Sundance Institute announces 2026 Screenwriters Lab & Intensive Fellows
PARK CITY, UTAH – January 16, 2025 – The Sundance Institute has announced the fellows selected for the 2026 Screenwriters Lab and Screenwriters Intensive programs. These programs are designed to foster creativity, empower emerging voices, and support the growth of first and second features. Over 3,800 submissions were received,wiht 11 fellows chosen for the screenwriters Lab,taking place January 17–21 at the Sundance Mountain Resort in Utah.
The lab will be led by Michelle satter (Founding Senior Director, Sundance institute’s Artist Programs) and Ilyse McKimmie (Deputy Director, Feature Film Program), with artistic director Jessie Nelson and creative advisors including Michael Arndt, Scott Z.Burns, Linda Yvette Chávez, Scott Frank, Phil Hay, Barry Jenkins, Meg LeFauve, Tarell Alvin McCraney, Nicole Perlman, Howard A. Rodman, Dana Stevens, Lulu Wang, Virgil Williams, and doug wright.
Michelle Satter emphasized the Institute’s commitment to supporting filmmakers from script to screen, ensuring their stories reach a global audience. The Screenwriters Intensive will be held online March 5–6, supporting 13 writers across nine projects.
The Sundance Institute feature Film Program (FFP) has a four-decade history of supporting independent filmmakers, with alumni including Paul Thomas Anderson, Ryan Coogler, Chloé Zhao, Nia dacosta, Guillermo del Toro, and many others. Five FFP-supported projects will premiere at the 2026 Sundance Film festival: Josephine (Beth de Araújo), Hot Water (Ramzi Bashour), The Huntress (La Cazadora) (Suzanne Andrews Correa), LADY (Olive Nwosu), and If I Go Will They Miss Me (Walter Thompson-Hernández).
2026 Screenwriters Lab Fellows & Projects:
* Sarah Friedland – The queue (U.S.A.)
* Aditi Brennan Kapil – Love Person (U.S.A.)
* Taylor Sanghyun Lee – Rounds (U.S.A.)
* Naishe Nyamubaya – Black Snake (Zimbabwe)
* Bec Pecaut – The Terrible Child (Canada)
* Joanna Rothkopf – Attachment (a.k.a. Bluey is the Warmest Color) (U.S.A.)
* Philip Thompson – Dance Monkey Dance (U.S.A.)
* George Watsky – yellowwood (U.S.A.)
* Cecelia Wheeler – Clear-Cut (U.S.A.)
* Said Zagha – Black Harvest (Palestine, France, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar)
The Feature Film Program is supported by a variety of organizations including Rolex, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY, and explore.org.
