Artists, Writers, Filmmakers Among Sundance Institute's 2017 Art of Nonfiction Fellows & Grantees

Sundance Institute's Art of Nonfiction Initiative welcomes four Fellows and five Grantees, as well as three Nonfiction Critics Fellows, in its third year of granting key creative and financial support to inventive nonfiction storytellers working in the field today.

"This year's Art of Nonfiction cohort, expanded to include writing fellows, signals our commitment to supporting artists in getting inventive nonfiction work made, seen and situated within the culture." said Tabitha Jackson, Director of Sundance Institute's Documentary Film Program. "At a time when the independent voice has never been more necessary, learning from artists about how we can better support and sustain their creative process so that they can describe the world truthfully and powerfully is not a luxury but a necessity."

The Art of Nonfiction Fellowship, encouraging the creative process of boundary-pushing nonfiction filmmakers, includes an unrestricted direct-to-artist grant and a yearlong fellowship track tailored to each Fellow's creative aspirations and challenges. The Art of Nonfiction Fund, supporting pioneering artists at the forefront of creative nonfiction filmmaking, provides grants annually to filmmakers developing a project that takes on an inventive cinematic approach and pushes the boundaries of the form. Alumni of the Art of Nonfiction Fellowship and Fund include Khalik Allah (Field Niggas) Kitty Green (Casting JonBenét), Kirsten Johnson (Cameraperson), Joshua Oppenheimer (The Act of Killing) and Robert Greene (Kate Plays Christine).

New this year, the Nonfiction Critics Fellowship was developed to address a dearth of nuanced and in-depth critical writing about nonfiction films. Each fellow receives financial support as well as participation in process-oriented conferences and workshops, including the Sundance Institute's Documentary Edit and Story Labs. During the course of the year are encouraged to explore new modes of nonfiction criticism. The Fellowship is developed in partnership with the Jonathan B. Murray Center for Documentary Journalism at the University of Missouri, and Artist Advisor Eric Hynes.