Ryan Coogler and Other Creatives Working on Three-Part Docuseries Celebrating Sundance Institute

A new three-part documentary series will be coming from Searchlight Television, focused on the Sundance Institute. 

What’s Happening: 

• Hulu has reportedly greenlit a three-part series from Searchlight Television that will tell the story of the Sundance Institute. 
• Sundance Institute (which has seen attendances from known high-profile personas like Quentin Tarantino, Chloe Zhao, Ryan Coogler, Paul Thomas Anderson, Ava DuVernay, Alfonso Cuaron, and more) was founded back in 1981 by Robert Redford.
• The new three-part series will “chronicle the legacy of the Sundance Institute, tracing the story of the creative incubator that shaped many of the most influential filmmakers of our time” according to Deadline, and will draw on decades of never-before-seen archival footage. 
• It will also trace the way that Coogler, Anderson, Zhao and others found their creative freedom thanks to the organization. 
• The series is set to be directed by Braden King, who developed his own movie, Here, at the 2007 Sundance Institute Screenwriters and Directors Labs. It later premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2011. 
• Coogler, producer and current president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Lynette Howell Taylor, and producer Mark Monroe will serve as EPs for the project. 
• The news comes as the Sundance Film Festival is ready to have their last festival in Park City, Utah, kicking off today (Jan. 22) through Sunday, February 1. The Sundance Film Festival will be moving to Boulder, Colorado in January of 2027. 

Let’s Sundance:

• Founded in 1981 by Robert Redford, the Sundance Institute is a U.S.-based non-profit organization dedicated to discovering, developing, and supporting independent artists in film, television, theater, and emerging media. 
• The goal of the Sundance Institute is to champion independent storytelling, amplify diverse voices, and foster artistic risk taking. 
• The Institute, as we touched on already, is best known for their Labs and Fellowships, including labs for Screenwriters, Directors, Producers, Documentary Films, Episodic TV, and more. These programs provide mentorship, funding, feedback, and creative space, often years before a project is released.
• The Sundance Institute has shaped modern independent cinema by creating pathways outside Hollywood studios, normalizing bold, personal, and politically challenging stories, and helping indie films reach mainstream audiences without losing their voice.