
Los Angeles, CA, September 6, 2023 - The nonprofit Sundance Institute announced today the recipients of the 2023 Latine Fellowship and Collab Scholarship, launched last year to meaningfully expand Latine representation in independent media. The 2023 program will provide fellowships and scholarships to 10 emerging Latine artists and offer professional development and networking opportunities. Recipients will also gain special access to Sundance Collab, Sundance Institute's digital learning space for artists to learn from experts and build a global community.
In its sophomore year, the Latine Fellowship and Scholarship continues its mission to cultivate a vibrant space for Latine artists across various fields. It's a place for community, professional growth, and financial and creative support, said Hajnal Molnar-Szakacs, Director of the Artist Accelerator. We're ecstatic to back a brand new cohort of emerging artists, amplifying the Latine voice in film and television!
The Sundance Institute Latine Fellowship will provide five early career Latine artists working in film or television with a yearlong fellowship experience. The fellows will each receive a $10,000 grant, bespoke creative and tactical support on their projects, and engage in regular cohort meetings. Fellows were selected from Sundance Institute artist support programs across fiction and nonfiction.
The Sundance Institute Latine Scholarship will provide five emerging Latine artists a yearlong scholarship to a course of their choice featuring unique expert insights and learnings on Sundance Collab. In addition, scholars will receive customized feedback on their projects, mentorship from a Sundance Institute artist alum, and opportunities to connect with Sundance staff and its broader creative community.
Since the Latine Fellowship and Collab Scholarship launched last year, 11 artists have participated in the program. Alumni include Michael Le n, who has since made his Broadway debut as a playwright in New York, New York, and Cat Rodr guez, who recently received an Obie Award for her work with ensemble Fake Friends Theater Collective. Rodr guez's ensemble will embark upon several residencies where they will continue to develop their upcoming Sundance supported project, Untitled Bikini Body Building Project.
The 2023 Latine Fellowship and Collab Scholarships were developed with leadership funding support from Lyn Lear and Cindy Horn, and additional support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
The fellows selected for the 2023 Sundance Institute Latine Fellowship are:
Johnny Alvarez (writer-director) with Average Dick: Borrowing from pop culture, current events, and the fraught collective consciousness, this tragicomic anthology series weaves together a complex tapestry of fragile masculinity. Each surreal tale introduces us to a disparate cast of characters, from closeted congressmen and porn-addicted priests to polyamorists in the apocalypse. Amidst triumphs, transgressions, and acts of self-degradation, these men learn the true weight carried between their legs.
Johnny Alvarez is a queer Cuban-American writer and filmmaker. His work has been supported by Sundance, SFFILM, Comedy Central, and Outfest. His films have screened at festivals in LA, Chicago, Seattle, and elsewhere. Originally from St. Louis, he currently resides in Northern California, where he is completing his MFA in Fiction.
Esteban Bailey (writer-director) with The Death of Salvador Col n: In the aftermath of a devastating hurricane, Juan's father Salvador passes away, but when the overwhelmed police force fails to remove the body, Juan sets out to give his father a proper burial, confronting his own grief and the challenges of a ravaged community along the way.
Esteban Bailey is an award winning Puerto Rican filmmaker. After graduating from NYU Tisch, Esteban's short film El Extra o en la Casa Rivera screened at several festivals, including the Atlanta Film Festival where he won the Filmmaker to Watch Award and the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.
Gabriella Garcia Pardo (director-producer) with Fenced (working title): Fences reflect our desires and fears. From our obsession with owning land and controlling virtual frontiers to the ways in which we divide ourselves, Fenced questions how the most ubiquitous human structure -- the fence -- shapes how we live, where we live, and the rules we live by.
Gabriella Garcia Pardo is a Colombian-American documentary filmmaker whose work centers stories of land, community, and non-humans. Gabriella produced and co-wrote La Bonga (True/False, 2023) with directors Sebasti n Pinz n Silva and Canela Reyes. She's currently directing her first feature, Fenced, and producing the observational feature, Backside, with director Ra l Paz Pastrana.
