UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television and Sundance Institute Announce Landmark Collaboration to Develop the Next Generation of Independent Storytellers

Multi-year affiliation unites the world’s premier independent film organization with
California’s leading public film school, beginning fall 2026 

LOS ANGELES, [July 14, 2026] — UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television (TFT) and the Sundance Institute today announced a historic multi-year agreement that will create a comprehensive pathway for the next generation of independent filmmakers, storytellers, and cultural innovators. With an initial phase targeted for launch in September 2026, the collaboration combines Sundance Institute’s unparalleled industry experience and Sundance Collab’s global community of more than 130,000 artists across 177 countries with TFT’s world-class academic excellence, production infrastructure and the living legacy of the L.A. Rebellion — the most significant movement in American independent cinema.

The Sundance Collab x UCLA TFT Digital Hub is set for launch this fall, giving TFT students access to curated content on Sundance’s digital community platform. Three additional programs are under development and slated to roll out in 2028: the UCLA Bridge Intensive (including a Sundance Film Festival Experience for TFT students in Boulder, Colorado), an annual Summer Summit hosted on UCLA’s campus (Sundance Institute at UCLA), and a co-developed program focused on new technologies, creativity, justice and equity. 

“This is what it looks like when the premier institution for independent film comes to the premier public film school and says, ‘Let’s build something together.’ Sundance has always been the place where independent voices are found and championed. TFT has always been the place where those voices are forged — in craft, in method, in authorship. Together, we are committed to independence, innovation, and impact: giving our students a direct pathway from the classroom into the full ecosystem of independent cinema — and the tools to make work that reaches audiences and changes the world.”
— Celine Parreñas Shimizu, Dean, UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television

“At UCLA, we strive to connect knowledge with humanity in ways that expand opportunity, deepen understanding and serve the public good. The arts are indispensable to that mission, offering powerful ways to explore the human experience, foster empathy and bring people together across perspectives. Through this collaboration with the Sundance Institute, the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television will create new opportunities for students, artists and audiences to learn from one another, advance the art of storytelling and extend UCLA’s impact across California and around the world.”
— Julio Frenk, Chancellor, University of California, Los Angeles

“We’re excited to launch this groundbreaking partnership with UCLA TFT that advances Sundance Institute’s core mission of championing independent voices, driving innovation, and expanding educational access for transformative storytellers. This collaboration connects Sundance Collab — our global online platform for visionary creators — with UCLA’s distinguished legacy of artist development. Together, we’re creating an unprecedented pipeline to amplify independent voices and evolve the future of storytelling and connected audience engagement.”
— Michelle Satter, Founding Senior Director, Sundance Institute Artist Programs and Sundance Collab

“The University of California exists to serve the people of California and the world. This partnership takes two of the most powerful forces in independent storytelling and puts them in the same room, on the same campus, working toward the same mission. The Regents are proud to support this bridge between education and industry. What Sundance Institute and TFT are building together is nothing short of an incredible opportunity for UCLA, and I believe it will become a national model for what film education and industry can and should be.”
— Greg Sarris, UC Board of Regents and Sundance Board

Over the next year, UCLA TFT and Sundance will further define and refine a series of proposed collaboration components including, but not limited to, the following: 

Digital Hub — Targeted Launch Fall 2026 (September 2026)
A co-branded UCLA TFT microsite within the Sundance Collab platform with the goal of providing all TFT students, faculty, and staff on-demand access to expert classes, curated content, industry insights, and guided pathways that address the “hidden curriculum” of film education. Targeted to expand UCLA-wide in 2027.

UCLA Bridge Intensive + Sundance Film Festival Experience in Boulder, Colorado — Targeted Launch 2027
A hybrid program supporting TFT students’ transition from education to professional practice, beginning in senior year and continuing through graduation. May include online seminars; alumni mentorship; professional development in pitching, distribution and representation; and direct access to Sundance Collab programming — including a curated cohort experience at the Sundance Film Festival in Boulder, Colorado.

Summer Summit of Sundance Institute at UCLA— Targeted Launch Summer 2027
An annual in-person convening hosted on UCLA’s campus for emerging filmmakers and creative leaders, focused on career navigation, creative technology and building global audiences. Planned first as a one-day gathering designed to evolve into a signature two-day event, the Summit is intended to become a flagship annual convening connecting UCLA, Sundance Institute, alumni and industry.

