Looking to form new connections and learn from independent filmmakers around the world? In our Global Cinema Meetups, we feature conversations with filmmakers who have financed and made a film outside the US and provide the opportunity for attendees to ask questions about their process. Following this, attendees can join breakout rooms to network in small groups and discuss their own filmmaking challenges.


Join us for a focus on New Zealand filmmakers with guests THUNDERLIPS (Sean Wallace and Jordan Mark Windsor), writer/directors of the upcoming body horror comedy Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant, which premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. Based on the short film Help, I’m Alien Pregnant, this is the directing duo’s wildly innovative first feature after a decade of making music videos and commercials in New Zealand. 


In this live online event, THUNDERLIPS will explain the process of developing, financing and casting the feature after making the short. They’ll also discuss getting the tone right, using practical effects, and the importance of sound design and music in their work. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how one of the most unique films of the year came to life! 


Prior to the conversation, we recommend that you watch the short film, Help, I’m Alien Pregnant, using the link and password below:


How Global Filmmaker Meetups work:

  • The event will start with a 45-minute moderated conversation with the filmmakers. 
  • Participants can submit questions throughout the conversation to be asked during the Audience Q&A at the end of the discussion. 
  • After the conversation and Q&A, participants are invited to join a breakout room led by one of Sundance Collab’s Community Leaders to meet other creators and discuss the film and each other’s work.
  • The 90-minute event will end with a Community Challenge to flex participants’ creative muscles and give them a chance to win a free Sundance Collab On Demand course.
  • To join the Community Challenge, participants will need to join the Sundance Collab Community Forum, which is also a great way to network with attendees post-event! 


If you would benefit from an accommodation to fully participate in this event, please complete this form, contact us at (435) 776-7790, or email us at accessibility@sundance.org to discuss your specific requests. Every effort will be made to accommodate advance requests; however, requests made within 5 days of the event may not be guaranteed.


A recording of the moderated conversation and audience Q&A will be posted to Sundance Collab on the first business day after the live event. All registered attendees will receive an email with a link to view the recording at no cost for two business days after it is posted. After that, on-demand access to the recording can be purchased for $10.

THUNDERLIPS
THUNDERLIPS is a writing and directing duo forged over a decade of creating music videos on tiny budgets in Auckland, New Zealand. Sean and Jordan now apply their doubled emotion and intellect to long form projects that feature unforgettable characters, striking visuals and joyfully bombastic climaxes, favouring in-camera trickery and practical effects. Their super power consists of reaching elbows deep into the horror and absurdity of contemporary life, and bringing forth comedy. more...
Hannah Herchenbach
Moderator | Community Leader, Sundance Collab
Hannah Herchenbach is a writer, musician, and actress based on the South Island of New Zealand who embodies Tom Wolfe's saturation reporting ethos and Hunter S. Thompson's tendency to throw himself into the story. Born in Illinois, in 2010, as a freelance music writer, she moved to Dunedin, New Zealand to find Peter Gutteridge, an indie rock musician who had gained notoriety as a founding member of legendary Flying Nun bands in the 1980s but little had been heard from since. more...
Erica Elson
Moderator | Digital Course & Event Producer, Sundance Collab
Erica Elson is a Producer, Writer and Educator based in the mountains outside Los Angeles. Her short film, WING NIGHT, premiered at Method Fest in Los Angeles. She is the co-author of the book THE AWKWARD HUMAN SURVIVAL GUIDE and co-hosted a podcast by the same name on the 5by5 network for five years. Elson's articles have been published by HuffPost, Lifehacker, and Reader's Digest. Prior to working in education, she worked in television development and writers’ rooms such as VH1’s HINDSIGHT, where she had the chance to write for the spinoff web series PLANET SEBASTIAN. more...

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