Sundance Institute Presents Writing Life: Bringing Drama to The Screen Free Panel On May 16th at Scottish Rite Temple
A Conversation with Award-Wining Film Directors John Sayles, Merata Mita and Sterlin Harjo, Moderated by Jason Silverman
Contact: Amy McGee, amy_mcgee@sundance.org; 310-492-2333; Panel Contact: 505-476-5604Writing Life: Bringing Drama to the Screen Writing for the screen has become a craft that serves some of the greatest stories on film. All films today start from a blank page and the idea of a writer. What are their creative processes and how do they bring that idea to the screen? For Native and non-Native filmmakers, are there links between oral traditions and filmmaking? Join award-winning writers and directors John Sayles, Merata Mita, and Sterlin Harjo as they explore the journey from idea to script to screen. Moderated by author and journalist Jason Silverman.
When: Saturday May 16, 2009 Time: 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM Where: Scottish Rite Temple 463 Paseo De Peralta, Santa Fe Who: Sterlin Harjo belongs to the Creek and Seminole Nations, is a native of Holdenville, Oklahoma, and attended the University of Oklahoma. Harjo's short films include They're Playing His Song and Goodnight Irene, which premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival and has played around the world. Harjo participated in the Sundance Institute's 2004 Filmmakers Lab with his feature script, Four Sheets to the Wind (2007 Sundance Film Festival in Dramatic Competition, Special Jury Prize). His second feature Barking Water premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. He is developing his third feature Before the Beast Returns, which received the top narrative prize at the Tribeca Film Festival's All-Access Connects. Merata Mita belongs to the Ngati Pikiao and Ngai te Rangi Iwi of the Maori people and was born and reared in a small, traditional Maori community in Maketu, New Zealand. She has been involved in film and video production for over 25 years, and has made significant inroads for indigenous filmmakers both in Aotearoa and globally. Her eye for detail and passionate commitment to her work offer rare insights into people whose paths we are unlikely to cross. Mita’s documentary films include Patu!, Bastion Point: Day 507; Waka; Rapanui; Dread; The Shooting of Dominick Kaiwhata; and Hotere, all of which have screened around the world at numerous festivals. Mita is currently a Co-Producer on Taika Waititi's forthcoming feature The Volcano. John Sayles is one of the most celebrated independent American directors of the last two decades. His career began as a novelist and short story writer with the 1975 publication of "Pride of the Bimbos" followed by "Union Dues" a National Critics’ Circle and National Book Award nominee. His films include Lianna, Matewan City of Hope, Passion Fish, The Secret of Roan Inish, Lone Star, Sunshine State and Silver City and many others. He received the John D. MacArthur Award, given to 20 Americans each year for their innovative work in diverse fields. He was recently honored with the Ian McLellan Hunter Award for Lifetime Achievement by the Writer’s Guild of America. Founded by Robert Redford in 1981, Sundance Institute is a not-for-profit organization that fosters the development of original storytelling in film and theatre, and presents the annual Sundance Film Festival. Internationally recognized for its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, film composers, playwrights and theatre artists, Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as Angels in America, Spring Awakening, Boys Don't Cry and Born into Brothels.
