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


Thinking about applying to Sundance Collab’s Cultural Impact Residency? In this live, online session, attendees will get the inside scoop on the 2026 edition of this six-month, online program.


Launched in 2025, this residency, created in honor of social justice leader Michael Latt, supports emerging, underrepresented storytellers whose work is rooted in creative, cultural, and social impact. The 2026 residency will support up to eight artists from the fields of screen/TV writing, writing/directing, and documentary directing. 


This session will feature a direct Q&A with an organizer of Sundance Collab’s Cultural Impact Residency. Fellows from the inaugural cohort will also be present to discuss their experiences and answer your questions. 


Don’t miss this opportunity to learn more before the application deadline of November 3, 2025.


Learn more about the program and the 2025 fellows here.


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.


Live event registration for Sundance Collab Insider Sessions is free of charge. A recording of this event will be posted to our Video Library the business day following the event. All registered attendees can watch the recording at no cost through November 3, 2025. After that, on-demand access to the recording can be purchased for $10.

Alejandra López
Fellow, 2025 Cultural Impact Residency
Born and raised in Puerto Rico, a commonwealth of the United States, Alejandra has a knack for social and political content. Of documented Taíno descent, she's a mix between the action-thriller genre of Kathryn Bigelow and the nuance and delicacy of Jane Campion. Her short film "The Blue Cape", which she wrote and directed, has screened at ten Oscar® qualifying film festivals, including Palm Springs International Short Film Festival, Uppsala International Short Film Festival, Guadalajara International Film Festival, Aspen Shortfest, among others, and was acknowledged with an Honorable Mention in the category for Best Live Action at Cleveland International Film Festival. more...
Caitlin McCarthy
Fellow, 2025 Cultural Impact Residency
Caitlin McCarthy’s notable projects include the upcoming feature film Little Audrey, directed/produced by Michael Mailer and starring Aidan Quinn, Emily VanCamp, Jennifer Esposito, and Josh Bowman. She is co-writing Wonder Drug with Lori Singer and writing/creating the TV series Gaels with Lynsey Murdoch (BBC Scottish Voices), with funding support from the Scottish Government and the National Lottery via Creative Scotland. more...
Jennifer Huang
Fellow, 2025 Cultural Impact Residency
Fueled by unrelenting curiosity, Jennifer Huang is rethinking conventional practices of ethics, consent, and protecting vulnerable protagonists. She’s worked on productions for PBS, Anonymous Content, and Lucasfilm, and co-founded Hyphen Magazine. The Long Rescue is her first feature-length film. more...
Soheil Rezayazdi
Moderator | Digital Course & Event Producer
Soheil Rezayazdi is a Digital Course & Event Producer at the Sundance Institute, where he produces multi-session courses, master classes, filmmaker Q&As, and other digital programs for Sundance Collab. Prior to Sundance, Soheil served as the Nonfiction Programs Manager at the Gotham Film & Media Institute. He oversaw the Gotham’s core documentary programs: the Documentary Feature Lab, the Spotlight on Documentaries project market, and the Documentary Development Initiative in partnership with HBO Documentary Films. Soheil has worked with emerging filmmakers since 2015, when he began a seven-year tenure at the Columbia University MFA Film Program. At Columbia he managed the Columbia University Film Festival (CUFF), the Dr. Saul and Dorothy Kit Film Noir Festival, and the Carla Kuhn Memorial Speaker Series. more...

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