Much of what the Sundance Institute does happens well beyond the Festival’s run. All year long, the Institute supports thousands of independent artists through labs, grants, fellowships, and mentorships that carry a project from an early screenplay to a finished film, with dedicated tracks for documentary, episodic, and Indigenous filmmakers, among others.
The Work Between Festivals
The Feature Film Program Labs are the Institute’s founding program and predate the Festival itself. “Our mandate is to champion an expansive group of distinctive independent filmmakers, from the early stages of development through to finding their audience,” says Ilyse McKimmie, deputy director, feature film program. “We view an artist’s participation in one of our programs as the beginning of our relationship with them, and remain a creative and strategic advocate for them throughout the life of their project, with year-round customized support.”
The work draws on the expertise of the film industry community. “The Labs are made possible in large part by our creative advisors, who donate their time and wisdom to our artists,” she says. Their guidance, she adds, also helps artists expand their creative toolbox for the long term.
Filmmaker Ryan Coogler is one of the Institute’s best-known alumni. His first feature, Fruitvale Station, took shape at its January 2012 Screenwriters Lab. Feedback, financial support, and introductions followed, and a year later the film premiered at the Festival, where it won both the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Prize in U.S. Dramatic Competition. Ryan went on to direct Black Panther and Sinners and has served as an advisor for Institute programs in several ways.
Close to Home
The Documentary Film Program, which celebrates its 25th anniversary next year, counts Boulder residents among its alumni. “Making ambitious, artistic independent films means building that village from the ground up,” says Kristin Feeley, director, documentary film and artist programs. Last summer, filmmaker Ameha Molla joined the Institute’s Edit and Story Lab with Higher 15, his first film as a director. The documentary moves between Denver and Addis Ababa, tracing three generations of his family who lived through Ethiopia's Red Terror.
The Lab was the first time Ameha shared the work beyond his own team. Kristin says Ameha made great progress in the edit, and the experience helped him and his team see the film in new ways and feel more confident in the story they're telling. Editing a documentary can be hard and lonely work, she adds, and the Lab helps build community around a film.
“Our teams are always assessing artists’ needs and working hard to adapt support, whether it comes in the form of legal support, creative mentorship, or creating peer-to-peer networks for artists to share information across borders,” she says.
A Festival-Ready Boulder
Sundance Film Festival is partnering with its 15 official venues, all within a two-mile radius of one another, to turn community spaces into leading-edge cinemas. Crews are upgrading theaters across Boulder with immersive sound, new projection, and expanded accessibility. Even as investments improve functionality, the Festival is working collaboratively to protect the character of beloved spaces such as the Chautauqua Auditorium.
CU Boulder, Colorado Chautauqua, Boulder Theater, and Boulder Valley School District are investing alongside the Festival, adding new seating and accessible ramps.
“These improvements enhance both the theatrical and audience experience through pairing immersive cinema technology with expanded accessibility, greater audience comfort, and upgraded building infrastructure,” says Sundance’s Kristin Nolan, director of production and operations. “Artists and audiences will see and feel film in an elevated experience.”
At the Chautauqua Auditorium, the 127-year-old building is becoming a year-round venue, so the upgrades will serve the community long after the Festival ends. Lessons from 2027 will also shape future editions.
"Making ambitious, artistic independent films means building that village from the ground up." — Kristin Feeley, director, documentary film and artist programs