On January 22–27, three film, TV, and media major students attended the Sundance Film Festival that took place in Park City, Utah. The annual Sundance Film Festival premieres 100 out of 14,000 film submissions every year and partners with Windrider Institute to hold discussion sessions for students and attendees. 

While attending the festival, students had the opportunity to attend four, one-hour sessions every morning with the directors that submitted the films. Students were able to establish connections with other film students by discussing faith-based issues portrayed in the films. The students were prompted by the directors at the festival to talk about these issues at their home universities. 

Student attendees from Walla Walla University were able to attend Sundance Film Festival due to the support of Windrider Institute, a faith-based official partner of Sundance. Their goal is to encourage faith-based conversations between Christian directors and attending students. WWU students received an opportunity that went beyond exposing students to innovative filmmaking and instead equips them with a vision of incorporating God in their future work. “My experience at Sundance immersed me in several thought-provoking stories, allowed me to network with peers from all over the country, and made me really evaluate why I am a storyteller.” said Isaac Meythaler, a junior film, TV, and media major. 

To learn more about opportunities communication majors have, visit https://www.wallawalla.edu/comm-lang