Sundance Institute Sets 2022 Momentum Fellows

The Sundance Institute has selected Minhal Baig, Marion Hill, Ciara Lacy, Billy Luther, Chanelle Aponte Pearson, Mariem Pérez Riera, Jamila Wignot and Iman Zawahry for its fourth Momentum Fellowship, supporting professional development for mid-career artists from historically marginalized communities as they explore and develop their creative practice.

The eight fellows selected will participate in a full-year program tailored for each by Sundance Institute staffers, receiving access to unrestricted grant funding, as well as industry mentorship and meetings, a writing intensive, and professional coaching offered by Renee Freedman & Company, with support from The Harnisch Foundation. Additionally, as part of the Sundance Institute’s ongoing partnership with NBCUniversal, the studio will provide an opportunity for select Momentum fellows working on fiction projects to participate in the Universal Directors Initiative. The two-year, at-will initiative, led by Universal’s Global Talent Development & Inclusion team, provides access to NBCUniversal’s creative executives and producers to build career momentum and exposure to potential directing opportunities across the company’s portfolio.

“These fellows’ voices represent a myriad of cultural perspectives and creative styles. Yet for so many proven filmmakers from historically marginalized communities, sustainability and access remain elusive,” said Adella Ladjevardi, who serves as Associate Director of Women at Sundance for the Sundance Institute. “With the comprehensive professional development and creative support the Momentum Fellowship offers, we’re thrilled to provide a space for community-building and personal growth.”

The Momentum Fellowship is a program of Outreach and Inclusion and Women at Sundance. It launched in 2018 as an evolution of the Women at Sundance Fellowship, which was expanded to offer opportunities to a broader range of artists from underrepresented communities. Those eligible for the intersectional program include artists identifying as women, non-binary and/or transgender, Black, Indigenous, and/or people of color, and artists with disabilities. Notable past recipients include Christina Choe, Cristina Costantini, Yance Ford, Natalie Erika James, Ekwa Msangi, Edson Oda, Linda Yvette Chávez, Angel Kristi Williams, Malika Zouhali-Worrall and Eva Vives.

More information on the 2022 Momentum Fellows can be found below.

Minhal Baig: Her feature, Hala, premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and was released by Apple TV+. She has written for Ramy and BoJack Horseman. In 2021, she signed an overall deal to develop TV exclusively for Amazon. In 2017, she was selected as a directing mentee by Ryan Murphy’s Half Initiative.

Marion Hill: Marion Hill is a Vietnamese-British filmmaker. Her first feature Ma Belle, My Beauty premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival and received the Audience Award in the NEXT section. The film was acquired by Good Deed Entertainment for theatrical release. Marion lives and works in New Orleans.

Ciara Lacy: Ciara Lacy is a writer-director whose native Hawaiian identity drives how she laughs, cries, and laughs-while-crying at the world. Her films have shown at Sundance and Berlinale as well as on platforms like Netflix, PBS, ABC, Al Jazeera, and the Criterion Collection. Notably, she is the inaugural Sundance Merata Mita Fellow.

Billy Luther: Billy Luther (Navajo, Hopi, and Laguna Pueblo) is the director/producer of the award-winning documentary, Miss Navajo, which premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and aired nationally on PBS’ Independent Lens. His second documentary feature, Grab, premiered at the 2011 Festival and also aired on PBS. Recent work includes Red Lake and alter-NATIVE.

Chanelle Aponte Pearson: Chanelle Aponte Pearson is an award-winning producer-director from the Bronx, New York. She is most recognized for the Gotham Award-winning short form series 195 Lewis. Chanelle is a proud member of the New Negress Film Society, a collective committed to developing, producing, and exhibiting work by Black women and non-binary filmmakers.

Mariem Perez: Born in Puerto Rico, Mariem Pérez Riera is an awarded director, producer, and editor. Her latest documentary, a New York Times Critic’s pick, Rita Moreno, Just A Girl Who Decided To Go For It premiered at Sundance Film Festival and was released in theaters and on Netflix in 2021.

Jamila Wignot: Jamila Wignot’s work includes AILEY (Sundance ‘21), Town Hall (SIFF ‘14); and Peabody Award-winning The African Americans, Triangle Fire and Emmy-nominated Walt Whitman. Producing credits include Hands On, NYT/The Weekly; W. Kamau Bell’s Bring The Pain; A Stray (SXSW ’16); and IDA Best Limited Series winner The Supreme Court.

Iman Zawahry: Iman Zawahry is one of the first hijabi American-Muslim filmmakers in the nation. She’s an Emmy award winner, Princess Grace Award recipient, and a Lincoln Center NYFF Artist Academy Fellow. Her debut film, Americanish, is currently touring the festival circuit and has won fourteen awards, including best director and best film.