Gabriela Ortega (writer-director) with Huella: When her grandmother's death in the Dominican Republic unleashes a generational curse, Daniela, a restless flamenco dancer living in New York City, must confront her family's dark past as she fights for one last chance at professional dancing.
Gabriela Ortega is an award-winning writer/director from the Dominican Republic. Her short Huella was a 2022 Sundance Film Festival official selection and will become her first feature film after being supported by the Sundance Labs. She was named one of Filmmaker Magazine's 25 New Faces of Independent Film and a Sundance Women to Watch fellow.
Walter Thompson-Hern ndez (writer-director) with If I Go Will They Miss Me: Twelve-year-old Lil Ant begins to see mysterious figures - eerie Black men with their arms spread like wings - around his home. When his father, Big Ant, realizes his son sees these airplane people too, their family history emerges and reveals deeper meaning and connection between them.
Walter Thompson-Hern
More from Sundance Institute
08/05/2025
A sinister fairy infiltrates a desperate family in Kenneth Dagatan's In My Mother's Skin, which premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Photo co...
05/05/2025
Shari Sebbens attends the 2024 Sundance Film Festival The Moogai premiere at The Ray Theatre in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Donayle West/Shutterstock for Sunda...
02/05/2025
The 85th annual Peabody Awards were a special moment for Sundance Institute-supp...
02/05/2025
The 46th annual News & Documentary Emmys are just around the corner, and this ye...
01/05/2025
Paul Reubens appears in Pee-wee as Himself, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Michael Ochs A...
30/04/2025
Film elements held at the Deluxe warehouse in March of 2015. Photo by Luis Silva...
29/04/2025
(L-R) Tim Rarus, Bridgetta Bourne, Nyle DiMarco, Jerry Covell, Greg Hlibok, and Davis Guggenheim attend the premiere of Deaf President Now! at Eccles Theatre ...
25/04/2025
Emily Watson, Isaiah Saxon, Helena Zengel, and Finn Wolfhard at The Legend of Ochi premiere (photo by Soul Brother/Shutterstock for Sundance Film Festival)...
24/04/2025
We're huge fans of shining a spotlight on the documentaries that empower, en...
22/04/2025
Chloe Sevigny at the Magic Farm premiere (photo by Michael Hurcomb/Shutterstock for Sundance Film Festival)...
21/04/2025
By Lucy Spicer
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival is having a front-row seat for the bright future of independent filmmaking. Whi...
18/04/2025
Director Andrew Ahn, alongside actors Youn Yuh-jung and Joan Chen, takes a photo of the audience after the premiere of his film The Wedding Banquet at Eccles ...
17/04/2025
Emilie Blichfeldt attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of The Ugly ...
16/04/2025
It's an understatement to say that the Peabody Awards are major. The winners...
14/04/2025
By Bailey Pennick
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festi...
11/04/2025
(L-R) Kevin Macdonald and Sam Rice-Edwards attend the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of One to One: John & Yoko at The Ray Theatre on January 23, 2025, ...
09/04/2025
The cast and crew of The Librarians attend the film's 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere at The Ray Theatre. (Photo by Robin Marshall/Shutterstock for S...
09/04/2025
By Jandiz Estrada Cardoso
I am overjoyed to share the eight screenwriting fellows selected to participate in Sundance Institute's 2025 Episodic Intensive. ...
09/04/2025
A still from Captains of Zaatari by Ali El Arabi, an official selection of the World Cinema Documentary Competition at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. Courte...
07/04/2025
By Bailey Pennick
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festi...
03/04/2025
(L-R) Ji-young Yoo, Pedro Pascal, and Jay Ellis at the Freaky Tales premiere. (Photo by George Pimentel/Shutterstock for Sundance Film Festival)
By Stephanie...
