The 2024 Slamdance Film Festival — which focuses on emerging artists — took place in-person from January 19-28 in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah. The DGA is a longtime sponsor of the Festival.
On the first night, the festival held an orientation where DGA Special Assignments Executive Jennifer Peat spoke with the filmmakers and discussed the economic and creative protections and community that DGA membership can provide and relayed that many DGA Directors screened their early work at Slamdance. The Filmmakers then introduced themselves and spoke about their projects. The DGA is a longtime sponsor of the Festival and many filmmakers who are now noted DGA Director-members screened their early work at Slamdance including Christopher Nolan, Lee Isaac Chung and Anthony and Joe Russo.
On January 22, Peat traveled to University of Utah in Salt Lake City to speak again about the advantages of Guild membership with filmmakers attending the Slamdance Unstoppable Showcase, which features films made by Directors with visible and non-visible disabilities and is programmed exclusively by disabled artists. Joining her was Director Ashley Eakin, an active member of the Guild’s Disability Committee whose directorial credits include episodes of Growing Up and Best Foot Forward. Eakin spoke to the Unstoppable attendees about the Guild’s efforts to build community with disabled filmmakers and its efforts to create more accessible and inclusive environments in the industry.
