“Risk...can be the catalyst that propels you forward.”
—Robert Redford
A Man and his Motorcycle
Robert Redford happens upon the beautiful Provo Canyon and purchases the land that will later become a center for indie filmmaking.
Sundance Institute's president and founder, Robert Redford, during the summer Labs | © 1981 Unknown for Sundance Institute
1961
The Place That Started It All
On a cross-country motorcycle trip, Robert Redford is inspired by the remote location and wildness of Provo Canyon
and the majestic Mt. Timpanogos. He purchases two acres and builds a small cabin with his own hands.
1969
The Name "Sundance"
Redford purchases 5,000 acres in the same area and names the land Sundance, after his role in Butch Cassidy and the
Sundance Kid. That same year, he opens Sundance Mountain Resort to the public and designates a vast majority of the
land as a wilderness preserve.
Sundance Mountain Resort | © 1995 Sandria Miller for Sundance Institute
A Sense of Place for Emerging Filmmakers
Redford establishes the Sundance Institute to bolster the field of independent storytelling and help emerging artists hone their craft.
1981 Directors Lab | © 1981 Sharon M. Beard for Sundance Institute
1980
Founding of Sundance Institute
Robert Redford gathers a group of colleagues and friends at Sundance, Utah, to examine if an institute could be created
that reasserts the importance of craft, story, and the human being in the art and business of making movies. The meeting
marks the beginnings of the nonprofit Sundance Institute.
Institute planning meeting | © 1981 Unknown for Sundance Institute
1981
The First Lab
At the resort, the Sundance Institute holds its first lab for 15 independent filmmakers to develop their original projects in the company of such advisors as Sydney Pollack and Waldo Salt. By providing resources in an environment that supports the creative process, the lab encourages each filmmaker to tell an original story in his or her own unique voice.
Robert Redford on set | © 1984 John Schaefer for Sundance Institute
1983
El Norte Brings New Audiences to Indie Film
Gregory Nava’s
El Norte becomes the first lab-supported film to be produced. Critically acclaimed,
El Norte tells of the plight of undocumented immigrants from Guatemala and their journey to the United States.
The film earns Gregory Nava and Anna Thomas a nomination for the Academy Award for best writing.
Creative Advisor Waldo Salt and El Norte filmmakers Anna Thomas and Gregory Nava | © 1981 Sharon M. Beard for Sundance Institute
1984
From Screen to Stage
Forming what would later become the Institute’s Theater Program, the Utah Playwrights Conference formally becomes the
Sundance Playwrights Laboratory.
1984 Playwrights Lab | © 1984 Unknown for Sundance Institute
Staking a Claim for Independents
The Institute finds its platform for independent voices by holding its first film festival, while expanding year-round artist program offerings and widening its reach outside of Utah.
1987 Composers Lab | © 1987 Unknown for Sundance Institute
1985
The First Film Festival
The Sundance Institute assumes creative and administrative control of the 1985 U.S. Film Festival (later renamed the Sundance
Film Festival) and expands it to a 10-day showcase for new American independent narrative and documentary films, in
addition to a program of international films.
1986-1987
Creative Exchange in Latin America and Japan
Building on ties to international artists, the Institute launches the Latin American Exchange Program and Sundance
Film Festival in Tokyo to foster creative exchange and create opportunities for storytellers abroad.
1987
Screenwriting, Music in Film, and Choreography
Identifying a gap in resources for artists of differing disciplines within the filmmaking field, the Institute establishes
labs to support emerging composers, intensive script development, and choreography for film.
1987 Dance Lab | © 1987 Sandria Miller for Sundance Institute
1989
sex, lies, and videotape Makes Waves
Steven Soderbergh’s
sex, lies, and videotape wins the Dramatic Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival. It goes on to become
the most widely successful independent film released up to this time, and the Sundance Film Festival cements its status
as the premiere forum for indie film.
Steven Soderbergh accepts the Dramatic Audience Award for sex, lies, and videotape | © 1989 Sandria Miller for Sundance Institute
Film Industry Takes Notice
A new wave of independent filmmakers shakes up the industry, and the Institute launches its first official program for Native filmmakers.
Quentin Tarantino and Steve Buscemi workshop a scene from Reservoir Dogs | © 1991 Sandria Miller for Sundance Institute
1991
Park City After Dark
The Park City at Midnight section—a mix of horror, comedies, and genre-defying films—is introduced at the Festival
as a “special showcase of the most challenging but rewarding film experiences from around the world brought to you
at the most arduous hour.”
