Sundance Film Festival Announces Talent Forum Program

Sundance Institute announced today program information for the first-ever Talent Forum, a new event for creators and industry at the Festival, bringing together a slate of artists and projects across all stages of development. This new event marks an expansion of the nonprofit Institute's year round CONTINUUM of support for independent artists.

Emerging talent from the Institute's signature artist development Labs and Fellowships will gather at the Festival, in Park City, Utah, to present new work to industry attendees, alongside a special artist-only program of keynotes, screenings, gatherings and seminars. From Tuesday, January 29 through Thursday, January 31, the Sundance Institute Talent Forum will feature some of the most promising storytellers from across the Institute's various disciplines ready for the next step with their careers or projects.

"We're eager to unfold this first edition and convene our vibrant community. While the Institute continues to encourage artists to find their voices, it takes the dedicated support of our industry colleagues to carry those voices out into the world," said the Institute's Anne Lai, Caroline Libresco and John Nein in a joint statement.

Talent Forum activities will take place at the Kimball Art Center in Park City and revolve around tailored one-on-one meetings designed to support the artist -- whether they are focused on career development or propelling a new project through development, packaging, financing, or distribution.

Projects: 42 highly anticipated fiction, nonfiction, and emerging media projects presented by Sundance Institute Fellows. This slate includes projects at all stages of development, seeking everything from creative collaborators to financing partners to representation.

Artists: 17 Fellows, selected from Sundance Institute's signature artist-development programs, and each aiming to discover new collaborators, build dynamic networks, and propel bold, new work forward.

Festival Filmmakers: 47 filmmaking teams, composed of select directors, writers, producers, and other creatives with work in the festival. Each team seeks to spark new industry relationships and SEED new projects and opportunities.

The full list of inaugural Sundance Institute Talent Forum Fellows and projects is available HERE.

Special Events

A series of special events and parties are designed to convene and inspire the rich community of artists assembled at the Sundance Film Festival, connecting them with each other and with industry. Among these are two keynote conversations, daily cocktail hours and a closing party.

Keynote Conversations
The two keynote conversations are designed to inspire creativity and build community among the incredible array of global independent artists attending the Festival.

Filmmaker Ryan Coogler in Conversation with New York Times Journalist Jenna Wortham
New York Times journalist and Still Processing podcaster Jenna Wortham talks with writer-director Ryan Coogler about his creative process, storytelling vision, and trajectory-- as he journeyed from emerging Sundance Lab Fellow with his first feature Fruitvale Station to making Black Panther in just a few short years.

The Year that Was: Creative Freedom and the Golden Age of Non-Fiction Cinema
We've called it a renaissance for a while, but 2018 was a Golden Year amidst a Golden Age. It was the year docs seemed to be on people's minds, on Barack Obama's favorite films list, celebrated widely in theaters and across numerous platforms, and talked about at water coolers. Join filmmakers Morgan Neville (Won't You Be My Neighbor), Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin (Free Solo), Alexandria Bombach (On Her Shoulders), along with acclaimed documentarian Jeff Orlowski(Chasing Coral) in an exploration of the bold, cinematic storytelling that is fueling a zeitgeist moment.

Roundtables & Workshops

Breaking In: Commercial and Branded Content Workshop for Underrepresented Independent Filmmakers
Moderator Alma Har'el, founder of Free the Bid and director of US Dramatic Competition entry Honeyboy, leads a workshop with players from all aspects of the creative advertising ecosystem to explore new developments and opportunities that can benefit independent artists.

Breaking Down the Walls: How Intrepid Artists Are Reaching Audiences
Sundance Institute's Creative Distribution Initiative will host a panel featuring artists from various disciplines who have successfully navigated outside-the-box marketing and distribution strategies.

Little Ethiopia: Story Development as Live Performance
Little Ethiopia spotlights the unique take of editors Maya Hawke and Joe Bini (You Were Never Really Here, American Honey, Grizzly Man) on the story development process. This live film performance combines personal photographs and iPhone videos with clips from films they have edited alongside their live narration. Together they explore the edges of personal filmmaking.

Closing Night Party
Opening set curated by Sundance Institute Film Music Program, featuring alumni Carla Patullo (2018) and Kathryn Bostic (2013).

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