Sundance Ignite x Adobe Fellowship

Overview

The Sundance Institute Ignite x Adobe Fellowship is a year-long development program for emerging filmmakers between the ages of 18 and 25. Established in 2015 with founding support from Adobe, the program selects 10 fellows annually from a global applicant pool. The 2025 fellows were chosen from more than 1,000 entrants. There is no application fee.

The fellowship begins with a weeklong in-person lab at MASS MoCA in North Adams, Massachusetts, where fellows orient to the program and meet their cohort. Throughout the year, fellows receive mentorship from established filmmakers, attend the Sundance Film Festival with curated programming, participate in workshops and panels, and join the broader Sundance Institute community of artists and alumni.

The Sundance Institute was founded in 1981 by Robert Redford and has operated as a primary incubator for American independent cinema. The Ignite program extends that mission to filmmakers at the earliest stages of their careers, before they have completed formal education or produced professional work. International applicants are actively encouraged. All travel expenses for in-person activities are covered by Sundance Institute, with the exception of visa costs.

What It Covers

The fellowship is a non-cash program. The 10 selected fellows receive:

• Weeklong in-person lab at MASS MoCA: Orientation, workshops, and cohort building in North Adams, Massachusetts.
• Year-long mentorship: Paired with established filmmakers who provide creative guidance and career advice.
• Sundance Film Festival access: Curated programming, screenings, and industry events at the festival in Park City, Utah.
• Travel and accommodation support: All travel expenses covered for in-person fellowship activities (excluding visa expenses for international fellows).
• Workshops and panels: Structured learning opportunities with industry professionals during and beyond the festival.
• Community membership: Fellows join the Sundance Institute alumni network of artists, filmmakers, and industry professionals.
• Project development support: Fellows work on an active project throughout the year, though there is no obligation to complete it during the fellowship.

International fellows are required to have a valid visa for short-term travel to the United States prior to the fellowship. Sundance Institute does not cover visa expenses.

Eligibility

Age and Status

• Applicants must be between 18 and 25 years old as of February 12, 2026 (for the 2026 cycle).
• Open to both documentary and fiction filmmakers.
• All film genres are accepted.
• No film school enrollment or formal film education required.
• Employees of Sundance Institute are not eligible.

Submission Requirements

• Short film: 1 to 15 minutes long (including credits), completed within the last 12 months as of February 19, 2026.
• Only the director can submit: If a film has multiple directors, only the director who completed the submission is considered. A project cannot be submitted multiple times with different directors attached.
• One entry per person: Only one submission per applicant per cycle.
• Active project materials: Applicants must also submit materials for a new project they intend to develop during the fellowship. These can include lookbooks, five pages of a script, treatments, or pitch decks. Materials must be in PDF format.
• Language: Non-English films must include English subtitles.
• File format: AVI, FLV, MOV, MP4, or MPEG-2. Maximum file size: 4.9 GB. Apple ProRes compression and raw camera formats (ARRI, RED) are not supported.
• Original work: All submitted work must be entirely the applicant's own. Film clips or music created by others require written permission. If the film features people, their consent must be obtained.
• No resubmissions: Work submitted to previous editions of the Ignite x Adobe Fellowship (including the Adobe Project 1324 platform) is not eligible.

How to Apply

Application Process

1. Join the Sundance Collab community (free).
2. Navigate to the Ignite x Adobe Fellowship application page on Sundance Collab.
3. Upload a short film (1-15 minutes) completed within the last 12 months.
4. Submit supporting materials for an active project (lookbook, script pages, treatment, or pitch deck in PDF format).
5. Submit before the deadline. There is no application fee.

Timeline (2026 Cycle)

• Application opens: November 2025
• Application deadline: February 19, 2026 at 11:00 AM PST
• Fellows notified: May 2026 (all applicants notified before public announcement)
• Fellows announced publicly: End of June 2026
• In-person lab at MASS MoCA: Dates TBD

The 2027 cycle application will reopen in Fall 2026.

Selection Process

All submissions receive equal consideration. The 10 fellows are determined by consensus of designated Sundance Ignite judges. Selection is based on artistic vision, unique voice, and the strength of both the submitted short film and the proposed active project. The program seeks filmmakers whose work demonstrates a clear perspective and a commitment to storytelling.

