After months of anticipation, Sundance has announced their 2014 lineup, and Film Independent couldn’t be prouder! 25 Fellows from our Artist Development and grant programs are screening 17 films at Park City. (See the full list below.) From Effie T. Brown, who was a Fellow in the very first year of Project Involve—21 years ago!—to Tracy Droz Tragos and Andrew Droz Palermo, who were just in the 2013 Documentary Lab with their film Rich Hill, these filmmakers have participated in virtually all of Film Independent’s Artist Development programs.

“This is an amazing group of films and filmmakers,” said Josh Welsh, President of Film Independent. “We’ve known and worked with many of them for several years and I’m thrilled for all of them at this moment when they first get to share their new work with an audience.”

Here, they tell us what it’s like to be premiering their films at the prestigious festival and what they learned along the way.

In one word, what was your reaction to finding out you got into Sundance?
Relief.
-Effie Brown, producer, Dear White People

Grateful.
-Justin Simien, writer/director, Dear White People

Elated.
-Gina Kwon, producer, Camp X-Ray

Shock. When I got that call I couldn’t believe it. And to be honest, it still hasn’t settled in that we’re actually going to the Festival.
-Sydney Freeland, director, Drunktown’s Finest

Disbelief.
-Mynette Louie, producer, Land Ho!

WHEW!
-Chad Burris, producer, Drunktown’s Finest

INCREDULOUS/PROUD/PUMPED—all at the same time.
-Tracy Droz Tragos, director, Rich Hill

Seriously?!?!?!
-Andrew Droz Palermo, director, Rich Hill

Who was the first person you contacted to tell them you got in?
My role within the group was to sound cool, collected and positive when it came to fielding questions as to why we had not heard anything yet from Sundance. Phrases like– “Keep your head up and stay the course,” “it’s out of our hands,” “The Universe is taking care us”–had quickly devolved into chewing off my fingernails, eating every empty carb I could shove into my mouth and an inner mental montage of every rejection I had ever received. I was freaking out. The only other person who was stressing harder than me was Justin, our director.  I honestly couldn’t tell he was worried until he called me on a Friday night and “shared” his feelings with me. That was in late November. He held out that long. Wow!  It was truly one of the happier career moments I’ve had when I called him that Sunday to tell him we got in!
-Effie Brown

Pete Sattler and Lindsay Williams. I tried to pretend it was bad news, but I bungled it. I’m a terrible liar.
-Gina Kwon

My father. He’s been a source of strength and inspiration for me and I wanted him to be the first to know.
-Sydney Freeland

My wife.
-Chad Burris

Andrew, my wonderful co-director and cousin.  And my husband and family and the rest of the Rich Hill team immediately after that.  My mother knows very little about independent film, and I remember I had to put it in context for her: Mom, it’s like the Olympics of indie film!
-Tracy Droz Tragos

I was in Poland at a great cinematography festival called Camerimage at the time, and was unable to speak with any of our team or loved ones very quickly. I told my translator who was this awesome local guy, but he didn’t seem to grasp the significance of the news. So, I was a bit alone that day.
-Andrew Droz Palermo

Who would you most like to meet at the Festival?
The right distributor for our film–one who gets what the movie is about and understands the audience we are trying to reach.
-Effie Brown

A buyer.
-Gina Kwon

Being able to meet someone like Kathryn Bigelow would be amazing.
-Sydney Freeland

Mr. Redford; to thank him for his incredible support of filmmakers.
-Tracy Droz Tragos

Someone with money to burn.
-Chad Burris

When have you considered throwing in the towel on filmmaking, and what stopped you?
Four or so years ago, I hit a massive rough patch. I produced two movies back to back that I thought were great but oddly enough, didn’t find traction. It was totally devastating. It was like someone saying your children are ugly. They might be a little oddly proportioned—ill mannered even, but UGLY, nah! We didn’t get into Sundance. We didn’t get the kind of distribution we thought we deserved and recoupment seemed elusive. I wanted to give up…really, really bad. My escape plan is to move to the Pacific Northwest with my dogs and become an herbalist. (No really… an herbalist, it’s a real thing) What stopped me?  I got quiet, meditated and prayed on it.  I realized that this is what I am supposed to be doing, no matter what. I put on my big girl panties and got over myself! (Say whaaat?!) Ultimately, it’s about the work, the film you are making and being in one accord with that—period.  Eh, it’s about the journey, right?
-Effie Brown

I was lucky enough to realize concretely that filmmaking was my calling at a very young age. Although it took some time to get in the directors chair on a feature, and it was a bit of a winding road filled with rejection, I never really considered giving up. Even when it seemed impossible I was somehow able to find a way to connect with that part of myself that knew it was meant for me. 
-Justin Simien

