By Jessica Herndon
In our long-running Meet the Artist series, filmmakers premiering and screening work at the Sundance Film Festival provide exclusive insights into their inspiration and creative process, often highlighting the unique dynamics of their collaborations. These videos offer an intimate glimpse at the challenges and rewards that come with teaming up to bring compelling stories to the screen, giving audiences a chance to understand the artistry and synergy that can emerge.
Recently, we made you laugh with our list of 12 of the Funniest MTAs and showcased 10 Most-Viewed MTAs. Here, we’ve compiled some fascinating MTAs featuring collaborators. Watch as legendary model, advocate, and activist Bethann Hardison and her co-director Frédéric Tcheng discuss making Invisible Beauty, Oscar-nominated actor-director Mark Ruffalo and writer Christopher Thornton delve into the journey behind Sympathy for Delicious, and writer-director Ryan Fleck with co-writer Anna Boden share what them to create the critically acclaimed Half Nelson, starring Ryan Gosling.
Half Nelson
Director: Ryan Fleck
Writer: Anna Boden
Supported by the Sundance Institute’s 2005 Screenplay Reading Series, 2004 June Screenwriters Lab. Premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival.
Cold Souls
Director: Sophie Barthes
Producer: Andrij Perkh
Supported by Sundance Institute’s 2007 January Screenwriters Lab, Directors Lab, and Annenberg Film Fellowship Grant. Premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.
I Love You Phillip Morris
Directors: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
Premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.
Sympathy for Delicious
Director: Mark Ruffalo
Writer: Christophe Thornton
Premiered at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Special Jury Prize Dramatic award.
The Redemption of General Butt Naked
Directors: Daniele Anastasion, Eric Strauss
Supported by the Sundance Institute’s 2009 Sundance Documentary Film Grant. Premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, where it received the Excellence in Cinematography Award: U.S. Documentary.
The Chances
Director: Anna Kerrigan
Creators/Actors: Shoshannah Stern Josh Feldman
Actors: Aaron Costa Ganis, Lucas Near-Verbrugghe
“ASL Master”: Joshua Castille
Premiere at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.
Summer of ’84
Directors: François Simard, Anouk Whissell, Yoann-Karl Whissell
Premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival.
Work in Progress
Creators/Writers: Tim Mason, Abby McEnany
Premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.
Would You Rather
Directors: Lise Akoka, Romane Guéret
Premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival.
The Panola Project
Directors: Rachael DeCruz, Jeremy S. Levine
Premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival.
Directors: Paula Eiselt, Tonya Lewis Lee
Supported by Sundance Institute’s 2020 Catalyst Forum. Premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival.
Invisible Beauty
Directors: Bethann Hardison, Frédéric Tcheng
Premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.
Baba
Directors: Anya Chirkova, Meran Ismailsoy
Premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Directors: Ian Bonhôte, Peter Ettedgui
Premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
Directors: Astrid Rondero, Fernanda Valadez
Premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic.
