Keith Wilson selected as a 2021 Sundance Creative Producing Fellow

New EMST lecturer Keith Wilson has been selected as a 2021 Sundance Institute Creative Producing Fellow.

“This is a singular honor for documentary producers,” said Jay Hamilton, head of EMST. “Sundance is the premiere venue for independent filmmakers, and for Keith to have a project chosen for these programs places it at the forefront of new and exciting visual storytelling.”

Wilson’s documentary project for the labs is titled: “I Didn’t See You There.” Spurred by the spectacle of a circus tent that goes up outside his Oakland apartment, a disabled filmmaker launches into an unflinching meditation on freakdom, (in)visibility, and the pursuit of individual agency.

Along with nine other fellows, Wilson will be a part of the Sundance Institute’s weeklong Documentary Producers Lab July 25-29. Joining them for the Producers Summit during August 2-5 will be more than 50 industry leaders and 65 independent filmmakers. Both programs will be taking place digitally at https://collab.sundance.org/.

Keith Wilson is a director, creative producer, and visual artist whose work has been exhibited at Sundance, Berlinale, South by Southwest, Hot Docs, the U.S. National Gallery of Art, documenta14, and the Museum of Modern Art. He received his MFA in Film Production from the University of Texas-Austin, and grew up on a cul-de-sac in suburban Atlanta.

The Sundance Institute’s Producers Program champions the current and next generation of producers across fiction and nonfiction film and encompasses a year-round series of Labs, Fellowships, granting and events.

The Labs support emerging independent producers and engage the community of veteran producers who sustain the vibrancy and vitality of independent film. Under the guidance of advisors, the Labs allow fellows to deepen the creative potential of their projects, develop their creative instincts and evolve their storytelling, communication and problem-solving skills at all stages of their project. The fellows continue on through the Producers Summit and receive ongoing year-long mentorship, creative support, and networking opportunities with industry.

The Producers Summit brings together diverse sectors of the industry including financiers, packaging agents, distributors, and domestic and international sales representatives with emerging and mid-career producers for a revolving series of conversations around critical issues facing the field and producer sustainability. The program includes curated talks, one-on-one meetings, roundtables and a keynote conversation with Hasan Minhaj exploring the critical role of bold, personal storytelling.