Who Should Apply

The Ignite x Adobe Fellowship targets filmmakers ages 18 to 25 who are at the earliest stages of their careers. The program is designed for creators who have produced at least one short film that demonstrates artistic vision but who have not yet established themselves professionally. No formal film education is required, making the fellowship accessible to self-taught filmmakers and those from non-traditional backgrounds.

The program is particularly valuable for filmmakers who lack access to established industry networks through film school or personal connections. Sundance Institute actively seeks applicants from underrepresented communities and international applicants. The global scope of the program means that a filmmaker from any country can apply, provided they can obtain a US visa for in-person activities.

Filmmakers who already have a project in development and want mentorship to advance it will get the most from the fellowship. The requirement to submit project materials (lookbook, script pages, treatment, or pitch deck) means that applicants should have a concrete next project in mind, not just a completed short film. The fellowship does not provide cash funding for production, so filmmakers seeking production financing should look at grant programs instead.

Past Recipients

The Ignite x Adobe Fellowship began in 2015 and now has an alumni network of more than 100 artists. Fifteen alumni have had projects selected to screen at the Sundance Film Festival, with several winning jury awards. The program's clearest value is visible in what fellows go on to make:

• Sean Wang - Former Ignite fellow and 2023 Sundance Institute Directors and Screenwriters Labs fellow. His feature debut Dìdi (弟弟) won the 2024 Sundance Film Festival U.S. Dramatic Audience Award and the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Best Ensemble Cast, then was released by Focus Features. He was also Oscar-nominated for his short Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó.

• Charlotte Regan - 2017 Ignite fellow. Her debut feature Scrapper premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, winning the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic, and later opened the 2023 Sundance Film Festival: London. Released in the US by Kino Lorber.

• Lance Oppenheim - Ignite alum whose feature Some Kind of Heaven premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. He later directed Spermworld (2024) for FX and The Truffle Hunters follow-up work.
• Terrance Daye - Ignite alum whose short Ship: A Visual Poem won the Short Film Jury Award: U.S. Fiction at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.
• Aurora Brachman - Ignite alum, co-producer of Girls State, which premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
• Olivia Peace - Ignite alum, winner of a 2022 Student Academy Award for Against Reality.

Past Ignite fellows have also won the Short Film Palme d'Or at Cannes, prizes at SXSW and Tribeca, and an Academy Award nomination. The 2026 cohort of 10 fellows was selected from more than 1,100 applicants and named in June 2026: Simisolaoluwa Akande, Aicha Cherif, Blake Knecht, Franciszek Korolczuk, Haneol Lee, Josiah Mendoza, Muskaan Razdan, Mia Lima Rocha, Yace Sula, and Japhet E. Velázquez.

What Made Winning Applications Stand Out

Selection is by consensus of designated Sundance Ignite judges, and the published criteria are artistic vision, unique voice, and the strength of both the submitted short film and the proposed active project. Patterns that show up across the fellow list:

• A short film with a clear, singular perspective. The submitted short is the primary evidence of voice. Fellows' shorts tend to be tightly focused on a specific community, experience, or formal idea rather than attempting to demonstrate range.
• A concrete next project, not just a completed short. The application requires materials for an active project (lookbook, script pages, treatment, or pitch deck). Applicants with a vague "I'd like to make a film about..." concept are at a disadvantage against those with a defined next project and a clear creative plan.
• Work made without institutional backing. The program is designed for filmmakers who lack access to film school networks or industry connections. A short made with limited resources but a strong point of view scores better than a polished short with no identifiable author behind it.
• Age and stage alignment. The 18 to 25 age window is enforced strictly. The program favors filmmakers at the very start of their careers, before professional credits. Applicants whose shorts already look like professional work but who are within the age range tend to do well.

Renewal Requirements

The Ignite x Adobe Fellowship is a one-year, non-renewable program. There is no renewal or reapplication pathway for past fellows. The 2026 cohort each receives a $5,000 artist grant and a one-year complimentary Adobe Creative Cloud membership during the fellowship year. Fellows are expected to participate in the weeklong in-person lab at MASS MoCA, monthly webinars, and a curated program at the following Sundance Film Festival, but there is no formal deliverable or completion obligation for the active project developed during the year. International fellows must secure a valid US visa for in-person activities at their own expense, as Sundance does not cover visa costs.

See Also

For understanding the independent film landscape, see Independent Filmmaking Strategies. For festival strategy and submission guidance, see Film Festival Strategy. For planning a short film production, use the Production Budget Calculator.