We're thrilled to announce the 11 screenwriters selected to participate in Sundance Institute's ninth annual Screenwriters Intensive, taking place digitally on March 4-5, 2021. The Intensive is a two-day workshop for emerging independent writers and writer/directors developing their first fiction features. This cohort of artists from traditionally underrepresented communities will have the opportunity to interrogate their stories and refine their artistic practice, all under the guidance of established writers and the Institutes Feature Film Program, led by me and the program's Founding Director, Michelle Satter.We are inspired by this group of dynamic artists, who are each telling indelible stories with specificity, boldness, and their own distinctive style. It's a privilege to bring them together as part of the Sundance community, and we look forward to embarking on a creative, collaborative journey with them. The generous and experienced advisors for the 2021 Intensive include Andrew Ahn, Susanna Fogel, Tanya Hamilton, Sarah Koskoff, Michael Starrbury, Wesley Strick, Yen Tan, Joan Tewkesbury, Rose Troche, Ligiah Villalobos, and Kevin Willmott. The Sundance Institute Screenwriters Intensive is made possible with leadership support from the Will & Jada Smith Family Foundation.
Brian Robau (co-writer/director)
Brian Robau is a Cuban American two-time Student Academy Award-winning director. In 2016, he won a Student Academy Award for his film Its Just a Gun, which went on to be nominated for a College Television Award and was an Official Selection at the Telluride Film Festival. His recent film Esta Es Tu Cuba won a Student Academy Award in 2018, as well as a Student DGA award, a College Television Award, and a nomination for a Student BAFTA. The film is inspired by his father's story and the stories of the over 14,000 Cuban refugee children of Operation Pedro Pan. It is currently available on HBO Max. Robau received an MFA in directing from Chapman Universitys Dodge College of Media Arts. Born and raised in Miami, FL, he currently resides in Los Angeles, CA.
Daniel Klein (co-writer)
Daniel Klein received his Master of Fine Arts from Chapman University, where he wrote two Student Academy Award-winning short films: It's Just a Gun (2016) and Esta Es Tu Cuba (2018). Esta Es Tu Cuba has since been awarded the 2019 College Television Award for Best Drama and the HBO Ibero American Short Film Award at the 2019 Miami International Film Festival. Klein previously wrote and directed the short film AB-, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, after which it screened at festivals around the world. Klein has also created and sold original television projects to Twentieth Century Fox and Touchstone Studios.
91 MilesEmilio del Hoyo, a 50-year-old huckster, and his 15-year-old daughter, Consuelo, endure a perilous journey from Cuba to Miami while attempting to reconcile their broken relationship.
William Kwok (writer-director)
Raised in the Chinese American enclaves of New York City and San Francisco, William Kwok is a filmmaker and an attorney practicing corporate and entertainment law. His directing and writing credits include the documentary shorts Grandma and The Two Deaths of Los Angeles Chinatown, and the fiction short Nocturne, No. 1: A Very Short Film About Family. His producing credits include the fiction shorts Layover, on the Shore, The Broken Heart of Gnocchi Bolognese, and Jump. He is an alumnus of the Armed with a Camera Fellowship for Emerging Media Artists from Visual Communications, and most recently served as co-producer and production manager of the feature film I Was a Simple Man, which premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. Kwok is a graduate of Columbia University, the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts, and the University of Michigan Law School. Recipient of the Sundance Institute Asian American Fellowship.
Chinese School It takes Jesus Christ, kimchi hot dogs, Cantonese pop music, psychedelics, and meeting the literal girl of his dreams for a shiftless teenage outer-borough New Yorker to finally appreciate the inextinguishable affection of his longtime classmate.
Tulica Singh (writer/director)
Tulica Singh began her career writing and directing in between bartending shifts in New York City. While attending USCs School of Cinematic Arts, her short film Dream Girl screened at festivals including the Academy-qualifying Palm Springs International Film Festival and also played in 21 theaters across Germany. In 2013, she received the John Huston Scholarship for excellence in directing. Since 2015, her web series Croissant Man has been in 20 festivals, including the New York Television Festival, and has won 13 awards. It has been featured in LA Magazine, IFC's Comedy Crib, and is one of the first independent web series to be distributed through Amazon Prime. Currently, she works at the mobile gaming company N3twork, writing, directing, and animating videos for the popular game Tetris. Singh is committed to telling stories that blend satire with sincerity. Recipient of the Sundance Institute | Comedy Central Comedy Fellowship.
Curses! In 17th-century Colonial America, the daughter of the most noble family in town tries to make a name for herself by bringing witches into the mainstream. But just as she gets close to success, she accidentally provokes the town's first burning.
Chy Chi (writer-director)
Chy Chi is a Korean American director from Seattle. Her most recent film, How to Crack Hard-Boiled Eggs, starring herself and her father, premiered at the Viennale in 2016. Her work primarily focuses on first and second generation Asian-Americans, often pulled from her upbringing as the child of immigrants. She brings the experiences of her childhood working alongside the carnival throughout the
