The Sundance Institute has selected Lorena Luciano’s feature documentary “#NunsToo” for its 2024 Documentary Edit Intensive, which takes place from July 15-19 at the the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville, north of Manhattan.
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Normally, the Documentary Edit and Story Lab fellowship occurs in June at the Sundance Resort, but due to construction at the resort, the Sundance Institute has reimagined that Lab into the 2024 Intensive. This is not the first Sundance mentorship program to relocate. Earlier this year the Sundance Directors Lab took place in Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colo., while the Institute’s Producers Lab moved to Ucross Wyoming.
Luciano, who is directing and editing the project, will attend the Intensive at the Jacob Burns Film Center with the film’s producer and cinematographer Filippo Piscopo. The week-long Documentary Edit Intensive is designed to provide support for one film team (director and editor fellows) at a critical point in post-production. Fellows share a work-in-progress, spending the week immersed in rigorous conversation and experimentation with the goal of advancing their project, bringing it closer to completion; they work closely with director, editor advisors, and Institute staff in a supportive environment.
“#NunsToo” explores how, in the shadows of the Catholic Church, nuns have endured “unspeakable” abuse at the hands of male clergy. But in the doc, a group of courageous women breaks the silence, defying the institution that once silenced them. “#NunsToo” documents survivors who have found their voices, inspiring a movement challenging the very foundations of faith and power.
“My team and I were moved by the courage of the film team and film participants making “#NunsToo,'” says Kristin Feeley, interim director of Sundance Institute’s Documentary Film Program. “This work demands a level of care that the supportive environment of the Intensive can provide. Our hope is that the expertise and sensitivity of the advisors can also provide the film team with renewed energy to bring this ground-breaking work to completion.”
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Piscopo adds, “The support from the Sundance Institute Intensive Edit Lab offers a unique opportunity to tackle the narrative challenges of our documentary hands-on, working freely in a safe, encouraging space where creative boundaries are pushed, and narrative strength is pursued collaboratively.”
This year’s Intensive advisors are filmmakers, musicians, and multimedia artists Mike Palmieri and Donal Mosher (“The Gospel Of Eureka,” “October Country”), and documentary editor Erin Casper (“Fire of Love,” “American Promise”).
“‘#NunsToo’ delves into the deeply personal stories of adult women survivors of clergy abuse within the Catholic Church — a story rarely covered in the news,” says Luciano. “This presents the challenge of striking the right balance between maintaining a compelling, character-driven narrative while thoroughly exploring the complexities of the subject matter. Achieving this requires thoughtful storytelling and a nuanced approach. The productive feedback from a group of incredibly talented and accomplished peers contributes to unleashing the potential of the thought-provoking story we aim to tell through cinematic language.”
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