For this exceptional in-person meetup during the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, Sundance Collab brings together Tracy Droz Tragos (PLAN C), Laurel Parmet (THE STARLING GIRL), and Randall Park (SHORTCOMINGS) for a candid conversation about the process of making their first feature film with Sundance’s Founding Director of Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program, Michelle Satter. The filmmakers - whose films all premiered at Sundance - share the genesis for their projects, how they found collaborators and what their experience was working with actors. Event sponsored by Canon.
Panelist
At an early age, Tracy found solace in watching Vietnam War movies and making a connection with the father she never knew, a U.S. Navy officer who died in Vietnam. Over time, this led to her interest in storytelling - especially stories revealing hard truths. Tracy’s work includes Abortion: Stories Women Tell, the HBO documentary telling intimate stories of unplanned pregnancies and resilience; Smartest Kids in the World, a documentary about the crisis in U.S. high school education; and Be Good, Smile Pretty, an Emmy Award-winning documentary about the grief and healing of those orphaned by the Vietnam War. more...
Panelist
Randall Park makes his feature directorial debut with Shortcomings. Best known as an actor, Randall appears in Marvel Studio’s Wandavision and DC’s upcoming Aquaman sequel. He's also known for his work on ABC’s groundbreaking sitcom Fresh Off The Boat. Randall co-wrote, produced and starred in the hit Netflix comedy Always Be My Maybe with Ali Wong. Under a deal at Universal television, his production company Imminent Collision focuses on comedy-forward stories from AAPI perspectives. more...
Laurel Parmet
Panelist
Laurel Parmet is a screenwriter and director whose feature directorial debut, THE STARLING GIRL, is premiering in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Parmet received her MFA in directing from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and has written and directed several award-winning short films; the latest, KIRA BURNING, having premiered at SXSW and screened at MoMA in the Future of Film is Female series. Her previous short film, SPRING, screened at SXSW, Outfest, Palm Springs and many more. Parmet developed THE STARLING GIRL as a fellow of the Sundance Institute's Feature Film Program and was recently named one of Variety's 10 Directors to Watch for 2023.
Moderator
Michelle Satter is the Founding Director of Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program, the inaugural program of the Institute. As a key executive of the Leadership Team, Satter has been one of the chief architects of the Institute's programs since 1981 and has created and leads all programs supporting scripted storytelling. more...