioritize public health and well-being.
As always, we remain dedicated to the safety of our audiences, artists, and staff, and are committed to doing our part to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. With that...
Reimagining the future together
In these tumultuous times, artists have been on our minds, along with all of our friends and colleagues in arts, entertainment, and media whose jobs and organizations have been hard hit by the pandemic and accompanying economic instability.
We are inspired by everyone who is using this time of fear and uncertainty to find meaning in the form of poems, stories, essays, images, and ideas. The scale and urgency of this challenge are extraordin...
On Day Ten, we celebrated the culmination of the 2020 Sundance Film Festival here in Park City. Here's a look back at some of the biggest moments, from the major premieres to the thought-provoking panels to the Imagined Futures bonfire.
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Festival Favorite Award From 2020 Sundance Film Festival Announced
Park City, UT — Sundance Institute announced Giving Voice as the winner of the Festival Favorite Award, selected by audience votes from the 128 features screened at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, which took place in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Sundance, Utah, from January 23–February 2, 2020.
The Festival Favorite Award is the 29th and final recognition bestowed on this year&rsq...
Kimo Easterwood and Ron Cicero are the co-directors of Happy Happy Joy Joy-The Ren & Stimpy Show (Sundance Film Festival 2020)
By James Nelson
Independent reporter
PARK CITY, Utah-The curtain lifted on the documentary ‘Happy Happy Joy Joy-The Ren & Stimpy Story’ at the Sundance Film Festival (SFF) with applause and questions for the filmmakers who worked to show all sides to creator John Kricfalusi’s television animation cartoon.
“We wanted to achieve ...
Top Prizes Go To Minari, Boys State, Epicentro, and Yalda, a Night for Forgiveness
Minari, Crip Camp, The Reason I Jump, and Identifying Features (Sin Señas Particulares) Win Audience Awards
Park City, UT — After 10 days and 128 feature films, the 2020 Sundance Film Festival’s Awards Ceremony took place tonight, with jurors presenting 28 prizes for feature filmmaking. Honorees, named in total below, represent new achievements in global indep...
Reporter James Nelson interviews the director of Cuties Maimouna Doucoure at the Sundance Film Festival 2020.
Amy, 11 years old, meets a group of dancers called "Cuties". Fascinated, she initiates herself to a sensual dance, hoping to join their band and escape family dysfunction...
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Tonight's the night: At the Basin Recreation Center in Park City, Utah, we announced the award winners for the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. Watch the full video of the ceremony now!
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We’re in the final days of the 2020 Festival, but things have not slowed down here in Park City. After the world premiere of Max Richter’s Sleep, influential composer Max Richter performed a live 90-minute version of his eight-hour opus. At the Filmmaker Lodge, Nicole Newnham, Jim LeBrecht, and Michelle Miles joined us for “The New Aesthetics of Disability” panel, and Steven Dayvid McKellar of Civil Twilight performed at the ASCAP Music Café.
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Interview with SLEEP director NATALIE JOHNS by reporter James Nelson moments before the curtain goes up at Sundance Film Festival 2020.
"My personal lullaby for a frenetic world. A manifesto for a slower pace of existence” -Max Richter
Check the Trailer
This film follows Max Richter as he consolidates the most ambitious performance of his critically acclaimed 8-hour opus, Sleep. Centring around the open-air concert in Los Angeles, as well as footage from Ber...
By James Nelson
Independent Reporter
PARK CITY, UTAH – I bumped into a lady at the Sundance Film Festival (SFF) and learned about the meaning of the word truffle, the strength of a good movie, and the value of a wonderful conversation all before my bus arrived. Say hello to Jamie Wolf of Foothill Productions.
“The surroundings before it got so incredibly crowded were conducive to hanging out with peers. It’s not quite as conducive anymore but still I think that is ...
Yesterday, we invited the Festival community to take part in something extra special—a ritual as old as storytelling itself. Just after dusk, led by drummers from the Ute tribe, we gathered around a bonfire to welcome the start of a new decade and dream of our imagined futures. Elsewhere, Falling writer/director/actor Viggo Mortensen joined us for another enriching Power of Story panel, ZZ Ward performed at the ASCAP Music Café, and Festivalgoers experienced the groundbreaking An...
By James Nelson
Independent Reporter
PARK CITY, UTAH – The electricity and buzz that makes the Sundance Film Festival (SFF) one of the best in the world wouldn’t be the same without the imagery all those photographers bring to the outside world. The work and talent that goes into each and every photo is all part of the Sundance landscape of movies, and storytelling.
“I do entertainment and I also do journalism where I want to tell a story. So, we will focus on some...
On the seventh day of the 2020 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, we caught a conversation between Radha Blank (THE 40-YEAR-OLD VERSION) and Winston Duke (NINE DAYS) at Cinema Cafe. At the ASCAP Music Cafe, we caught a live performance by The Bird and the Bee, and at the Filmmaker Lodge, we heard from creatives speak on the topic “How Can Artists Reshape Politics?”
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On Day Six of the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, we stopped by Cinema Café for a conversation with actresses Zazie Beetz, Elle Lorraine, and Taylour Paige, and convened a panel full of Festival programmers and special guests to discuss an all-important topic: “the movie that blew my mind.
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Robin Thede, Amazing Host of Black Women Star in Horror Film
By James Nelson
Independent Reporter
PARK CITY, UTAH – Bad Hair is a movie set in 1989 about a killer weave that infiltrates the lives of women in the Los Angeles music industry and features a cast including Vanessa Williams, Laverne Cox, Lena Waithe and Michelle Hurd.
The importance of getting a film into the Sundance Film Festival and affording opportunity for filmmakers and actors was evident at one o...
So What If The Goats Die Wins Grand Jury Prize
Park City, Utah — Winners of the 2020 Sundance Film Festival jury prizes in short filmmaking were announced tonight by Sundance Institute at a ceremony in Park City, Utah. The Short Film Grand Jury Prize, awarded to one film in the program of 74 shorts selected from a record high 10,397 submissions, went to So What If The Goats Die, directed and written by Sofia Alaoui. The Short Film program is presented by Southwest Airl...
Director-Screenwriter Michael Almereyda Honored
Park City, Utah — At a reception at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival today, the beneficiaries of $70,000 in grants from Sundance Institute and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation were revealed. Doron Weber, Vice President and Program Director at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation presented the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize to Tesla and announced the new winners: Tim Delaney for The Plutonians (Sundance Inst...
On Day Five of the 2020 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, we may have reached the halfway point, but the big premieres just kept on coming. Among them, Ethan Hawke plays Nikola Tesla in Michael Almereyda’s unconventional biopic, TESLA, and Tessa Thompson stars in Eugene Ashe’s winning period romance, SYLVIE'S LOVE. We also heard from former secretary of state Hillary Clinton and DOWNHILL star Will Ferrell.
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The editorial team 
