Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Sundance Institute and Adobe Announce 2021 Sundance Ignite x Adobe Fellows

23/07/2021

LOS ANGELES - The class of 2021 has arrived: The Sundance Institute and Adobe announced this year's Sundance Ignite x Adobe Fellows today, chosen from a global pool of more than 1,650 applicants from ages 18-25. Hailing from a broad geography, and rooted in a diverse array of creative disciplines from documentary to fiction, these 10 emerging artists will engage with a year of mentorship and support from the Sundance Institute and Sundance Ignite founding partner Adobe.

Fellows were selected from a one- to 15-minute short film submitted to the Sundance Ignite x Adobe Short Film Challenge, hosted on the Institute's digital community platform, Sundance Collab. The 10 fellows were selected for their deeply original voices, creativity in storytelling, and rigor of their craft.

The Fellowship centers artists in its curriculum, with a goal of supporting each fellow as they continue their respective artistic and professional development as filmmakers and storytellers. The fellows will kick off their fellowship year with the digital Sundance Ignite x Adobe Filmmakers Lab, which runs from July 26 to July 30 on Sundance Collab with a particular focus on project advancement and deepening the fellows' character development skill sets.

In addition to receiving a complimentary year-long membership to Adobe Creative Cloud and Sundance Collab at the Creator level, each fellow will be paired with a mentor for artistic and professional support. This year's mentors are Festival alumni Andrew Ahn (Spa Night, SFF 16), Carlos L pez Estrada (Blindspotting, SFF '18, Summertime SFF '20), Jacqueline Olive (Always in Season, SFF '19), Nico Opper (Try Harder!, SFF '21) and Hannah Pearl Utt (Before You Know It, SFF '19).

These artists are at the forefront of a rising generation of independent creatives, at a time when the world is reimagining ways to tell stories and reach audiences, said Toby Brooks, Senior Manager of the Institute's Ignite program. Such bold work is the foundation of very promising filmmakers, and I'm so excited to lift them up - and to see what comes next.

At Adobe, we believe in creativity for all. The world needs more diverse voices, because we all benefit when more perspectives are shared, said John Travis, Vice President, Brand Marketing, Adobe. Especially for the next generation, it's critical they see diverse creators like themselves. We are proud to partner with the Sundance Institute to create greater opportunity for emerging filmmakers.

To date, 80 fellows have gone through the program, and 10 alumni have had their short films selected to screen at the Sundance Film Festival; alumni have also been selected for the Institute's signature labs and materially advanced sustainable careers across multiple disciplines.

Sundance Ignite is supported by Adobe; Arison Arts Foundation; Southwest Airlines; and The Birth of a Nation Fellowship, founded by the creative and producing teams of the film.

The 2021 Sundance Ignite x Adobe Fellows are:

Juanita UmanaJuanita is a filmmaker from Bogota, Colombia, based in Atlanta, Georgia. Her films and documentaries explore the personal and subtle moments of family life with a focus on social commentary. When she's not directing or writing her own films, she enjoys working as a camera assistant.

Justice Jamal JonesJustice Jamal Jones is a filmmaker and actor from Omaha, Nebraska, a graduate of NYU, and founder of Rainbow Farm Productions. As a Black Queer alchemist, they integrate Black Feminist Queer theory into their art, alongside Black diasporic spirituality. Their debut film, How to Raise a Black Boy, has won numerous awards, and they are developing their first feature, Crossroads Blues.

Dylan GeeDylan Gee is a half-Chinese, half-white filmmaker. In 2019, she graduated from NYU'S Tisch with a BFA in Film + Television Production. Through film, she's interested in making sense of the absurdities around us. Dylan currently works at Anonymous Content and formerly worked at Angry Hero Entertainment. She's working on an upcoming short and writing her first feature-length film. She's also obsessed with chess.