Reservoir Dogs Gets Its Start
At the Directors Lab, Quentin Tarantino workshops his debut film,
Reservoir Dogs, which then goes on to premiere at the 1992 Festival.
Small Films Get Big
Daughters of the Dust (1991), Paris Is Burning (1991), Slacker (1991), In the Soup (1992), El Mariachi (1993), Clerks (1994), Hoop Dreams (1994), Mi Vida Loca (1994), Reality Bites (1994)
1993
Partnership Leads to First Spanish-Language Lab
The Sundance Institute co-sponsors the first Mexican Screenwriters Lab in collaboration with the University of Guadalajara. Lab fellow
Guillermo del Toro brings his screenplay
The Devil’s Backbone to continue development at the lab.
1994
Solidifying a Commitment to Native Filmmakers
Affirming its long-held commitment to Native American filmmakers, the Institute creates an initiative to support Native
and Indigenous artists and a Festival section to showcase their work.
Robert Redford speaks with Native filmmakers | © 1994 Sandria Miller for Sundance Institute
Reaching Beyond the Mountain
While independent film is finding a footing within the larger moviemaking landscape, championing creative and underrepresented voices is the driving force for further expansion and support.
Chris Eyre workshops a scene from Smoke Signals | © 1995 Sandria Miller for Sundance Institute
1995
A First for Native Film
Smoke Signals, directed by Chris Eyre and written by Sherman Alexie, is the first film written and directed by
Native Americans. The lab-supported film goes on to win the 1998 Festival’s Dramatic Audience Award and Dramatic Filmmaker
Trophy and becomes the first Native film to receive a commercial release.
1995
Outreach to Latin America, Europe, and China
The Institute further expands its international reach with Latin American Producers Conferences held in Mexico, Brazil,
and Cuba, as well as Screenwriters Labs in Mexico, Brazil, Chile, and Central Europe. The Sundance Film Festival in Beijing
marks the first-ever festival of American independent film in China.
1997
Preserving Indie Film History
In partnership with UCLA, the Institute forms the Sundance Collection at UCLA, an archive dedicated to the collection
and preservation of independent cinema.
Courtesy of UCLA Film & Television Archive
1997
Boys Don't Cry
Writer-director Kimberly Peirce develops
Boys Don’t Cry at the Directors Lab. The groundbreaking film, based on the true story of a transgender man starting
over in a small Nebraska town, goes on to earn Hilary Swank the 2000 Academy Award for Best Actress.
Kimberly Peirce works with actress Summer Phoenix | © 1997 Fred Hayes for Sundance Institute
Funding Gets Real, Film Goes Digital
Further cementing its support of diverse storytelling in craft and form, the Institute expands opportunities for documentary and theater makers and embraces the rising influence of digital video.
I Am My Own Wife at the Theatre Lab | © 2000 Jennifer Hathorne for Sundance Institute
2000
The Festival Ventures into the Digital Domain
As many in the industry debate whether digital is here to stay, the Sundance Film Festival sees the technological shift
as an opportunity for artists and is one of the first festivals to offer digital projection.
New Opportunities for Theater Makers
The Institute’s Theater Program launches the Sundance Playwrights Retreat at the Ucross Foundation in Wyoming, as well as its first lab dedicated to the development of musical and ensemble theater at the White Oak Plantation in Florida.
2002
Investing in Documentary
The Soros Documentary Fund becomes the Sundance Documentary Fund and is adopted as a core program of the Institute.
The Documentary Film Program also expands to offer creative and strategic support in addition to providing grants for
nonfiction filmmakers.
Born into Brothels | Film still courtesy of Born into Brothels
2003-2004
Composing and Storytelling for Docs
Newly established, the Documentary Film Program quickly evolves to offer a Composers Lab to enhance the role of music
in documentary film, with support from the Film Music Program, and an Edit and Storytelling Lab to provide creative
support through the editing phase of nonfiction storytelling.
2004
Pulitzer Prize-Winning Theater
Developed by Doug Wright with the support of the Institute’s Theater Program,
I Am My Own Wife is awarded the Pulitzer Prize, the Tony Award for best play, and the Tony Award for best actor
in recognition of Jefferson Mays’s performance.
