1985 Directors Lab

The Directors Lab is held for 3-4 weeks each June at the Sundance Resort in Sundance, Utah. A total of eight projects, the vast majority of which have participated in a previous Screenwriters Lab, are invited to participate. There is no open application for the Directors Lab; rather, applicants to the January Screenwriters Lab program are considered for the June Directors Lab after their projects have been selected for the January Screenwriters Lab.
Over the course of the Directors Lab, the Fellows work with an accomplished group of Creative Advisors and professional production crews, rehearsing, shooting, and editing key scenes from their scripts. Through this intense, hands-on process, the Fellows push the boundaries of their scripts, allowing them to workshop text, collaborate with actors, and find a visual language for their film in an atmosphere where experimentation is encouraged. Surrounded by seasoned professionals, yet removed from the typical pressures of production, Lab Fellows are offered a unique opportunity to see the script “on its feet,” develop skills, and take risks. Directors Lab Fellows also join in the week-long Screenwriters Lab with five additional Screenwriter projects to participate in individualized story sessions under the guidance of established screenwriters.

  • Credits
  • Projects

Ellen Chenoweth

Creative Advisor

Carlin Glynn

Creative Advisor

Ring Lardner Jr.

Creative Advisor

Ellen Lewis

Creative Advisor

Marcia Nasatir

Creative Advisor

Richard Pearce

Creative Advisor

Arthur Penn

Creative Advisor

Frank Pierson

Creative Advisor

Abe Polonsky

Creative Advisor

Tom Rickman

Creative Advisor

Waldo Salt

Creative Advisor

Linda Seger

Creative Advisor

Deborah Werbner

Creative Advisor

Bill Wittliff

Creative Advisor

Miranda Barry

Creative Advisor

Saul Bass

Creative Advisor

Richard Beggs

Creative Advisor

Tom Bernard

Creative Advisor

Roland Betts

Creative Advisor

Dennis Bishop

Creative Advisor

James L. Brooks

Creative Advisor

Bob Estrim

Creative Advisor

Janet Fleming

Creative Advisor

Horton Foote

Creative Advisor

Sam Grogg

Creative Advisor

Michael Hausman

Creative Advisor

Lynzee Klingman

Creative Advisor

Karl Malden

Creative Advisor

Peter Masterson

Creative Advisor

Frank Mancuso

Creative Advisor

Paul Newman

Creative Advisor

Robert Redford

Creative Advisor

Martin Rosen

Creative Advisor

Janos Rozsa

Creative Advisor

Sam Waterston

Creative Advisor

Spisak Neil

Creative Advisor

Tom Bower

Actor

Richard Brooks

Actor

Peter Coyote

Actor

Morgan Freeman

Actor

Leland Gantt

Actor

Lukas Haas

Actor

Hilda Haynes

Actor

Robert Joy

Actor

Marcia Jean Kurtz

Actor

Elizabeth McGovern

Actor

Amy Madigan

Actor

Estelle Parsons

Actor

Aidan Quinn

Actor

Rino Thunder

Actor

Michael Wright

Actor

Michael Ballhaus

Creative Advisor

Ian Calderon

Creative Advisor

Susan Cooper

Creative Advisor

Frank Daniel

Creative Advisor

Vojtech Jasny

Creative Advisor

Brown Johnson

Creative Advisor

Barnett Kellman

Creative Advisor

Lindsay Law

Creative Advisor

Fred Murphy

Creative Advisor

Cynthia Nixon

Actor

Kathy Himoff

Fellow

Doro Bachrach

Fellow

Robert M. Young

Creative Advisor

Hume Cronyn

Creative Advisor

Charlayne Woodard

Actor

Larry Jackson

Creative Advisor

Claudia Weill

Creative Advisor
 
As you use our Online Archives, please understand that the information presented from Festivals, Labs, and other activities is taken directly from official publications from each year. While this information is limited and doesn't necessarily represent the full list of participants (e.g. actors and crew), it is the list given to us by the main film/play/project contact at the time, based on the space restrictions of our publications. Each entry in the Online Archives is meant as a historical record of a particular film, play, or project at the time of its involvement with Sundance Institute. For this reason, we can only amend an entry if a name is misspelled, or if the entry does not correctly reflect the original publication. If you have questions or comments, please email [email protected]