Natalie MuraoNatalie Murao is a yonsei (fourth-generation Japanese Canadian) filmmaker from Vancouver. She received a BFA in Film Production from Simon Fraser University. Her work aims to expand the notion of Asian diasporic cinema by creating an in-betweenness of styles that embody the diaspora itself. Natalie's films have played at TIFF Next Wave Film Festival, Palm Springs ShortFest, and more.

Diego Brag Diego Brag is a nonbinary artist which began their studies through dance. Them lock themselves in the office and dances frantically everyday. Diego received a lot of Love from their Ancestors, one of them dressed as a witch and chased them around the house. Diego tries to listen to the Universe, striving for a fluid, magical and beautiful future ahead.

Karina DandashiKarina Dandashi is a Syrian-American Muslim writer, director, and actress based in Brooklyn, New York. Her films aim to explore nuances in identity through family, religion, and culture in SWANA and Muslim communities in America. Karina is the 2021 Silver Sun Diverse Voices Filmmaker Fellow at the Jacob Burns Film Center. She is currently writing her first feature film.

Lindiwe MakgalemeleLindiwe Makgalemele is a Botswana-born South African filmmaker. She is a graduate of Harvard University currently completing a master's degree at the University of Oxford. Her short film The Town has just begun its festival run. Lindiwe is interested in stories that celebrate the small, intimate, and spectacular moments that make up people's lives, particularly those of Black and African women.

Maliyamungu MuhandeMaliyamungu Gift Muhande is a New York-based Congolese filmmaker and ar
LINK: http://www.sundance.org/blogs/news/2021-sundance-ignite-adobe-fellows...
See more stories from sundance

North America Stories

11/04/2026

Sachtler Highlights Comprehensive Camera Support Solutions at NAB 2026

Sachtler Highlights Comprehensive Camera Support Solutions at NAB 2026 Brie Clayton April 11, 2026 0 Comments Sachtler showcases advanced camera suppo...

11/04/2026

Sohonet Launches Media Fabric: A Unified Managed Infrastructure Suite for Film, Television and Post-Production

Sohonet Launches Media Fabric: A Unified Managed Infrastructure Suite for Film, ...

11/04/2026

AJA Unveils BRIDGE LIVE IP with SMPTE ST 2110 I/O

AJA Unveils BRIDGE LIVE IP with SMPTE ST 2110 I/O Brie Clayton April 11, 2026 0 Comments New IP video solution streamlines modern productions, providi...

11/04/2026

InSync Unveils Advanced Video Processing and Frame Rate Conversion Solutions at NAB 2026

InSync Unveils Advanced Video Processing and Frame Rate Conversion Solutions at ...

11/04/2026

Amagi Launches Newspulse: An Agentic AI Platform That Autonomously Turns Live Newscasts into Multi-Format Digital Content

Amagi Launches Newspulse: An Agentic AI Platform That Autonomously Turns Live Ne...

11/04/2026

Federal Judge Extends Nexstar/Tegna TRO, Softens Some Provisions

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/04/2026

Sling TV Launches $19.99 a Month Sling Essentials with ESPN

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/04/2026

NAB Show Launches Content Creator VIP Program

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/04/2026

FCC Announces Tentative Agenda for April Open Meeting

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/04/2026

GARR and Cubbit launch the first geo-distributed storage...

Pilot phase begins for a new national infrastructure designed to safeguard academic and research data with full local data control, sovereignty, resilience, and...

11/04/2026

How to Stream Coachella 2026 at Home

How to Stream Coachella 2026 at Home Check this years stacked schedule for the annual music festivals full lineup, including when Berklee artists from Laufey ...

11/04/2026

Time Travel

Time Travel As Berklee on the Road programs in Puerto Rico and Italy mark decades-long anniversaries, we journey into the past and step into the future. Apri...

11/04/2026

April 10, 2026

Improving vaccine design for Ebola, HIV and more Scripps Research scientists and colleagues develop a nanodisc platform that offers a clearer view of how key vi...

