Spotlight Events feature conversations with high-profile film and television industry professionals who share helpful advice and insights on their career experiences and creative process.


Marielle Heller is known for bringing complex characters based on real people to the big screen. Her highly lauded directorial debut, The Diary of a Teenage Girl, was developed in the Sundance Screenwriting and Directing Labs. It went on to premiere at the 2015 Sundance film festival and won an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature as well as a DGA nomination for First Time Feature Film. She followed this up with A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood and Can You Ever Forgive Me, which was nominated for three Academy awards. Heller’s production company, Defiant by Nature, is focused on telling stories that uplift, inspire, and entertain while simultaneously shining a light on women and non-binary creators.


Heller’s most recent film, Nightbitch, which she wrote and directed, is her first adaptation of a work of fiction - Rachel Yoder’s acclaimed debut novel of the same name. Starring Amy Adams, Nightbitch tells the story of a woman thrown into the stay-at-home routine of raising a toddler in the suburbs. She slowly embraces the feral power deeply rooted in motherhood as she becomes increasingly aware of the bizarre and undeniable signs that she may be turning into a canine. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, where Amy Adams was highly praised for her performance and won a Tribute Award, and will be released in theaters on December 6th.


For this Spotlight Event, Heller will discuss finding the line between truth and drama, writing compelling characters, and how her experience as an actor helps her craft strong performances.


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 needs. Every effort will be made to accommodate advance requests; requests made within 5 days of the event may not be guaranteed.


Live event registration for Sundance Collab Spotlight Events is free of charge. A recording of this event will be posted to our Video Library the next business day following the event. All registered attendees can watch the recording for two business days after it is posted. After that, on-demand access to the recording can be purchased for $10.

Marielle Heller
Writer / Director / Actor
Marielle Heller is an award-winning director, writer, actor, and producer who has built an impressive and multifaceted career carefully constructing a unique and compassionate voice that has earned her critical acclaim. She most recently wrote and directed NIGHTBITCH, starring Amy Adams, which tells the story of a woman thrown into the stay-at-home routine of raising a toddler in the suburbs, who slowly embraces the feral power deeply rooted in motherhood, as she becomes increasingly aware of the bizarre and undeniable signs that she may be turning into a canine. Heller’s screenplay is an adaptation of Rachel Yoder’s acclaimed debut novel of the same name. more...
Erica Elson
Moderator | Digital Course & Event Producer
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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