UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television and Sundance Institute have partnered to develop the next generation of filmmakers and storytellers.
The five-year contract is scheduled to begin in September. The agreement combines UCLA’s academic resources with the Sundance Institute’s experience and Sundance Collaborative’s international community of more than 130,000 artists from 177 countries.
“This collaboration brings together Sundance Collaborative, our global online platform for visionary creators, and UCLA’s outstanding heritage in artist development. Together, we are building an unprecedented pipeline to amplify independent voices and evolve the future of storytelling and audience connection,” said Michelle Sutter, founding senior director of the Sundance Institute Artist Program and Sundance Collaborative.
The Digital Hub will begin this collaboration and expand across UCLA in 2027, providing TFT students and staff with resources to engage with the “hidden curriculum of film education.”
Three additional programs are also in development. This includes the annual Summer Summit at UCLA. UCLA Bridge intensive featuring a Sundance Film Festival experience for TFT students in Boulder, Colorado. A collaborative development program focused on new technologies, creativity, justice, and equity. All three programs are scheduled to launch sometime in 2028.
“This is what it feels like when the best independent film institution comes to the best public film school and says, ‘Let’s make something together.’ Sundance has always been a place where independent voices can be found and championed,” TFT Dean Celine Parreñas Shimizu said in a statement. “TFT has always been a place where you can develop your skills, methods, and authorial voice.”
