As part of its ongoing outreach to emerging and independent Directors, the DGA partnered with Deadline at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival to spotlight the creative leadership of Directors navigating a rapidly changing industry. The event builds on a longer collaboration between the Guild and Deadline to elevate the role of the Director at key festivals, reinforcing the DGA’s commitment to supporting filmmakers at pivotal moments in their careers. On January 30, DGA members with films at the festival gathered for the Sundance Breakout Moment: The Director’s Cut panel, which was opened by DGA Special Assignments Executive Jennifer Peat and moderated by Deadline Editorial Director Anthony D’Alessandro.

The panel featured Directors Gregg Araki (I Want Your Sex), Tamra Davis (The Best Summer), Jay Duplass (See You When I See You), and Alexandria Stapleton (The Brittney Griner Story), who spoke candidly about the perseverance required to make independent films at a time when the motion picture industry is being squeezed by studio consolidation and shifting business models. Panelists discussed the challenges of getting projects off the ground while highlighting the advantages of Guild membership during periods of uncertainty.

Speaking about the current trend of consolidation, Araki said, “Everyone doesn’t know what’s going to happen.”

Noting that the DGA remains a stable constant for indie filmmakers amid industry disruption, Davis added, “They watch out for you and get you paid. The union has your back. If anything is weird on set, there’s somebody who is there for you.”

Stapleton praised the DGA for fostering a sense of connection among Directors, saying, “What the Guild has done for me, it has forged community with other filmmakers.”

Duplass emphasized the importance of Guild protections, training, and minimums, noting the pressures directors face on set. “Directing is by far the hardest job a million times over. Everything is on your shoulders—you’re the fulcrum that everything, financial and emotional, comes through on a film,” he said. “That whole mechanism [the DGA] determines whether you hate your life on set. If you hate your life on set, that determines whether you make a good movie.”

About the Festival:

Founded by DGA member Robert Redford in 1981, the Sundance Institute is a not-for-profit organization that fosters the development of original storytelling in film and theatre and presents the annual Sundance Film Festival. The 2026 festival marks Sundance’s final year in Park City, Utah, before relocating to Boulder, Colorado, in 2027.

• For more information visit their website at www.sundance.org