The Sundance Institute has selected four feature film projects and filmmakers for its 2023 documentary Edit and Story Lab fellowship, which takes place from June 16-24 at the Sundance Resort.
The fellows include “Blacked Out Dreams” (U.S.A.), “Concrete Land” (Jordan), “No Other Land” (Palestine, Norway) and “Remaining Native” (U.S.A,). The documentary program’s advisors are Laura Poitras (“All the Beauty and the Bloodshed”) and Bhawin Suchak (“Outta The Muck”).
The documentary Edit and Story Lab fellowship is designed to encourage experimentation and risk-taking, for the fellows to develop, interrogate and collaborate in post-production.
“Blacked Out Dreams” documents the water crisis in Flint, Mich., and how the city’s schools are rapidly closing, forcing kids to adapt to abnormal conditions. From co-directors Adeleke Omitowo and Steven Pargett and editor Nia Imani Phillips, the film follows three teenagers as they embark on their final years at the last remaining opened high school.
“Concrete Land” provides a peek into the dynamic of a three-generational Bedouin family, who are facing gentrification threats from their non-nomadic neighbors. Asmahan Bkerat serves as the film’s director and producer, with Ban Maraqa serving as the film’s editor.
“No Other Land” follows basel, a young Palestinian born to activist parents, who develops an unlikely friendship as he works to carry on his parents’ fight to save the Masafer Yatta villages. The film was a collaboration between four co-directors Yuval Abraham, basel Adra, Hamdan Balal and Rachel Szor.
“Remaining Native” examines the intricacies of the sport of elite running and one Indigenous runner’s pursuit of inclusion. Throughout the film, audiences will watch Ku Stevens as he battles with the contradicting values of the sport and his Indigenous community. Paige Bethmann serves as the director, with Stephanie Khoury serving as editor.
In addition to the documentary Edit and Story Lab fellows, the Institute also announced the Contributing Editor Fellows, which include Jessica Jones, Beth Kearsley, Claudia Ramirez and Emily Yue. Throughout their yearlong program, the contributing editor fellowship will provide recipients a mentor, access to workshops, a stipend and the opportunity to refine their skillset in the art of editing nonfiction feature films.
The editor advisors are Andrea Chignoli (“Circumstance”), Steven Golliday (“King in the Wilderness”), Rabab Haj Yahya (“Another Body)” and Terra Long (“Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project”).
“Run With It” (U.S.A.), “Slumlord Millionaire” (U.S.A.), “We Never Left” (U.S.A./Lebanon), Worldmakers (tentatively titled) (U.S.A,) were four additional finalists that were also up for consideration.
