The application period for the course has ended. Watch the Sundance Co//ab newsletter for updates on future course offerings.


This eight-week course, led by producer/director Jennifer Maytorena Taylor, will take you through the steps of developing a feature documentary from conception and prep through production. You should come prepared with a project that you plan to produce and/or direct. Crafting a compelling proposal for funders will be a key goal of the course. Sessions will include presentations, interactive exercises, a case study with a renowned documentary filmmaker from the Sundance network, and a one-on-one mentoring session for each participant. 

Applications are now closed.  Class sessions will be recorded for those who are unable to attend live.

Rita Baghdadi
Advisor
Rita Baghdadi is an award winning Moroccan-American documentary filmmaker with a background in international film sales. Her character-driven work has been supported by Sundance, Tribeca, Film Independent, ITVS, Points North Institute and the International Documentary Association. Rita’s documentary CITY RISING won three Emmy awards in 2017 including Best Social Issue Film. Her film MY COUNTRY NO MORE won Best Feature at the 2018 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival and was picked up for broadcast on Independent Lens in 2019. When she is not filming, Rita is an active mentor dedicated to empowering women and girls through film training. more...
Chloe Gbai
Advisor
Chloe Gbai is the Director for the IF/Then Shorts program. IF/Then Shorts identifies and supports original, standalone short documentaries by filmmakers working in and representing their communities. Chloe joined IF/Then from American Documentary, where, as the POV Shorts and Streaming Producer, she launched POV Shorts, which earned POV its third documentary short Oscar nomination, two News & Doc Emmy nominations and an IDA Awards nomination for Best Short Form Series. more...
Jennifer Maytorena Taylor
Instructor
Jennifer Maytorena Taylor makes colorful, character-based films about real people with extraordinary stories, often with Spanish-language content and frequently for PBS. Her features and shorts have shown at venues like the Sundance, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Locarno Film Festivals, International Documentary Festival Amsterdam, New York Museum of Modern Art, Sundance Channel, Al Jazeera, and NHK-Japan. Feature documentary and short film credits include NEW MUSLIM COOL, DAISY AND MAX, PAULINA, MESSAGE TO ZAIRE/THE TALK, HOME FRONT, STREET KNOWLEDGE 2 COLLEGE, VISITING DAY, and REDNECK MUSLIM. more...

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