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A new studio is betting that it can help take digital creators and independent filmmakers to the next level, providing investment, production capabilities and partnerships to help develop new intellectual property.

The studio is Further Adventures, founded by YouTube veteran Steven Beckman, and producer Ben Stillman (The Imitation Game), and the goal is to seize a gap that they believe exists in between major studios, which are taking fewer and fewer risks, and bootstrapped indie filmmakers.

Beckman and Stillman tell The Hollywood Reporter in an interview that they see connective tissue between the worlds of independent film and creators.

“I think what’s been amazing to see over the past decade is the way in which the creator economy has just exploded,” Beckman says. “At the same time, I think the way in which those creators are reaching audiences has obviously evolved: YouTube is the new TV, creators aren’t...

Working in his native Colorado, as he did in his memorable debut feature, A Love Song, Max Walker-Silverman again conjures a potent visual language from the landscape in Rebuilding. And, again, the writer-director places a halting love story at the center of his film. This time, though, the rural vista is scarred by a devastating wildfire, and it isn’t sweethearts separated by time who become reacquainted but a father and his young daughter, separated by divorce.

That father is an unmoored cowboy named Dusty, trying to figure out what comes next after the flames have destroyed his ranch, the place that defines him. The wrenching heart of this quiet drama, he’s played with eloquent understatement by Josh O’Connor, delivering the latest in a remarkable string of performances, and one that’s matched beat for poignant beat by the other members of the central cast.

Notwithstanding the eerie timeliness of the movie,...

The Michael Latt Legacy Fund, which launched earlier this year to honor and continue the social justice advocacy work of Michael Latt, has announced a series of grants, scholarships and educational programming to support nonprofit organizations and artists whose work leverages storytelling as a vehicle for social transformation.

The fund’s initial grantees include: Harness; Protect the Sacred; Question Culture; Saved By A Story; Center for Art & Advocacy; Bld Pwr (Build Power); Sola Foundation; and Brown Girls Doc Mafia. Details of each organization can be found below.

Latt, a studio marketing consultant and founder of social impact group Lead with Love, was killed in a home invasion robbery in November 2023 at age 33. His killer was convicted in July of this year.

In addition to the grantees, organizers said the fund also has garnered a three-year commitment from Panavision, which established the Panavision | Michael Latt First Feature Award, providing a first-time...

Sundance Institute has announced the 2024 Directors, Screenwriters, and Native Labs fellows.

The Native Lab takes place in person in Santa Fe, New Mexico, from April 29–May 4 and will support four fellows and two artists in residence. The Lab focuses on centring Indigeneity in the storytelling of participants from Native and Indigenous backgrounds and will work on feature film and episodic scripts through one-on-one feedback sections and roundtable discussions with advisors.

The fellows are: Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan (writer-director) with Hum (Phil-usa); Ryland Walker Knight (writer-director) with The Lip Of The World (USA); Charine Pilar Gonzales (writer-director) with Ndn Time (USA...

The Sundance Institute has announced the 13 writers selected for its 2022 Screenwriters Intensive.

Now in its 10th year, the Screenwriters Intensive is an annual two-day workshop that invites emerging creatives from historically marginalized backgrounds to develop their first full-length feature film scripts under the guidance of the Institute’s Feature Film Program. The workshop is led by Michelle Satter, the founding senior director of the Sundance Institute’s Artist Programs, as well as Ilyse McKimmie, the deputy director of the Feature Film Program.

“We’re thrilled to be bringing together such a dynamic and memorable group of storytellers developing work with bold vision and unique, necessary perspectives,” McKimmie said in a statement. “We look forward to continuing our creative and strategic support of them as they develop their debut features, and we’re excited to welcome them into the vibrant community of Sundance artists.”

The fellows selected for this year are:

Marissa Chibás,...