There are hardly enough women filmmakers in Hollywood — or, rather, there are plenty, but too many don't have a platform to show off their talents. Sundance is providing just that for the Women at Sundance Fellows, a program designed to support emerging and mid-career women filmmakers. The class of 2017 — the fifth in the program's history — features a diverse group of women, any one of whom may just make your next favorite movie.
If you're an indie movie buff, you may already know some of these names — or at least the names of their films. The six women are all emerging filmmakers, but with vastly different projects under their belts.
Elizabeth Wood (pictured) is the writer and director of White Girl, a gritty film that explores the power dynamics of race and gender.
If dark (I'm talking bleak) comedy is your thing, you may have heard of filmmaker Janicza Bravo's short film Gregory Go Boom, starring Michael Cera.
Horror fan? Rebecca Green, producer of It Follows, is also a part of the class of 2017, as is Weiner documentarian Elyse Steinberg, named one of Variety's "Top 10 Documakers to Watch in 2016."
Also on the list are Laurens Grant, who recently directed the documentary Stay Woke: The Black Lives Matter Movement for BET (in addition to being a three-time Emmy and Peabody award winner), and Cecilia Aldarondo, who garnered critical acclaim for her doc Memories of a Penitent Heart, about her uncle Miguel’s untimely death from AIDS.
These women are already making films that matter, and their experience at Sundance will pair them with creative mentors who will help hone their craft and give valuable advice about how to bring their visions to life. The fellows will also receive a stipend to Sundance Film Festival, where they will meet one-on-one with industry players and attend screenings, panels, and seminars.
Essentially, these women will receive many of the tools necessary to continue making films from their unique perspectives. In an industry where white men are so often the ones in front of and behind the camera, it's refreshing to see Sundance give women this platform.
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