Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibilityFrom Short to Feature: Inside the Highways Lab Directors Program | 2026 Sundance Film Festival

Talks

From Short to Feature: Inside the Highways Lab Directors Program

Presented by Rideback Rise, Highways Lab & Adobe
Partner Event
From Short to Feature: Inside the Highways Lab Directors Program

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From Short to Feature: Inside the Highways Lab Directors Program brings together four filmmakers who will share their recent experiences creating short films as part of the Lab while developing their new feature projects. The panel will explore how short-form work can function as a creative incubator, helping directors clarify vision, craft, and momentum toward their next feature.

Partner events are independently conceived and produced by sponsor and partner organizations. These events take place in official Festival locations and all organizations follow the Sundance Film Festival community agreement.

Capacity is limited. Arriving early to secure your spot is highly recommended. RSVP does not guarantee entry which will be first-come, first-served.

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Panelist Name

Moderated by: Olga Segura, producer; founder, Highways Lab

    Segura founded Highways Lab in partnership with Rideback Rise and Adobe. She produced The Truth About Emanuel, which premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival; The Dinner, in competition at the 2017 Berlin International Film Festival; and Waiting for the Barbarians, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2019.

    Panelist Name

    Aitch Alberto, writer-director; Highways Lab Directors Program fellow

      Alberto was named one of Variety’s “10 Directors to Watch.” Her work includes the acclaimed feature Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe — featured on “Best Of” lists in Vanity Fair and The Los Angeles Times — as well as HBO Max’s Duster and Apple TV+’s Little America.

      Panelist Name

      Ana Maria Hermida, writer-director and producer; Highways Lab Directors Program fellow

        Her films have premiered internationally — from the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood to Havana’s Festival Internacional del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano — and her debut, La Luciérnaga, was later acquired by Netflix.

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        Aristotle Torres, writer-director and producer; Highways Lab Directors Program fellow

          An accomplished music video and commercial director, Torres premiered his debut feature film, Story Ave, at SXSW (2023), where it won a Grand Jury Prize.

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          Omar S. Kamara, writer-director; Highways Lab Directors Program fellow

            Kamara won the Grand Prize at the DGA Student Film Awards and was an inaugural Resident in Rideback Rise, in addition to winning the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at Slamdance for his feature African Giants and has had his work featured on HBO, Hulu, and Amazon Prime.

            Panelist Name

            Special Guest: Isabel Castro, director; Highways Lab Directors Program fellow

              Isabel Castro is a five-time Emmy-nominated Mexican-American filmmaker and photographer. Her films include Selena y Los Dinos, which premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, won a Special Jury Award, multiple audience awards, and was acquired by Netflix. Her debut feature Mija, a Sundance 2022 selection, went on to receive widespread critical acclaim. Castro was named one of Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 New Faces of Independent Film”, DOC NYC “40 Under 40,” and she is an Independent Spirit Award nominee. Castro is also a regular contributor to The New York Times, is in development on her first scripted feature and in production on Untitled Los Angeles Project, a film and photography series.

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