10/04/2026

The Invisible OPEX Killer: Is Your Server Room Dragging You Down?

The Invisible OPEX Killer: Is Your Server Room Dragging You Down? In the broadcast world, we talk a lot about uptime. We talk about talent retention, latency...

10/04/2026

NAB 2026: Imagine Communications to Showcase Expanded Multiviewer Portfolio

Imagine Communications will showcase its multiviewer portfolio at NAB Show 2026 (April 19-22, Booth N1328, Las Vegas Convention Center), including Prismon and t...

10/04/2026

NAB 2026: Chyron Releases PRIME VSAR 2.3 with Updated Unreal Engine Integration

Chyron has released PRIME VSAR 2.3, an update to its virtual set and augmented reality solution for broadcast. The release adds compatibility with Unreal Engine...

10/04/2026

NAB 2026: Techex to Showcase New tx darwin Capabilities

Techex will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth W2267, April 19-23, Las Vegas Convention Center), demonstrating new tx darwin features including consumer multiview,...

10/04/2026

NAB 2026: NDI to Showcase Ecosystem and NDI 6.3

NDI will exhibit at NAB Show 2026, demonstrating its IP video ecosystem through live partner integrations, NDI 6.3 features, AI metadata workflows, and creator ...

10/04/2026

FOR-A Acquires Tamura Corporations Information Equipment Business

FOR-A has announced the acquisition of all shares of Tamu Radiance Corporation, a new company spun off from the Information Equipment Business of Tamura Corpora...

10/04/2026

NAB 2026: InSync Technology to Unveil New Video Processing and Frame Rate Conversion Products

InSync Technology will showcase new and updated video conversion products at NAB...

10/04/2026

TNT Sports and DAZN Announce Monthly Boxing Event Series in the United States

TNT Sports and DAZN have announced a partnership to air monthly boxing events in the United States under the brand The Fight. The series will be promoted in p...

10/04/2026

Panasonic Introduces SQ3 Series 4K LCD Displays for Professional Environments

Panasonic Projector and Display has announced the SQ3 Series of 4K LCD displays as part of its MEVIX professional display portfolio. All sizes will be available...

10/04/2026

Amagi Adds Agentic Capabilities to Its Media Operations Platform

Amagi has announced the addition of Agentic Media Operations to its Amagi NOW platform, integrating AI reasoning agents across its media supply chain workflows ...

10/04/2026

LTN Announces Network Enhancements Ahead of C-Band Spectrum Auction

LTN has announced enhancements to its global IP video network targeting broadcasters transitioning from satellite distribution. The updates come ahead of US fed...

10/04/2026

Daktronics Installs New LED Displays at Yankee Stadium

Daktronics has installed new LED displays at Yankee Stadium, upgrading the main centerfield board, two flanking boards, and two ribbon displays spanning the 200...

10/04/2026

NAB 2026: Harmonic Announces AI and Cloud Updates to Hybrid Streaming Solution

Harmonic has announced updates to its hybrid streaming solution, including Model Context Protocol (MCP) connectivity for AI applications, cloud-native deploymen...

10/04/2026

NAB 2026: MultiDyne to Debut FiberSaver-10G and VF-9100

MultiDyne Video and Fiber Optic Systems will introduce two new fiber transport products at NAB Show 2026 (Booth C4425, April 19-22): the FiberSaver-10G waveleng...

10/04/2026

NAB 2026: Telos Alliance and ip-studio to Demonstrate STUDIO ZERO

Telos Alliance and ip-studio will demonstrate STUDIO ZERO, a cloud-hosted virtual studio, at NAB Show 2026. First introduced at NAB Show 2023, STUDIO ZERO integ...

10/04/2026

Pixotope and d&b Solutions Announce Strategic Partnership for XR and Virtual Studio Production

d&b solutions, a London-based audio-visual, lighting, and media integration grou...

