Dear Sundance Community,
Here at the Sundance Institute, this time of year is always a period of reflection. As we prepare for the Festival and January Screenwriters Lab, we want to take a moment to look back on some of our latest efforts to amplify and advocate for independent storytelling.
Over the last year, Sundance's founding mission - to support artists - has taken on new urgency. The impact of the pandemic continues to reverberate around the globe. Rising costs are affecting every facet of production. Cuts and consolidation are shaping our industry. In short: The world has changed, and so has the media landscape. In these tumultuous times, we look to artists to inspire and inform, to spark conversation and foster dialogue, to reflect the world around us and bring new perspectives to light.
Because of these extraordinary circumstances, earlier this year we made the difficult but crucial decision to focus our immediate work on film and episodic storytelling. This has allowed us to deepen our support for artists in those spaces, particularly those from underrepresented communities. We are proud of the fact that we have been able to respond to this trying moment for our artist community with new funding opportunities, increased intensive offerings, exciting pilot programs, a return to in-person collaboration, and opportunities for artists to connect directly with the industry.
All told, 1,089 artists received support this year through Sundance Labs, artist granting, fellowships, intensives, and the Festival, with thousands more emerging artists taking part in workshops, webinars and courses through Sundance Collab, our digital destination for learning and community. We are proud to let you know that, of Sundance-supported directors and producers who voluntarily shared their backgrounds, 66 percent are artists of color, 55 percent are women, 36 percent identify as LGBTQIA, and 8 percent have a disability. We also take seriously our responsibility to cultivate a diverse team of curators, programmers, screeners, and readers. Of the 277 people who make up our year-round staff curatorial team and the community of independent contractors who participate in the selection processes, 222 have shared their ethnic and racial background, and 185 (67 percent) identify as people of color. As we look ahead to the next year, we remain committed to transparency and equity, and will continue to share these metrics with our community and the industry.
In listening to artists about their needs and experiences, it has become abundantly clear that while the pandemic and economic downturn have been challenging for everyone, they have taken a particular toll on artists of color. This year saw the launch of several new initiatives, including many that mark the first time we have created programs for specific communities. For example, the Latine Fellowship and Collab Scholarship, designed in partnership with the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and Sundance Institute board members Lyn Lear and Cindy Horn, provides support and professional development opportunities to emerging Latinx artists. While Latinx talent has always been part of the Sundance Institute, bringing these cross-disciplinary storytellers together is a chance to invest in artists who are telling valuable stories, build community, and increase Latinx representation at Sundance and across our industry.
We were equally thrilled to partner with The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) and The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to create a new fellowship and scholarship for Asian American and Pacific Islander artists. The experiences of Asian American and Pacific Islanders are part of the fabric of our country, and their stories - in all their diversity and multifacetedness - should be celebrated in film and television. We welcome this opportunity to cultivate AAPI talent and support these gifted storytellers in becoming leaders in their fields. In the coming months, we will be announcing similar programs for underrepresented artists, including a program for Muslim artists. Elevating and empowering storytellers from underrepresented communities is part of the DNA of the Sundance Institute and will continue to be a core priority across all of our programs.
The last year has sparked an important dialogue about the challenges facing nonfiction filmmakers in particular, who are increasingly finding it difficult (if not impossible) to make a living solely from their creative work. As a step toward addressing these issues of sustainability, we partnered with the National Endowment for the Humanities to create the Humanities Sustainability Fellowship. Together, we provided 20 stipends to non-fiction mediamakers and are providing these artists with mentorship and professional opportunities. We hope this will seed powerful, resonant projects that will elevate, explore, and protect democratic principles; contribute to the public discourse; and lead to new learnings about the potential of this type of funding.
In addition to funding, we've heard from artists that they are hungry for more opportunities to connect with the industry. Building these relationships is an important component of Sundance's commitment to investing in artists for the long-term. This year saw the launch of the Pitch Parlor, a new forum for creators to share Episodic Lab projects with industry professionals and audiences alike. We also launched ELEVATE, consolidating our work across programs to provide professional development, career strategies, and connections to industry for all current Sundance-selected artists.
