Sundance Institute Brings Free Film Screenings and Artist Programs to Michigan, June 6-9

Los Angeles, CA Sundance Institute, host of the renowned Sundance Film Festival, announced today that it will host a series of free, public film screenings and artist programs in Michigan June 16-19. The Sundance Film Forward program will host the screenings of acclaimed independent films and discussions with the directors in Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Detroit June 16-19. In addition, targeted Sundance Institute programs for New Frontier and Native artists will be presented at the Allied Media Conference at Wayne State University in Detroit, June 18-19. These events and programs will explore how the convergence of story and technology impact justice, and they are part of the Institute's recently expanded efforts to connect with independent artists and audiences in regions across the country.

Sundance Film Forward will host free screenings of We Are The Giant with director Greg Barker and The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz with director Brian Knappenberger in Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Detroit, Michigan June 16-19. Post-screening discussions will focus on the theme Freedom of Information: The Power of Connectivity for Social Change. For a full schedule of events and venues visit sundance.org/FilmForward. Program Collaborators for these events in Michigan are the University of Michigan Library, Michigan Theater and the Allied Media Conference.

Sundance Film Forward is a touring program designed for 18 to 25 year olds, students and artists that offers film screenings and discussions to excite and cultivate new audiences for independent film. It uses the power of cinema to promote broader cultural understanding, inspire curiosity and enhance awareness of shared stories and values across generations, religions, ethnicities and borders. Sundance Film Forward is an initiative of Sundance Institute and the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The free New Frontier Day Lab for artists interested in new media will host presentations and panel discussions with independent artists and social justice activists who are pushing the boundaries of story and experimenting with the language, forms and tools that will become standards for future storytellers and change makers. The Day Lab will take place at the Allied Media Conference at Wayne State University on June 18. Presenters include Bayet Ross Smith (Question Bridge: Black Males), Yasmin Elayat (18 Days in Egypt), Jeremy Mendes (Bear71), Sasha Costanza-Chock, Author of Out of the Shadows, Into the Streets! and Researcher at MIT's Comparative Media Studies Dept, Sarah Wolozin, Director of Open Documentary Lab at MIT, Wes Taylor and Carlos Garcia (Complex Movements), Adrienne Maree Brown (Octavias Brood), Dream Hampton (Treasure, I Am Ali) and Evan Bissell (The Knotted Line). The New Frontier Day Lab is presented by Sundance Institute in collaboration with the Allied Media Conference.

Since 2007, Sundance Institute's New Frontier program has fostered exciting independent artists pushing the boundaries of story at the convergence of all creative disciplines and technology. This program is supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

The free New Frontier Native Forum will provide a space for indigenous artists, youth, activists and innovative media makers to have conversations and participate in working sessions around leveraging transmedia storytelling for social and environmental justice. The Native Forum will allow artists to share ideas, talk about works-in-progress ad envision new projects and campaigns. The Forum will take place at the Allied Media Conference at Wayne State University on June 19. Presenters include Bird Runningwater, Director of the Sundance Institute Native and Indigenous Program, Skawennati Fragnito (CyberPowWow, Time Traveler) and Eve-Lauryn LaFountain (Conversation Pieces: A Swan Song, NAWADINIWE). Additionally, presenters from the New Frontier Day Lab will participate in working sessions at the Native Forum. The New Frontier Native Forum is presented by Sundance Institute in collaboration with the Allied Media Conference.

True to founder Robert Redford's original vision, the Institute maintains a strong commitment to supporting Native and indigenous filmmakers. The Native program has built and sustained a unique support cycle for indigenous artists through grants, labs, mentorships, a fellowship program at the Sundance Film Festival, and screenings for Native communities to inspire new generations of storytellers. This program is supported by Native Arts and Cultures Foundation and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

For the full schedule of Sundance Institute events at the Allied Media Conference and to register visit sundance.org/NewFrontierDayLabNativeForum.

Sundance Institute

Founded in 1981 by Robert Redford, Sundance Institute is a nonprofit organization that provides and preserves the space for artists in film, theatre, and new media to create and thrive. The Institutes signature Labs, granting, and mentorship programs, dedicated to developing new work, take place throughout the year in the U.S. and internationally. The Sundance Film Festival and other public programs connect audiences to artists in igniting new ideas, discovering original voices, and building a community dedicated to independent storytelling. Sundance Institute has supported such projects as Beasts of the Southern Wild, Fruitvale Station, Sin Nombre, The Invisible War, The Square, Dirty Wars, Spring Awakening, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder and Fun Home. Join Sundance Institute on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

Sundance Film Forward Federal Partners

The President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (P

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