In our Insider Sessions, Sundance Institute staff answer your questions and guide you through the process of applying to our labs, grant opportunities and the Sundance Film Festival.

Indigenous filmmakers from California-Based Tribes! Are you looking to tell your story through film? Apply now for the inaugural Sundance Institute Graton Fellowship for Artists from California-Based Tribes.

This Fellowship serves to cultivate a stage for artists from federally and non-federally recognized California Indian tribes to tell their stories through film. The inaugural fellow will be awarded a $25,000 cash grant and a yearlong continuum of support with activities, including a trip to the Sundance Film Festival, and access to strategic and creative services offered by Sundance Institute artist programs, and mentorship opportunities.

Join Adam Piron, Director and Ianeta Le’i, Senior Manager, of the Sundance Institute Indigenous Program, and alumna Charine Pilar Gonzales to learn more about the application and get the scoop on the upcoming launch of the Native Lab and Sundance Collab applications.

Adam Piron

Panelist

Adam Piron is a member of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma and a Kanienʼkehá꞉ka (Mohawk) descendant. He currently acts as the Director of Sundance Institute's Indigenous Program where he helps oversee the organization's investment in Indigenous filmmakers globally. He also serves as a short film programmer for the Sundance Film Festival. He is also a co-founder of COUSIN: a film collective dedicated to supporting Indigenous artists experimenting with and pushing the boundaries of the moving image. He was previously the Film Curator at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). He received his BA in Film Production from the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts. more...

Ianeta Le'i

Panelist

Los Angeles, CA, USA

As Senior Manager for the Sundance Institute’s Indigenous Program, Ianeta’s focus is to identify and support emerging Indigenous filmmakers and their stories from across the U.S. and globally. She manages the implementation of all Labs, Fellowships, and Intensives, as well as facilitates outreach and engagement efforts. Raised in Waialua, Hawai’i, she previously worked at Pacific Islanders in Communications, managing non-fiction programs and content for public broadcast. She currently runs Kaioe Consulting, LLC., and sits on the board of non-profit Pasifika Entertainment Advancement Komiti (PEAK). Ianeta is a graduate of Brigham Young University with a degree in Sociology, minor in communications, and received a Master of Public Administration degree from the BYU Marriott School of Management. more...

Charine Gonzales

Panelist

Santa Fe, NM, USA

Charine Pilar Gonzales is a Tewa filmmaker from San Ildefonso Pueblo and Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her esteemed short doc Our Quiyo: Maria Martinez (2022) premiered at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and was acquired by AT&T, and will be exhibited at the Heard Museum and Millicent Rogers Museum in 2024. Charine’s debut narrative fiction short film, River Bank (Pō-Kehgeh), centers on a Tewa woman who is mesmerized by a world of money and must listen to the spirit of the River in order to free herself. River Bank (Pō-Kehgeh) is currently in the film festival circuit. Charine aims to intertwine memories, dreams and truths through story. more...

Katherine Street

Moderator | Digital Course & Event Producer

Los Angeles, CA, USA

Katherine "Kat" Street is an LA-based award-winning filmmaker and Philadelphia native. A cinephile at heart, she writes female-driven stories with complex (oftentimes damaged) main characters, centered around self-discovery, self-love, and belonging. She has written numerous short-form projects, including original shorts, pilots, and features. She wrote and directed the dramatic short film “Cycles,” which received festival recognition in both acting and best romantic short. She also created her award-winning flagship web series "The New Adult,” which is currently streaming on Kweli TV. Kat is a Stowe Story Lab SAGIndie Fellow and a participant in the BlackMagic Collective Emerging Filmmakers Initiative. In 2021, she founded the Black Film Challenge, a project that showcases filmmakers of African descent and the movies they create. She earned her BFA from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts with a concentration in Cinematography and has literary representation with Culture Creative Entertainment. more...

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