Co-Developed Program — Targeted Launch 2028
A joint online program intends to explore literacy in new technologies for film and theater makers rooted in the L.A. Rebellion legacy that is distinctively TFT’s. It would reach Sundance Collab’s global community while meeting TFT’s standards of academic rigor, inclusive excellence, and creative and social impact. During the course of the collaboration, educators from TFT and the Sundance Institute will work to create a rich syllabus and practical coursework that offer emerging artists and working professionals the opportunity to learn from world-class scholars and artists.

Scale and Vision
The agreement is structured as a five-year phased collaboration subject to formalization as new programs emerge and are refined. UCLA would serve as the flagship, with the potential to establish a national model for hybrid film education that combines access via the Digital Hub with in-person community and direct industry integration.

About Sundance Institute
As a champion and curator of independent stories, the nonprofit Sundance Institute provides and preserves the space for artists across storytelling media to create and thrive. Founded in 1981 by Robert Redford, the Institute’s signature labs, granting, and mentorship programs, dedicated to developing new work, take place throughout the year in the U.S. and internationally. Sundance Collab, a digital community platform, brings a global cohort of working artists together to learn from Sundance Institute advisors and connect with each other in a creative space, developing and sharing works in progress. The Sundance Film Festival and other public programs connect audiences and artists to ignite new ideas, discover original voices, and build a community dedicated to independent storytelling. Through the Sundance Institute artist programs, we have supported the projects Beasts of the Southern Wild, The Big Sick, Bottle Rocket, Boys Don’t Cry, Boys State, Call Me by Your Name, Clemency, CODA, Dìdi (弟弟), Drunktown’s Finest, The Farewell, Fire of Love, Flee, Fruitvale Station, Half Nelson, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Hereditary, The Infiltrators, The Last Black Man in San Francisco, Little Woods, Love & Basketball, Me and You and Everyone We Know, Mudbound,Nanny, One Child Nation, Pariah, Raising Victor Vargas, RBG, Requiem for a Dream, Reservoir Dogs, Sin Nombre, Sorry to Bother You, Strong Island, Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), Swiss Army Man, A Thousand and One, Top of the Lake, Won’t You Be My Neighbor? and Zola.Through year-round artist programs, the Institute also nurtured the early careers of such artists as Paul Thomas Anderson, Gregg Araki, Darren Aronofsky, Lisa Cholodenko, Nia DaCosta, Ryan Coogler, The Daniels, Robert Eggers, Rick Famuyiwa, David Gordon Green, Sterlin Harjo, Marielle Heller, Miranda July, Nikyatu Jusu, James Mangold, John Cameron Mitchell, Kimberly Peirce, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Boots Riley, A.V. Rockwell, Ira Sachs, Walter Salles, Quentin Tarantino, Erica Tremblay, Taika Waititi, Lulu Wang and Chloé Zhao. Support Sundance Institute in our commitment to uplifting bold artists and powerful storytelling globally by making a donation at sundance.org/donate. Join Sundance Institute on Facebook,Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X and Bluesky.

About UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television
Founded in 1947, the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television (UCLA TFT) is a leading interdisciplinary professional school where artists, scholars, and industry leaders develop bold ideas and new forms of storytelling. The first major university to bring the study and creation of theater, film, and television together under one roof, UCLA TFT advances live performance, film, television, animation, digital media, and emerging technologies. Through its undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs, students work across acting, directing, writing, producing, animation, cinematography, design, and cinema, media, theater and performance studies. Its alumni include Garrett Bradley, Carol Burnett, Charles Burnett, Steven Canals, Francis Ford Coppola, Julie Dash, Grace Lee, Justin Lin, Alexander Payne, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Tim Robbins, and Darren Star. UCLA TFT graduates whose work has been supported or presented through Sundance Institute programs include Professors Phyllis Nagy and Juan Pablo González, alums Grace Lee, Alex Gibney, Justin Lin, Elizabeth Reiko Kubota Whitney, Sierra Falconer, and Adamma Ebo. Through its teaching, artistic production, research, preservation, and public programs, UCLA TFT develops visionary creators and thinkers whose diverse voices expand the possibilities of storytelling and inspire change. When you give to UCLA TFT, you are supporting the dreams and aspirations of tomorrow’s creators and trailblazers. tft.ucla.edu/give. Join UCLA TFT on Facebook,  Instagram, YouTube, and Linkedin.

MEDIA CONTACTS
UCLA TFT: Jessica Wolf |  jwolf@stratcomm.ucla.edu
Sundance Institute: Sylvy Fernandez | sylvy_fernandez@sundance.org

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