[Above: Nia DaCosta and Tessa Thompson at Sundance Institute's 2015 Directors Lab for Little Woods ]
By Stephanie Ornelas
For over 40 years, the Sundance Institute Labs have been a crucial stepping stone for the artistic careers of some of the world's most beloved filmmakers. And with the help of the experience gained from the labs, those artists have gone on to create remarkable films that have, in turn, impacted audiences far and wide. Part of Sundance Institute's Feature Film Program, the Directors and Screenwriters Labs are designed to help artists further develop their scripts and find a visual language for their projects, bringing together a cohort comprising experienced advisors and likeminded creators.
I can't wait to be back in the dynamic environment of the Directors Lab this summer, says Ilyse McKimmie, Sundance Institute's deputy director, Feature Film Program. Being a part of such an incredibly creative and generous community of storytellers is a source of inspiration that sustains me throughout the year. There's nowhere else where emerging indie directors can combine practical, hands-on experience with a deep investigation of the art and craft of filmmaking, all in an environment that prizes exploration, risk-taking, and discovery.
As we gear up for this year's Directors Lab (May 30-June 13) and June Screenwriters Lab (June 20-23), we're revisiting how the programs have had a hand in shaping the early careers of some of our favorite artists over the years. We're all familiar with Chlo Zhao's Nomadland and Reinaldo Marcus Green's King Richard, but does everyone know how or when these filmmakers got started? Some of us do. Others might be pleasantly surprised to discover they got their start right here at Sundance Institute.
Here's what the artists have to say about their experience:
Chlo Zhao went through Sundance Institute's Directors and Screenwriters Labs in 2012 for Songs My Brothers Taught Me, which premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. Since then, she's gone on to create captivating films like Eternals and Nomadland, the latter of which nabbed the Academy Award in 2021 for Best Picture.
I've met a lot of great friends in that process, says Zhao of her time at the labs. I'm still in touch with many of them, and to be able to support each other, even beyond the labs, was really incredible. We know we've had those fun days and nights on the mountain together. And that bond is hard to replace. So there are a few folks out there in the industry I know [and] I can just make a call and we can get together because we have gone through that together.
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[Above: Nia DaCosta and Tessa Thompson at Sundance Institute's 2015 Directors Lab for Little Woods ]
