By Stephanie Ornelas
It was a full circle moment for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever director Ryan Coogler when he returned to the 2019 Sundance Film Festival to talk about his latest film and his journey with Sundance Institute. Coogler sat down with Still Processing podcaster Jenna Wortham in Park City at the Festival during the Sundance Institute Talent Forum as the two discussed the power of film and what he learned journeying through Sundance Institute's Labs.
It's funny because I get nervous talking in front of a lot of people, but I have to remind myself of how I would go to these kinds of events. I'd be the guy who's waiting in line to see a filmmaker speak and hear their perspective, says Coogler. I used to soak that stuff up. So, when I get the opportunity to do it, I try to seize it.
Coogler is no stranger to Sundance Institute, having made his directorial debut at the Festival in 2013 with Fruitvale Station. He crafted that film as a 2012 Screenwriters Lab fellow and participated in the 2013 Cinereach Project for Sundance Institute's Feature Film Program. Fruitvale Station chronicles the last day in Oscar Grant's life before he became swept up in an altercation with police that ended in tragedy. Through flashbacks, we see Grant cross paths with friends, enemies, family members, and strangers.
I was lucky to go through the Feature Film Lab run by Michelle Satter. They help you throughout the whole process - how to make your script better, how to find financing. I was in the position where I needed to find a crew, Coogler explains. I was looking for a cinematographer and they recommended great people to me. When it came to making Fruitvale Station, I learned that we should never limit ourselves in our search for finding exactly what we need.
Ryan Coogler and Jenna Wortham in Utah at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival during the Sundance Institute Talent Forum. And that ultimately helped shape the film into an award-winning project. Fruitvale Station received a Spirit Award for Best First Feature and the Stanley Kramer Award for the Producers Guild of America in 2014. But the real reward was getting this important story in front of audiences and all the work that went on behind the scenes to make it happen: There isn't one thing that's going to solve these issues [of police brutality and systemic racism]. It has to be attacked on a multi-level front, Coogler says.
You need journalists, filmmakers, activists. You need all of it. And you need to recognize the importance of it and be critical of it. I was young when I made [Fruitvale Station] and I think if I was tasked to make it now, it would be a very different movie, stresses Coogler. But what I've learned since making it is that we have to continue to study and continue to learn. And that has brought me to so many things and has led to so many more connections. We have to just keep doing the work and keep asking ourselves the important questions while respecting everybody's role in the process because they are all equally important.
Examining 2018's Black Panther, Coogler explains why it was important to shift the focus on the people of Wakanda more than the country itself.
Wakanda is a place where African people are allowed to be full human beings. Everywhere else isn't. And you're coming in contrast with a world where that's not the case. I think about that a lot. With Wakanda, the idea was that it's this kind of insular country but they do all this amazing stuff. So, we asked, what makes Wakanda special?' And I thought it would be more interesting if it's actually them who are special. What if this is a place where society not only allows you to reach your full potential but actually encourages it?''
As he looked back at how he got started with the Institute, Coogler was especially thrilled to be in Utah to reconnect with old friends, fellow filmmakers, and Sundance Institute advisors and fellows.
It's Sundance and then you meet the people who are behind it. You meet the wonderful human beings that make this thing work. I just think about the people. Being able to come back is like a reunion. It's really exciting to not just be able to text them and check in, but to actually see them. Every year a bunch of filmmakers gather who I know and respect and have formed relationships with, and it really is like a class reunion every time we get to come back.
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
01/12/2025
L3Harris and PentenAmio formalise their teaming agreement at MilCIS 2025, streng...
01/12/2025
Artemis II is NASA's first crewed flight test of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. The crew, from left: Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Vic...
01/12/2025
IRVINE, Calif. Wooden Camera has introduced its new Accessory Collection for the Canon EOS C50. The new lineup includes a low-profile, gimbal-ready cage, expand...
01/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for its Dec. 18 Open Commission Meeting that will include a vote on a report an...
01/12/2025
In most years, a graph of annual local TV ad spending is about as predictable as an electrocardiogram of a reasonably healthy patient in a doctor's office. ...
01/12/2025
Many industries have seen big-ticket hardware turn into software. Switchers, though, demand a combination of real-time performance and sheer bandwidth that has ...
01/12/2025
GENEVA Shanghai will host the next quadrennial Radiocommunication Assembly (RA-27) and World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-27), Oct. 11-Nov. 12, 2027. This...
01/12/2025
NEW YORK Just in time for Giving Tuesday tomorrow (Dec. 2), the Broadcasters Foundation of America is seeking out donations to help television and radio industr...
01/12/2025
STOCKHOLM, Sweden Net Insight CEO Crister Fritzson has informed the company's board that he will retire from the video transport and media cloud technology ...
01/12/2025
01 Dec 2025
Kyivstar and Ukrainian Ministry of Digital Transformation Select Go...
01/12/2025
The prequel to the global hit Sky Original mob crime saga, Gomorrah' is a s...
01/12/2025
Featuring Florence Welch, Red Hot Chilli Peppers' Flea, designer Bella Freud...
01/12/2025
Back to All News
A Down to Earth, All Too Relatable Hero: Cashero' Teaser ...
01/12/2025
In the rush to deliver content to every screen, many broadcasters overlook one of the most crucial steps in the workflow: format and frame rate conversion. Get ...
01/12/2025
Fox Corporation Chief Financial Officer Steve Tomsic to Participate in Upcoming ...
01/12/2025
Arvato Systems' Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) Receives BSI C5 Certification (T...
01/12/2025
Summary This short video gives you an summary of the changes in under two minutes.
--...
01/12/2025
As the festive season approaches, RT Supporting the Arts is proud to showcase a...
01/12/2025
Researchers worldwide rely on open-source technologies as the foundation of their work. To equip the community with the latest advancements in digital and physi...
01/12/2025
Festive specials of Christmas in Kilmainham presented by Marty Whelan, High Road Low Road, Callan Kicks the Year and Keys to My Life
Ring in the New Year with ...
01/12/2025
Architect and television presenter Hugh Wallace, best known to RT audiences as a long-serving judge on Home of the Year, has died at the age of 68.
In a state...
28/11/2025
Nadia Fall attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Brides at the Egyptian Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Donyale West/...
28/11/2025
It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...
28/11/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for the December Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2025 ...
28/11/2025
The Professional Fighters League is looking to super-serve fans of mixed martial...
28/11/2025
Fubo has released in beta on select Roku devices a new feature that lets users display up to four simultaneous streams at once....
28/11/2025
The WNBA playoffs and Week 4 of the NFL regular season highlight the list of live sports events airing on television this weekend....
28/11/2025
The 32nd class of honorees to the B+C Hall of Fame took to the stage at New York's Ziegfeld Ballroom on September 26 for a gala induction event. Click below...
28/11/2025
We hold in our hands the very last Next Text for Next TV, the weekly back-and-fo...
28/11/2025
DirecTV said it made a deal with EchoStar to buy EchoStar's video businesses, including satellite-TV provider Dish TV and virtual MVPD Sling TV, for $1 plus...
28/11/2025
The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, the premier industry event paying tribute to the influencers, innovators and shining lights of broadcast, cable and streami...
28/11/2025
Friday 28 November 2025
Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...
28/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...
28/11/2025
Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders Marks a Grand...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
By Stephanie Ornelas 
