• Sundance Institute selected 11 fellows for the 2026 Screenwriters Lab from over 3,800 submissions.
  • The Screenwriters Lab will take place Jan. 17–21 at Sundance Mountain Resort in Park City, Utah; the Screenwriters Intensive runs online March 5–6.
  • Esteemed advisors including Barry Jenkins, Michael Arndt and Lulu Wang will mentor fellows.
  • Several Feature Film Program–supported projects will premiere at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival in Park City.

H2: Sundance announces 2026 writers-to-watch

The nonprofit Sundance Institute announced its 2026 Screenwriters Lab and Screenwriters Intensive fellows on January 16, 2025. Selected from a pool of more than 3,800 submissions, 11 projects will develop at the in‑person Screenwriters Lab while nine projects will receive support through the online Screenwriters Intensive.

H3: Where—and when—the labs take place

The Screenwriters Lab convenes January 17–21 at Sundance Mountain Resort in Utah, the site where Sundance Institute labs began in 1981. The Screenwriters Intensive will be held online March 5–6. The Institute emphasized its ongoing commitment to nurturing first and second feature filmmakers and cited the labs as a core part of its mission.

H3: Leadership and notable advisors

The lab will be led by Michelle Satter (Founding Senior Director, Artist Programs) and Ilyse McKimmie (Deputy Director, Feature Film Program), with Jessie Nelson serving as artistic director. Creative advisors mentoring fellows include Michael Arndt, Scott Z. Burns, Barry Jenkins, Scott Frank, Lulu Wang, Tarell Alvin McCraney, Phil Hay and others.

H2: Selected projects and filmmakers

Highlighted Screenwriters Lab projects include Sarah Friedland’s adaptation The Queue; Aditi Brennan Kapil’s Love Person; Taylor Sanghyun Lee’s Rounds; and Renee Zhan’s BAOBAO. Other lab selections spotlight diverse voices and international perspectives, from Naishe Nyamubaya’s Black Snake (Zimbabwe) to Said Zagha’s Black Harvest (Palestine).

Screenwriters Intensive selections feature Allison Janae Hamilton’s Floridaland, Daeil Kim and Don Cabreana’s STEM (recipient of the Sundance | Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Development Fellowship), and films by Gulet Isse, Esteban Pedraza and others. The Intensive supports 13 writers across nine projects developing their first fiction features.

H3: Festival connections and legacy

The Feature Film Program (FFP) has deep ties to the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah; five FFP‑supported projects are slated to premiere at the 2026 Festival: Josephine, Hot Water, The Huntress (La Cazadora), LADY, and If I Go Will They Miss Me. The Institute also highlighted a long list of alumni—from Paul Thomas Anderson and Ryan Coogler to Chloé Zhao and Guanillermo del Toro—whose careers the labs helped launch.

H2: Why this matters for independent film

Sundance’s lab programs offer writers and directors mentorship, a creative community, and post‑lab development support aimed at bringing scripts to screen. With high-profile advisors and a competitive selection process, the 2026 fellows represent new, risk-taking voices the Institute says it will continue to nurture.

H4: More information

For details on the labs, fellowship support, and affiliated premieres at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, visit sundance.org and follow Sundance Institute on Instagram, X, YouTube, Facebook and TikTok.

Image Referance: https://www.sundance.org/blogs/sundance-institute-names-2026-screenwriters-lab-and-screenwriters-intensive-fellows/