Happily, this year also marked the return of many of our in-person initiatives. And, of course, we are overjoyed to bring the 2023 Festival back to Park City once again. There is nothing quite like the joy of coming together to disc
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
31/05/2026
Olivia P rez-Collellmir to Premiere Original Work at Gaud Centennial in Barcelona The Berklee graduate and faculty member will debut her choral symphony with...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Zero in on one that says yes (and no)
Andy Marken May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Hero image courtesy of Deposit Photos
For content creators the most difficu...
29/05/2026
With InfoComm 2026 just weeks away, NDI is giving attendees plenty of reasons to...
29/05/2026
Reaffirming a partnership that has defined Canadian sports broadcasting since 19...
29/05/2026
Mobile/tablet is No. 2 device for watching TV, suggesting that the sports-production industry needs to take another look at the format
Ring Digital's Sprin...
29/05/2026
Berliner Ensemble, one of Berlin's five major theater companies, has expande...
29/05/2026
Solid State Logic will showcase its new compact, fly-away TCA Tour audio product...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, passed away last month on April 12 ...
29/05/2026
Paramount+ will be the English-language U.S. home for Barclays Women's Super...
29/05/2026
Further strengthening its virtualisation strategy to fully support broadcasters ...
29/05/2026
Swiss broadcaster Canal Alpha has deployed Harmonic's award-winning, software-based XOS Advanced Media Processor to modernize playout operations across cant...
29/05/2026
PTZOptics will showcase a new generation of intelligent video workflows at InfoComm 2026, June 17-19, Las Vegas. Visitors to booth N8227 will see how PTZOptics ...
29/05/2026
Arizona's Family has launched the Arizona's Family Sports (AZFS) streaming app, a new direct-to-consumer destination for live, local sports. The app is ...
29/05/2026
Starting in 2027, DAZN will be the exclusive home of The Canadian Football Leagu...
29/05/2026
Comcast Business has detailed the advanced network infrastructure it has deploye...
29/05/2026
In two-day event, leaders from academia and industry explored solutions to chall...
29/05/2026
The Basketball Tournament (TBT), now entering their 13th year of competition, ha...
29/05/2026
Roku has launched FOX One as a Premium Subscription on The Roku Channel in the U.S. Roku customers can now subscribe to FOX One using their Roku account for liv...
29/05/2026
In its sixth year, the broadcaster's coverage has become a global brand and ...
29/05/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent ratings news and is derived from press re...
29/05/2026
The days are getting longer, the temperatures are rising, and playlists are filling up for the season. With summer around the corner, Spotify's global edito...
29/05/2026
New retro-inspired MPC announced
There are few devices that have gained the status held by Akai Pro's MPC range, and in recent years, the company have s...
29/05/2026
Save up to 30 on acclaimed titles
Following a successful launch at Superbooth 2026, Bjooks have revealed that they will be continuing the Kickstarter campa...
29/05/2026
Binaural monitoring application improved
Genelec have just released an update that brings some powerful new features to their HRTF-based binaural headphone ...
29/05/2026
6 June 2026 at SAE Institute, London, UK
IMSTA FESTA 2026 is almost upon us, with some of the biggest names in pro-audio set to descend upon SAE Institute i...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, died April 12, 2026, at his home in...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Comparing 5 AI Video Enhancers for Restoring Old Video Quality
Kate Luvis May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Digitizing VHS, MiniDV, and other legacy formats doe...
29/05/2026
Studio Hamburg Builds New Post Pipeline with DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Workflow replaces a patchwork of legacy tools...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
At the Intersection of Music and Dance, an Epic Collaboration Boston Conservatory musicians and dancers found creative parallels in their recent performance o...
29/05/2026
Back to All News
Latino Film Institute Fellows Screen Their Short Films at the Egyptian Theatre
The Inclusion Fellowship and Spark Animation Grant uplifts 15 ...
29/05/2026
GLOOKAST LAUNCHES CINNAFILM TACHYON PLUGIN FOR MEDIA PRODUCER AND MEDIA SERVICES
This release first appeared here.
Visit our Tachyon product page or contact...
29/05/2026
May 29 2026, 09:00 (PDT) Dolby and rednote Bring More Immersive Storytelling to...
29/05/2026
Something fundamental has shifted in how people consume media. Audiences aren't abandoning television or radio content; they're just expanding how, wher...
29/05/2026
Youtube exclusive special drops today
Watch now
UKTV today announces another e...
Dear Sundance Community,