2004
Eagles, Vampires, and Wilderpeople
New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi’s first professional filmmaking effort—
Two Cars, One Night—is programmed in the Native Forum at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. He goes on to present
five more films at the Festival, including Lab-supported projects
Eagle vs. Shark and
Boy, and supports new generations of Indigenous filmmakers through his continued involvement with the Native Program (now called the Indigenous Program).
Two Cars, One Night film still | Film still courtesy of Two Cars, One Night
Fresh Perspectives Push the Art and Form of Storytelling
International film and the convergence of storytelling and emerging technology take center stage, while artist opportunities expand to encompass creative producing.
Creative Advisor Charlayne Woodard with the Theatre Program in East Africa | © 2008 Unknown for Sundance Institute
2005-2007
Storytelling Transcends Boundaries
The Sundance Film Festival launches its World Cinema Competition, elevating the profile of international filmmakers
at the Festival, along with the New Frontier section, which celebrates innovative work at the intersection of film,
art, and technology.
Hetty and Leonard Retel Helmrich, winners of the Documentary World Cinema Grand Jury Prize for Shape of the Moon | © 2005 Fred Hayes/WireImage
2005-2007
Theater Goes Global
The Theatre Program forms global connections through the Stary Theatre of Krakow, Poland, to offer a theatre workshop
and the first annual Theatre Lab in East Africa on the island of Manda, which is the start of a long-standing commitment
to cross-cultural exchange for theatre makers.
2010 Theatre Lab on Manda | © 2010 Sundance Institute | Photo by Philippa Ndisi-Herrmann
2008
Supporting the Independent Producer
Recognizing the crucial role independent producers play in finding, championing, and shaping original stories, the
Creative Producing Initiative is launched to nurture emerging producers with project-specific support through labs,
grants, and long-term advisor relationships.
Crafting Her Own Story
Dee Rees workshops her first film,
Pariah, during the Directors and Screenwriters Labs, and she later premieres it at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival,
where it wins the Dramatic Excellence in Cinematography Award. Rees goes on to write and direct the critically acclaimed
Mudbound and receives the Sundance Institute Vanguard Award, which celebrates innovation, originality, independent
spirit, and visionary storytelling.
Dee Rees workshops Pariah | © 2008 Fred Hayes for Sundance Institute
2009
Intensive Lab for Native Filmmakers
The Institute offers its first Native Filmmakers Lab on the homelands of the Mescalero Apache tribe in New Mexico.
Sterlin Harjo, Native American & Indigenous Program Director Bird Runningwater, and Taika Waititi at Native Screenwriters Lab | © 2011 Sundance Institute | Photo by Chelsea Winstanley
New Channels for Independent Voices
As storytelling technologies and platforms transform how art is created and experienced, artist support grows to ensure innovative stories continue to be developed and heard.
Nonny de la Peña with VR headset | © 2012 Fred Hayes/Getty Images
2011
Harnessing Digital Platforms
In response to the new opportunities for reaching audiences created by emerging technologies, the Institute launches
#ArtistServices, later renamed the Creative Distribution Initiative. The program allows Sundance Institute alumni to retain ownership
of their work while reaching audiences through leading digital platforms like iTunes, Amazon, Netflix, and others.
Developing Resonant Stories through Emerging Technologies
The dynamic work presented at New Frontier during the Festival inspires the Institute to launch the New Frontier Story
Lab, deepening its support for the storytelling pioneers working with new mediums and methodologies.
2012
Experimentation Revolutionizes Storytelling
Recognizing the value of VR as a storytelling tool, Nonny de la Peña is invited to present her immersive piece
Hunger in Los Angeles at the 2012 Festival. The invitation prompts de la Peña’s intern Palmer Luckey to create
a mobile version of USC’s VR headset, which becomes an early manifestation of Oculus Rift. This marks the beginning
of the multi-billion dollar gold rush among the technology, gaming, and film industries to bring viable virtual reality
to the masses.
2012-2014
Festival Goes Abroad and Shorts Tour the U.S.
With a goal of connecting with new audiences and building community, Sundance Film Festival: London, Sundance Film
Festival: Hong Kong, and the Short Film Tour are launched.
Frank screening at Sundance London Film and Music Festival | © 2014 Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images
New Paths to Production
Leading the call for diversity in media, the Institute launches three initiatives to open new paths to production:
Women at Sundance, which supports women storytellers; Catalyst, which connects emerging artists with creative investors;
and the Outreach and Inclusion Initiative, which reaches new communities of storytellers and audiences.
