The Sundance Institute, Celebrating 25 Years of Independent Films

The Sundance Film Festival each year is the premiere showcase for American and international independent films. Held each January in and around Park City, UT, the Festival presents 120 dramatic and documentary feature-length films in seven distinct categories, as well as 80 short films. The Sundance Film Festival is a program orchestrated by the Sundance Institute, a nonprofit cultural organization founded by actor Robert Redford in 1981.

Although its annual film festival is the hallmark the Sundance Institute is best known for, the institute is dedicated year-round to the development of independent artists and the exhibition of their new work. It is an internationally recognized resource for thousands of independent filmmakers, screenwriters, composers, writers, playwrights, and theater artists. The work of the Sundance Institute is focused on original values of independence, creative risk-taking, and discovery:

• The Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program offers support to nonfiction filmmakers to encourage the development of innovative nonfiction storytelling and increase the exhibition of documentary films to increasingly broader audiences.
  
• The Sundance Institute Feature Film Program is a year-round program dedicated to the development of filmmaking artists and the advancement of distinctive independent projects. Program participants are offered ongoing creative and practical advice, and take part in the Screenwriters and Filmmakers Labs, the post-production project, and financial fellowships. Each year about 25 novice filmmakers from around the world participate in the program.
  
• The Sundance Institute Theater Program supports the national theatre movement by nurturing and encouraging the diversity of artistic expression among theatre artists.
  
• The Sundance Institute Film Music Program supports the development of emerging film composers. The program also challenges independent filmmakers to enhance the ways they approach music in their films.
  
• The Institute also maintains a unique archive of independent film at UCLA called The Sundance Collection.

The Sundance Institute and Park City Municipal Corporation recently announced plans to relocate Sundance Institute’s administrative offices from Salt Lake City to Park City, UH. The agreement will also ensure that the Sundance Film Festival will remain in Park City through the year 2018. Tom Bakaly, City Manager of Park City, issued a statement saying, "We are thrilled to now welcome Sundance Institute to its new home in our town. Our residents and guests fully appreciate the cultural excellence of the Sundance Film Festival, and as a community we are united in supporting the activities and goals of Sundance Institute, one of America's most renowned cultural institutions, for many years to come."

The Sundance Institute is key to Park City’s cultural tourism, and the Institute will work closely with its cultural partners to support the arts in the Park City area. With its year-round programming that includes the annual Sundance Film Festival, Best of Fest (festival favorites screened free for locals), free Sundance Institute Documentary Film Series, free Sundance Institute Outdoor Film Festival in the summer, and community outreach programs through Park City School District, the Institute continues to offer a significant contribution to the cultural richness of the area. The presence of Sundance Institute and its headquarters in Park City will undoubtedly contribute to an overall community identity that emphasizes arts and culture as a key source of tourism.

For more information about the Sundance Institute and its wealth of innovative and significant contributions to independent filmmaking, visit www.sundance.org.