The DGA hosted receptions in New York and Los Angeles for filmmakers whose projects have been accepted into the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.
Sundance Filmmakers Reception New York
At the Manhattan reception on December 12, Director Tom McCarthy — who was nominated for the 2015 DGA Award for his feature film Spotlight — spoke about his own experiences at Sundance and the protections that the DGA offers to independent filmmakers as they move forward in their careers, Sundance’s Festival Director John Cooper and other Sundance staffers gave festival survival tips and DGA Assistant Executive Director Mary Hatch and Field Representative Jennifer Peat explained how the Guild works with indie Directors. Also attending the NY reception were DGA members with projects at the festival including Paul Colaizzo (Brittany Runs a Marathon), Rashaad Ernesto Green (Premature), Timothy Greenfield-Sanders (Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am), Julius Onah (Luce) and Ross Kauffman (Tigerland).
Sundance Filmmakers Reception Los Angeles
In Hollywood on January 3, Cooper and his staff repeated their festival advisory duties, DGA Senior Manager, Special Events & Independent Organizing Matt Gamarra gave more information about the Guild, and Director Nisha Ganatra — whose film, Late Night, is set to premiere at this year’s festival — discussed how the Guild has allowed her to stay true to her Indie-feature roots. DGA members with Sundance films at the Los Angeles reception included Scott Z. Burns (The Report), Rhys Ernst (Adam), Daniel Scheinert (The Death of Dick Long) and Kyra Sedgwick (Girls Weekend).
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 2019 Festival is scheduled to take place January 24 February 3 in Park City, Utah.