Women at Sundance Brunch | © 2017 Sundance Institute | Photo by Carla Boecklin
2013
Sound Design, Scores, and Skywalker
The Film Music Program partners with Skywalker Sound to expand its Composers Lab to include sound design. The Music
and Sound Design Lab at Skywalker Sound enhances the role of music in film by bringing together filmmakers, emerging
composers, and Skywalker’s in-house sound designers.
2013 Composers Lab | © 2013 Sundance Institute | Photo by Brandon Joseph Baker
2014
Enter Episodic Content
With the explosion of episodic content on cable and online platforms, the Feature Film Program creates the Episodic
Story Lab, offering writers an opportunity to learn how to develop stories and characters that evolve over multiple
episodes.
Maximizing Artist Reach and Impact
Responding to the changing needs of artists, new initiatives broaden opportunities for storytellers around the world, helping to amplify their voices.
Sundance staffers speak with students and emerging filmmakers | © 2017 Sundance Institute | Photo by Don Miller
2015
Investing in Young Filmmakers
The Institute kicks off its new Ignite Fellows program, providing a curated Festival experience for emerging filmmakers
ages 18–25. In its first year, the program brings fellows to the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City and Sundance
Film Festival: Hong Kong.
2016
Support Beyond the First Film
The Feature Film Program introduces the FilmTwo Initiative to support independent filmmakers as they develop and complete
their second feature film—often the greatest challenge to a sustainable career as a filmmaker.
Top: Skate Kitchen | Film still courtesy of Skate Kitchen. Bottom: The Wolfpack | Film still courtesy of The Wolfpack
Recognizing the Art of Nonfiction
The Documentary Film Program completes its pilot year of the Art of Nonfiction Initiative to elevate the art and craft
of cinematic nonfiction storytelling.
Documentary Film Program Director Tabitha Jackson and Kitty Green at the Art of Nonfiction Retreat | © 2017 Sundance Institute | Photo by Jen Fairchild
2016
Expansion to MENA
In an effort to broaden opportunities for cross-cultural discovery, the 2016 Theatre Lab moves from the Sundance Mountain
Resort to Morocco for a joint American and Middle Eastern/North African Theater Lab. In 2017, the Theater Program
holds a residency program for Europe-based Syrian playwrights to workshop new works in Arabic, with support from an
international cohort of mentors and professionals.
2018
Showcasing Episodic Storytelling
While episodic content had already been part of the Festival’s programming for several years, in 2018 the Indie Episodic category
is officially introduced to showcase new talent in indie TV and build a market for this budding industry.
2019
Innovation Through Access and Inclusion
The 2019 Sundance Film Festival introduced the Press Inclusion Initiative, a program that offers stipend grants to defray travel costs for over 50 freelance critics and journalists while providing unprecedented access to the Festival through a minimum allotment of top-tier credentials for journalists from underrepresented communities, and Talent Forum, a multi-day event that connects artists and industry. Additionally, 2019 saw the public commencement of Sundance Co//ab, a community learning platform for creators around the globe.
Ryan Coogler and Jenna Wortham speak during a Talent Forum keynote conversation. | © 2019 Sundance Institute | Photo by Jemal Countess
Independent Together
As inequities in society were laid bare by extraordinary circumstances, the Institute chose to meet the moment and invest in an equitable and accessible future for artists and audiences.
© 2020 Fanyana Hlabangane for Sundance Institute
2020
Respond and Reimagine
In the wake of closures and restrictions due to COVID-19, the Sundance Institute created the Respond & Reimagine Plan, which redistributed funds to directly support the urgent needs of artists, as well as arts organizations from around the world who are leading the field in support of artists from historically marginalized communities disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. The summer labs were also held online, bringing participants together virtually on Sundance Collab.
2021
Meeting Audiences Where They Are
The ongoing pandemic led the Institute to offer the 2021 Sundance Film Festival digitally via a custom-designed online platform alongside screenings at local cinemas and arts organizations across the U.S. in the form of Satellite Screens. Huge strides in accessibility led to tripled attendance and industry praise for setting a high standard in user experience for screenings and in the all-new New Frontier experience, which allowed artists and Festivalgoers to mingle in a virtual space.
Left-to-right, top-to-bottom: New Frontier Film Party; CODA team celebrates during the Awards Ceremony; ‘The Big Conversation: Come Together’ panel; Circle Cinema Satellite Screen in Tulsa, OK | Photo courtesy of Circle Cinema
