Sundance Institute

The Sundance Institute is a nonprofit organization that operates a range of artist support programs for independent storytellers in film, theater, film, composing, episodic storytelling, and emerging media. This award supports the Documentary Film program, which provides grants and creative support to filmmakers working on social issue documentary films; the Indigenous program, supporting global Indigenous filmmakers; and the launch of two new fellowship programs focused on support of Asian American and Latine filmmakers. The intended outcomes of this work are stronger support systems for independent documentary filmmakers in the United States, especially those from underrepresented communities, and greater opportunities for them to complete their films and have social impact.

The Sundance Institute is a nonprofit organization that operates a range of artist support programs for independent storytellers in film, theater, film composing, episodic storytelling, and emerging media. This award supports the Documentary Film program, which provides grants and creative support to filmmakers working on social issue documentary films;  the Indigenous program, supporting global Indigenous filmmakers; and the launch of two new fellowship programs focused on support of Asian American and Latine filmmakers. The intended outcomes of this work are stronger support systems for independent documentary filmmakers in the United States, especially those from underrepresented communities, and greater opportunities for them to complete their films and have social impact.

The Sundance Institute (Sundance) is a nonprofit organization that supports independent filmmakers and artists across a range of media and art forms. Sundance’s Documentary Film Program supports feature-length and short-form documentaries that explore critical social issues from diverse perspectives and in new ways; its New Frontier Lab Program supports stories told in immersive media formats; and its Indigenous Program supports film projects led by Indigenous filmmakers. Sundance is increasingly exploring ways of working across multiple programs within the Institute in order to provide cross-disciplinary support for makers working in different forms of media, with a special focus on makers who are underrepresented in the media field. This award supports the Sundance Documentary Film Program, New Frontier Lab Program, and Indigenous Program to provide holistic support to nonfiction multimedia storytelling projects. The outcome will be that more nonfiction multimedia stories will be produced in a variety of media formats, by a diverse set of makers, and will reach audiences across the United States in an assortment of ways, with the aim of generating greater understanding about underreported issues.

The Sundance Institute (Sundance) is a nonprofit organization that provides financial and creative support to filmmakers, and provides a high-profile platform for films, shorts and interactive media at its annual film festival. For its 2019 festival, Sundance has launched a new initiative to support diverse representation in film criticism, dedicating at least 20% of its top-tier press badges to journalists from historically underrepresented communities, including women, people of color, people with disabilities and the LGBTQ+ community. This initiative also includes providing travel and lodging support to freelance critics who would not otherwise be able to afford to attend the festival and hosting a welcome reception for this community of critics. By dedicating these resources for diverse perspectives in criticism, Sundance hope to foster a more diverse landscape of interpretation, contextualization, and awareness of the projects it curates.

The Sundance Institute provides financial and creative support to filmmakers, and provides a high-profile platform for films, shorts and interactive media at its annual film festival. The Sundance Institute’s Documentary Fund provides grants to short and feature-length documentary film projects through a highly competitive Open Call, and provides a subset of its grantees with consultation and mentorship through weeklong Creative Documentary Labs. The Institute is also a leader in the support of digital interactive nonfiction storytelling projects through its New Frontier Program; and in support of Native American filmmakers through its Native American and Indigenous program. MacArthur funds support the year-round operation of these programs and grants made through these programs for independent documentary film projects and new media storytelling projects.