The DGA hosted receptions in New York and Los Angeles for filmmakers whose projects have been accepted into the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.
At the New York reception on December 13, DGA Director-member Gillian Robespierre (Obvious Child, Landline) spoke about how the Guild’s flexibility makes it possible to still be an independent filmmaker and protected by the DGA, Sundance’s Festival Director John Cooper and other Sundance staffers offering festival survival tips to the filmmakers and DGA Senior Field Representative Bart Daudelin explaining how the Guild can work with indie Directors.
At the Los Angeles reception on January 5, Director Craig Johnson (Wilson, The Skeleton Twins) spoke about how the Guild has allowed him to stay true to his Indie-feature roots, Cooper and his team repeated their festival advisory duties, and DGA Senior Manager, Special Events & Independent Organizing, Matt Gamarra provided more information about the Guild. Also attending the reception were DGA Director-members with projects at this year’s Sundance Festival including: Evgeny Afineevsky (Cries from Syria), Jeff Baena (The Little Hours), Kimberly Peirce and Jill Soloway (I Love Dick), Rose Troche (If Not Love), Lucy Walker (Untitled Buena Vista Social Club Documentary), and Marina Zenovich (Water & Power: A California Heist).
About the Festival:
The Sundance Film Festival brings original storytellers together for its annual program of dramatic and documentary films, shorts, New Frontier films, installations, performances, panel discussions, and dynamic music events. The 2017 Festival is scheduled to take place January 19-29 in Park City, Utah.