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.

For this Insider Session, join Feature Film Program Deputy Director Ilyse McKimmie and Sundance Lab alum Sean Wang (DIDI (弟弟) for an informational session about applying for Feature Film Development Track programs and fellowships. Get an inside look into the Sundance Lab experience from Sean’s personal experience attending the Screenwriters and Directors Labs before premiering DIDI (弟弟) at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.

The conversation is followed by a Q&A session about the application process - including what we look for in an application, the right time to apply, the specifics of our programs, and more.


Submissions for the 2025 Development Track close May 16, 2024.


Find out more about the Sundance Institute Feature Film Program here.


Sean Wang
Feature Film Program Alum
Sean is an Academy Award-nominated filmmaker from Fremont, CA, currently based in Los Angeles. He is a Google Creative Lab 5 alum, former Sundance Ignite Fellow, and 2023 Sundance Screenwriters & Directors Lab Fellow. more...
Ilyse McKimmie
Deputy Director, Feature Film Program
Los Angeles, CA, USA
llyse McKimmie has served as a key staff member of Sundance Institute's Feature Film Program since 1999. As Deputy Director, she leads the outreach and selection process for U.S.-based filmmakers for the Screenwriters and Directors Labs and the Screenwriters Intensive, and oversees the design and execution of those programs. 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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