When financing fell apart on a film that I had worked really hard on—and it was the second time that had happened to me within the span of a few years.  But I never really felt that giving up was an option.
-Gina Kwon

All the time. It’s hard! But I love it. I really, really love it.
-Mynette Louie

My apartment in Brooklyn was robbed and I lost nearly everything I owned, including my editing station and camera. At the time, I was a year and half into what would have been my first documentary. I was devastated, but ultimately emboldened to become even more focused on filmmaking. It was the one thing that still sounded fun.
-Andrew Droz Palermo

Every time I start one.
-Chad Burris

One word to describe your experience with this film.
Rewarding.
-Gina Kwon

Collaboration. We only had 15 days to shoot the film so I depended a lot on my crew. Everyone had a job to do and it was only by working together that we were able to make this film. It was very much a bonding experience.
-Sydney Freeland

Rollercoaster.
-Ann Le, producer, Dear White People

Invigorating.
-Mynette Louie

Intense.
-Tracy Droz Tragos

What was the most important thing you learned while making this film?
I learned many, many things on this film but the thing I am willing to admit is: just when you think something is impossible or insurmountable, dig deep and you will see that it is not.  It is my personal belief that a trait inherent within all producers is our willingness to go into battle if we believe in a project. We can tough it out and figure out a way. On Dear White People we got hit with every production obstacle.  The biggest of all was prepping a full-length union feature shot exclusively on location in just TWO weeks. Crazy? Yes. Trial by fire? Yup. Get er done? Hell Yeah!!
-Effie Brown

I am my greatest obstacle. It was a daunting but ultimately freeing lesson. When I stopped waiting on the greenlight, the acceptance letter, the grant, the whatever from the outside world and put my focus on what I could do to make the film happen, it began to come together.
-Justin Simien

The value of positivity in the process of collaboration.
-Gina Kwon

How critical it is to work with people you trust and who want what you want. We’re a large producing team with disparate backgrounds, expertise and points of view. It’s easy to say that it’s simple to have a shared goal of getting Dear White People made, but our alignment was about being on the same page every step of the way.
-Ann Le

The brilliant outcomes of what I don’t know.
-Chad Burris

At the heart, no matter what our circumstances, we are all connected and so very similar, in our love of family and deep need to belong and be loved.
-Tracy Droz Tragos

 

FILM INDEPENDENT FELLOWS with FILMS SCREENING AT THE 2014 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL

Project Involve
Justin Simien, writer/director, Dear White People
Ann Le, producer, Dear White People
Effie Brown, producer, Dear White People
Mel Jones, associate producer, Dear White People
Harry Yoon, editor, Drunktown’s Finest
Malik Vitthal, writer/director, Imperial Dreams

Documentary Lab
Andrew Droz Palermo, director, Rich Hill
Tracy Droz Tragos, director, Rich Hill
Hilla Medalia, director, Web Junkie
Katherine Fairfax Wright, producer, Imperial Dreams

Directing Lab
Ana Lily Amirpour, writer/director, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
Eric Lin, director of photography, Rudderless
Moon Molson, director, The Bravest, The Boldest (short)

Producing Lab
Chris Stinson, line producer, Low Down
Malik Vitthal, writer/director, Imperial Dreams
Musa Syeed, director, The Big House (short)
Antonio Tibaldi, director, Godka Cirka (short)
Katherine Fairfax Wright, producer, Imperial Dreams

Screenwriting Lab
Ana Lily Amirpour, writer/director, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night

Fast Track
Gina Kwon, producer, Camp X-Ray
Mynette Louie, producer, Land Ho!
Jason Michael Berman, producer, Little Accidents
Pavlina Hatoupis, producer, White Bird in a Blizzard
Hilla Medalia, director, Web Junkie
Ana Lily Amirpour, writer/director, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
Eric Lin, director of photography, Rudderless
Effie Brown, producer, Dear White People

Grant Winner
Sophia Lin, executive producer, Camp X-Ray
Chad Burris, producer, Drunktown’s Finest
Ross Kaufman, director, E-Team
Lynn Shelton, director, Laggies
Sydney Freeland, director, Drunktown’s Finest
Gina Kwon, producer, Camp X-Ray
Mynette Louie, producer, Land Ho!
Musa Syeed, director, The Big House (short)
Katherine Fairfax Wright, producer, Imperial Dreams

By Pamela Miller / Website & Grants Manager and José Tamayo / Membership Assistant