A year-round artist development programme, the Ignite x Adobe Fellowship supports emerging artists ages 18-25.
Sundance Institute has announced the 2022 class of Sundance Ignite x Adobe fellows. The ten fellows were chosen from a global pool of more than 600 entrants to the annual Sundance Ignite x Adobe Short Film Challenge.
The Ignite x Adobe Fellowship is a year-round artist-development programme inspiring creativity and supporting emerging filmmakers ages 18 to 25 with the tools, mentorship and support they need to share their stories and develop their craft.
The list of emerging filmmakers selected includes Rubing Zhang, Thomas Percy Kim, Advik Beni, Esteban Bailey, Tae Catalina, Justin Kim WooSŏk. Fernando Rocha, Giovanna Molina, Anna R. Japaridze and Mykea Fairweather Perry.
The fellowship begins with a weeklong lab that kicked off on July 18 in Los Angeles, introducing filmmakers to the many global opportunities that the programme offers. During the full year, fellows work with their mentors, attend select Sundance Institute programmes, are eligible for internships, go to the Sundance Film Festival, and are offered additional creative and professional development opportunities. The fellows also receive an artist grant supported by Adobe and Arison Arts Foundation and one-year complimentary membership to Adobe Creative Cloud.
Speaking about the selected fellows, Toby Brooks, Assistant Director, Sundance Ignite, said: “It’s always equal parts challenging and exciting to screen the submissions of the Ignite x Adobe Short Film Challenge. To know the breadth and caliber of talent that these emerging filmmakers have is to know that the future of independent storytelling is bright. We are so pleased with the cohort that makes up this year’s group of Ignite Fellows–watching the variety of approaches and points of view they bring to the table is so rewarding. They have valuable perspectives and we at Sundance Institute are looking forward to supporting them as they develop their projects and craft with the help of our partners at Adobe.”
Since the Ignite x Adobe Fellowship began in 2015, 90 fellows have gone through the programme and ten alumni have had short films selected to screen at the Sundance Film Festival, with several projects winning jury awards. Past Ignite fellows have gone on to win prizes at SXSW and Tribeca Festival as well as the Shorts Palme D’or at the Cannes Film Festival. Former participants have also been a part of the Sundance Institute Screenwriters Intensive or Episodic Labs and received funding from the Doc Fund.
