The nonprofit Sundance Institute announced today the 11 producers chosen for its annual Producers Labs, returning to Ucross Foundation in Wyoming from July 14–19 for fiction producers and July 21-26 for nonfiction producers. The Sundance Institute Producers Program champions independent producers across career stages, empowering them to refine their craft in recognition of their pivotal role in the storytelling ecosystem. The Producers Lab is the focal point of the program and kicks off a yearlong fellowship, creating a community for fiction and nonfiction film producers as they network and participate in professional development opportunities while working on a feature-length project.
This year, two Tisch alumni were selected as members of the 2025 Fellows. Read more below and see the full list of Fellows here.
Feature Film Program
April S. Chang '19 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) with Dying is Fine (U.S.A.): The worries of a suicidal woman disappear when she gets a piece of good news: brain cancer.
April S. Chang '19 is a Los Angeles–based producer from Atlanta. Her experience spans indie and studio projects, through which she champions auteur filmmakers. Her work has been recognized by Sundance Institute, SXSW Sydney, and LAAPFF. She served as associate producer on The Bikeriders, released theatrically in 2024.
Karen Madar '24 (MFA, Kanbar Institute, Graduate Film) with Little Phnom Penh (Cambodia, U.S.A.): Spanning two sweeping decades and two continents, from post–Khmer Rouge Phnom Penh to early 2000s California, a Cambodian woman searches for family, home, and belonging as her first love continues to resurface over time.
Karen Madar '24, 2025 Mark Silverman Honoree, is a French producer and NYU alum based in New York City and Paris. Through NoMad Productions, she’s produced 15+ shorts, including Grandma Nai Who Played Favorites (2025 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Jury Award: International Fiction). She is the PGA’s 2024 Debra Hill Fellow.
*We apologize for any errors or omissions. Please send edits or additions to tsoa.alumni@nyu.edu.