Sundance announces first fellows for Cultural Impact Residency

The Sundance Institute has announced the first eight fellows for its new Cultural Impact Residency program. This program is designed to support underrepresented storytellers. It was created in honor of social justice advocate Michael Latt. The fellows are Caron Creighton, Jennifer Huang, Kristal Sotomayor, Alejandra López, A.D. Smith, Wendi Tang, Caitlin McCarthy, and Kaelo Iyizoba. They will take part in a six-month virtual program. Each fellow will get guidance from Sundance advisors and meet bimonthly to share their work. The residency runs until August and includes three categories: writing-directing, nonfiction, and episodic. Documentary filmmakers among the fellows include Creighton, Huang, and Sotomayor. The writing-directing group includes López, Smith, and Tang. McCarthy and Iyizoba are the writing fellows. Advisors for the program are notable filmmakers, including Rita Baghdadi and David France. Past Sundance-supported projects include award-winning films like "CODA" and "The Farewell."