In a world where social media has inspired millions to document their everyday lives, it becomes more and more important to recognize the exceptional craftsmanship and diligence of professional documentary filmmakers. Few accolades and distinctions have quite the power to delineate excellence as selection and participation at the Sundance Institute’s Documentary Edit and Story Labs.
This June, the New York Film Academy is proud to celebrate the achievement of our own Documentary Editing Instructor Kristen Nutile, editor of the film “Warrior Women,” which has been selected for this summer’s Sundance Documentary Labs. Directed by Christina King and Dr. Elizabeth A. Castle, “Warrior Women” follows Madonna Thunder Hawk and her daughter Marcella Gilbert, a civil rights-crusading Lakota team, through the grassroots protests of the Dakota Access Pipeline, also known as #NoDAPL, in Standing Rock, North Dakota.
“Sundance is, of course the gold standard in the film world,” explains New York Film Academy Documentary Filmmaking Department Chair Andrea Swift. “They select very few films for their prestigious Labs, films they believe will be important and among the best of the best. Of course we already knew Kristen belonged in that category and are thrilled that NYFA’s Documentary Filmmakers work with her and faculty of her caliber everyday.”
Acceptance into the Sundance Documentary Labs is not only one of the independent film industry’s most prestigious honors; it is also a resource, providing filmmakers with an opportunity to continue to develop and deepen their projects during post-production in a richly exploratory and dynamic creative space at the Sundance Mountain Resort. The Sundance Institute website explains, “DFP Creative Labs are unique, artist focused residential retreats that bring together a community of world-class documentary directors, editors and producers from around the world.”
Kristen Nutile is quick to point to the collaborative nature of this work and applaud the directors of the film: “This is a film that I’m very honored to be working on. But, it’s the directors’ film and that success is really all theirs!”
The New York Film Academy also congratulates two of our Master Class instructors, who have also been selected as directors at the Sundance Labs: Petra Costa (“Impeachment”) and Marilyn Ness (“Charm City”).
Stay tuned to hear more about “Warrior Women” at Sundance Labs from NYFA Instructor Kristen Nutile, coming soon.