Sundance Writers Lab Insider Sessions: Features vs Episodic

A Q&A with the directors of the Sundance Institute Feature Film & Episodic Programs.

The Sundance Institute Feature Film Program (FFP) has championed leading independent filmmakers of the past 40 years whose distinctive films have engaged audiences worldwide, including Ryan Coogler, Chloe Zhao, the Daniels, Dee Rees, and Quentin Tarantino, among many others. The program offers a robust suite of customized creative and tactical assistance, including signature creative labs, grants, and year-round mentoring. Artists typically enter the program through the Screenwriters Lab (held annually in January) or the Screenwriters Intensive (held annually in March) via open application to the Development Track. The Development Track application opens in mid-April each year, with a mid-May submission deadline. For more information, please visit the FFP page of the Sundance website.

The Sundance Episodic Program is an entry point for emerging scripted fiction writers that includes alumni like Katori Hall (Starz’s PVALLEY), Barry Jenkins (Amazon’s UNDERGROUND RAILROAD), and Heather Rae (Amazon’s OUTER RANGE). We provide artists with the tools, guidance, and industry access to move your projects and careers forward. The Lab is the cornerstone of the program, an immersive six-day opportunity to develop original series under accomplished showrunners, creative producers, and development executives at the Sundance Mountain Resort. Pitch Parlor, is a separate event held in Los Angeles, to showcase alumni and their projects in front of the wider Hollywood industry.  Submissions for Episodic Program open FEBRUARY 9th & Close MARCH 9th on Film Freeway.

So how will your submission cut through and bring you into the fold? Join us for a direct Q&A with the two program directors who will give you all the pro tips when you’re ready to apply!

The panelists

Ilyse McKimmie

Ilyse McKimmie is the Deputy Director for Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program. She oversees the Directors and Screenwriters Labs and the Screenwriters Intensive, provides year-round creative and strategic support to alumni filmmakers, and plays a key role in the Producing and Episodic Programs. Films developed at the Labs during her tenure include Aftersun, A Thousand and One, The 40-Year-Old Version, The Last Black Man in San Francisco, The Farewell, Sorry to Bother You, We the Animals, Beach Rats, Swiss Army Man, Diary of a Teenage Girl, Fruitvale Station, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Pariah, Sin Nombre, Red Road, Me and You and Everyone We Know, Paradise Now, and Maria Full of Grace, among many others. Before joining Sundance over 20 years ago, she held positions at ICM and Red Wagon Entertainment.

 

Jandiz Estrada Cardoso

Jandiz Estrada Cardoso is the Director of the Sundance Institute Episodic Program, previously, the Sr. Director of Global Talent Development & Inclusion division for film, tv, and streaming at NBCUniversal. Working directly with the development and programming teams for scripted and alternative, she scouted and designed creative pipelines for emerging writers, directors, actors and comedians for immediate hire. As an executive producer, Jandiz spearheaded countless events including the bicoastal NBCUniversal Short Film Festival, The YATU SABES MONOLOGUE SLAM, and the national search and tour of StandUp NBC awarding talent holding deals to their champions. In her freelance career, she has worked with over a dozen features for studios including Disney, Warner Brothers, Working Title, Paramount, Universal, New Line Cinema, and Screen Gems and over 2 dozen pilots and series with networks including AMC, ABC, CBS, Starz, Spike TV, MTVand very proudly on NBC’s Emmy Award winningseries, 30 ROCK. As an instructor, she has led master classes across the US and Brazil and is a recent recipient of the Golden Eagle Award for Diversity Impact in Television.