This summer, creative student filmmakers have a chance to be featured at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival; the Sundance Institute and Adobe Project 1324 are collaborating yet again to host the third annual Sundance Ignite Fellowship contest. Through this partnership, the organizations hope to demonstrate the power of film and expose young talent.
Aspiring filmmakers ages 18 to 24 are encouraged to submit original short films that push the limit of storytelling. Submissions should be between one to eight minutes long and feature a fresh perspective or story.
Fifteen talented winners will be selected for the yearlong fellowship. Fellows are mentored for an entire year, exposed to the industry’s most successful individuals and, of course, get the opportunity to attend the 2018 Sundance Film Festival.
The contest officially opens Aug. 15 and will close Sept. 26. Don’t take it from us though, last year’s fellows had nothing but positive things to say about their experience.
Olivia Peace’s Pangea submission brought a chilling, believable glimpse into what Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath must have been like for Louisiana natives. Peace thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to see her production on the big screen and have her voice heard.
“As a young artist that just graduated, finding out that my ideas were valuable was amazing,” Peace reflected.
Alex Kamb was also selected to be a 2017 fellow. His piece, Grandpa, Remember Me?, portrays the natural hardships that arise when a loved one begins to lose their memory. For Kamb, the community gained from the opportunity was his favorite part.
“The family that came out of it; mentors, fellows, even the Sundance staff…everyone was really warm,” Kamb said.
Laura Holliday decided to go for laughs with Persephone Goes Home. This fictional comedy is about a recent college graduate that returns home after realizing she is unsure of what to do next. If you’re curious if the fellows actually stay friends after they leave the festival based in Park City, Utah, Holliday argues they do.
“We created a Facebook group so we constantly keep in touch,” Holliday remarks about the new support network between talented young adults just like her.
To see previous winners and to read more about this opportunity, visit the Sundance Ignite Film Challenge page.
Kelsey is a Writing graduate student from outside Philadelphia and a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer. She works in tandem with the Assignment Editor to pitch engaging story ideas and co-manages with the Editor in Chief. In her free time, Kelsey enjoys reading nonfiction and traveling.