10/04/2026

ARRI and SmallHD Announce Lens Data Monitor Overlay License for Hi-5 and Hi-5 SX

ARRI and SmallHD have announced a new expansion license for ARRI's Hi-5 and Hi-5 SX hand units that displays lens data overlays on supported SmallHD monitor...

10/04/2026

Roku to Stream Exclusive Savannah Bananas Game Package on Roku Sports Channel

Roku and the Banana Ball Championship League (BBCL) have announced an exclusive streaming partnership to bring five BBCL games to the Roku Sports Channel in 202...

10/04/2026

Ratings Roundup: More Than 18 Million Fans Tune Into 2026 NCAA Mens March Madness on TNT and CBS Sports

Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...

10/04/2026

No Other Land, Mr. Nobody Against Putin,and More Sundance Institute-Supported Films Nominated for Peabody Awards

The Peabody Awards don't just recognize great storytelling, they spotlight t...

10/04/2026

2026 NAB Show Exhibitor Insight: Bitcentral

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

10/04/2026

Bitcentral To Feature Connected Media Workflows At 2026 NAB Show

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

10/04/2026

Bitcentral to Showcase Connected Media Workflows and Inte...

Bitcentral, a leading provider of professional media solutions for broadcast and digital video, will showcase its latest innovations at NAB Show 2026 (Booth W28...

10/04/2026

Ikegami to Introduce Expanded Range of Broadcast Production Solutions at NAB 2026

Ikegami to Introduce Expanded Range of Broadcast Production Solutions at NAB 202...

10/04/2026

AJA Debuts SMPTE ST 2110 and openGear Solutions Ahead of NAB 2026

AJA Debuts SMPTE ST 2110 and openGear Solutions Ahead of NAB 2026 Brie Clayton April 10, 2026 0 Comments New gear and updates address evolving hybrid ...

10/04/2026

Portland Fire+ Streaming Platform Launches

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

10/04/2026

Tod Musgrave Joins Proton as U.S. Sales & Marketing Director

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

10/04/2026

Proton Expands Minicam Portfolio With Proton Pro At 2026 NAB Show

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

10/04/2026

FCC To Vote on Changes to Audible Crawl Rule

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

10/04/2026

Frequency Launches AI Platform for Streaming Television a...

Frequency, the engine behind the worlds leading streaming television channels, today launched its AI platform for Frequency Studio, powering the entire channel ...

10/04/2026

Jnger Audio Joins EBU ADM Integration Group as Founding Member to Help Advance ADM/S-ADM Integration

J nger Audio Joins EBU ADM Integration Group as Founding Member to Help Advance...

09/04/2026

NAB 2026: Zixi to Demonstrate Live Video Workflows and Satellite Replacement

Zixi will demonstrate IP-based live video workflow solutions at NAB Show 2026 (Booth W2057). The industry is moving quickly toward IP-based distribution as br...

09/04/2026

Deloitte Research: Women's Elite Sports Revenues Expected to Reach at Least $3 Billion in 2026

Global women's elite sports revenues are expected to reach at least $3 billi...

09/04/2026

Monitor Engineer Gavin Tempany Mixes Kylie Minogue's Tension Tour on Solid State Logic L550 Plus

Monitor engineer Gavin Tempany mixed Kylie Minogue s Tension Tour on a Solid Sta...

09/04/2026

NAB 2026: KOKUSAI DENKI Electric America to Debut New 4K Camera and Remote Control Panel

KOKUSAI DENKI Electric America will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth C5507), debu...

09/04/2026

NBC Sports Reviews Innovations and Milestones from Its 2025-26 NBA Regular Season

With the 2025-26 NBA regular season concluded and the playoffs beginning next we...

09/04/2026

NAB 2026: Telestream and Mimir Announce Integration for Ingest-to-Editorial Workflows

Telestream and Mimir have announced an integration connecting Telestream's V...