Yuan Yuan (left), Hasan Hadi
The Sundance Institute announced that among the 16 writers invited to develop 12 original projects at the 2022 Screenwriters Lab, MFA candidates Yuan Yuan and Hasan Hadi were selected.
Here are their projects, selected from 3,200 submissions:
Yuan Yuan (Writer/Director) with Late Spring (U.S.A.,China): A Chinese factory worker travels to New York for her daughter’s eagerly anticipated college graduation, only to be thrust into a desperate search in unfamiliar territory when she learns the girl is missing.
Hasan Hadi (Writer/Director) with The President’s Cake (Iraq, U.S.A): While everyday people struggle daily to survive under sanctions in Saddam’s Iraq, nine-year-old Saeed must use his wits to gather the ingredients for the required cake to celebrate President Saddam Hussein’s birthday or face the consequences alongside his family. (The project recently received the 2022 NHK Sundance Award.)
“These sixteen writers, selected for their vision and distinctive voices, will form a lifelong community of filmmakers,” said Michelle Satter, Founding Senior Director of Sundance Institute’s Artist Programs. “We’re thrilled to see the outcomes of the collaboration between the Lab Fellows and their mentors for years to come.”
Read more at Sundance.