02/04/2025
Pedro Pascal appears in Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's Freaky Tales, which pr...
27/03/2025
Boulders Vibrant Community of Artists, Enthusiastic Audiences, and Breathtaking ...
26/03/2025
Director Gina Prince-Bythewood reviews the script for her beloved film Love and Basketball, which she workshopped at the 1998 Directors Lab before it premiere...
24/03/2025
Residency Honoring the Legacy of Social Justice Leader Michael Latt Selects Eigh...
21/03/2025
PARK CITY, UTAH - JANUARY 23: (L-R) Jos Esteban Alenda, Maximiliano Rivas, Glorimar Marrero S nchez, Isel Rodr guez, Pedro Juan Lopez, and Amaya Izquierdo atte...
19/03/2025
PARK CITY, UTAH - JANUARY 20: (L-R) Shoko Egawa, Chiaki Yanagimoto, Ben Braun, and Andrew Marshall attend the 2023 Sundance Film Festival AUM: The Cult at the ...
14/03/2025
By Lucy Spicer
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival...
13/03/2025
(L-R) Stephanie Suganami, Tatanka Means, John Malkovich, Ayo Edebiri, and Juliette Lewis attend the premiere of Opus at Eccles Theatre in Park City. (Photo by...
11/03/2025
By Lucy Spicer
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival...
06/03/2025
The Building Bridges Completion Fund reaffirms a commitment to showcasing
and c...
05/03/2025
By Stephanie Ornelas
(L-R) Kenner Bolt, Brendon Boyea, Hiep Tran Nghia, Sing J. Lee, Andy Sorgie and Dustin Nguyen attend the 2023 Sundance Film Festival The...
03/03/2025
The 2025 Academy Awards were a shining moment for Sundance-supported films, underscoring the Festival's role as a launchpad for powerful storytelling and gr...
27/02/2025
Director Rashad Frett and actor Stephan James share a hug on stage following the premiere of Ricky. Photo by Jason Peters
By the Archives team
Though the 20...
26/02/2025
Glenn Close, Michelle Satter, and Marielle Heller at The Sundance Film Festival ...
26/02/2025
Created in 2003 to recognize an outstanding feature film addressing ideas or characters central to science and technology, this juried prize is awarded through ...
26/02/2025
The Gayle Stevens Volunteer Award is given annually to a volunteer who has demonstrated a long-standing passion for and commitment to the work of the Sundance I...
26/02/2025
And just like that, it's awards day! We're here at The Ray Theatre in Park City, Utah, for the much-anticipated 2025 Sundance Film Festival Awards Cerem...
26/02/2025
It's only been a few days since the 2025 Sundance Film Festival finished up,...
23/02/2025
Today, the 2025 Film Independent Spirit Awards filmmakers took over Santa Monica...
13/02/2025
By Jessica Herndon
While we're still riding high over our incredible 2025 ...
13/02/2025
12 Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Filmmakers Selected for...
12/02/2025
Sly Stone appears in SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius) by Ahmir Que...
12/02/2025
By Jessica Herndon
As awards season heats up, a handful of celebrated filmmakers and artists are grabbing our attention, and many of them have shared their ex...
02/02/2025
2026 Edition of Sundance Film Festival to Take Place in Park City and Salt Lake ...
30/01/2025
Steven Yeun and Kristen Stewart at the Love Me premiere (photo by George Pimentl...
29/01/2025
PARK CITY, UTAH, January 28, 2025 - Tonight the nonprofit Sundance Institute awarded the prizes for the 2025 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Program at the Sh...
23/01/2025
PARK CITY, UTAH - JANUARY 19: Steven Soderbergh at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival Presence premiere at the Library Center Theatre on January 19, 2024, in Par...
23/01/2025
The 2025 Sundance Film Festival is kicking off and the Oscar nominations have dr...
18/01/2025
10 Projects to Be Developed at Annual January Screenwriters Lab;
10 Projects t...