Sundance Institute Announces 2026 Episodic Intensive Fellows

The Sundance Institute has announced the latest cohort of writers participating in its esteemed Episodic Intensive program. This prestigious initiative, designed to foster innovative storytelling, has been instrumental in shaping the careers of numerous talented writers and creatives in the industry.

As part of its commitment to nurturing emerging talent, the Sundance Institute runs two Episodic programs annually, with the latest virtual program taking place on August 20 and 21. The selected fellows for this program are:

• Christin Campbell
• Lisa Corn
• Daphne Di Cinto
• Grant Fortune
• Courtney Graham
• Caia Lee
• Alejandra López
• Ssuuna McKitty
• Francesco Staluppi
• Daud Sumolang

The creative advisors for this year’s program include Katherine DiSavino (Silo), Tash Gray (Snowfall), Tasha Huo (The Mighty Nein), Don Joh (Sugar), Jeff Melvoin (Killing Eve), Kira Snyder (The Handmaid’s Tale), Brandon Sonnier (Boston Blue), Tatiana Suarez-Pico (Invasion), and Marcie Ulin (The Flight Attendant).

Each of the selected fellows is working on a unique and captivating project, showcasing their exceptional writing skills and creative vision. Some of the notable projects include:

Project Highlights:

• The Visitation: Christin Campbell’s Southern mystery with a sci-fi twist follows a small Bible Belt community as they grapple with the appearance of mysterious lights in the sky, the disappearance of a local sweetheart, and the possible connection between them.
• Ugly Sister: Lisa Corn’s gripping drama explores the world of interstate smuggling, where a truck inspector is lured into a world of quick money and must navigate the burden of caring for her addicted and grieving sister.
• The Moor: Daphne Di Cinto’s historical drama delves into the true story of Alessandro, a secret son of the pope and a servant of African descent, who becomes the best hope for succession of the Medici dynasty during the Renaissance.
• Heavy is the Crown: Grant Fortune and Ssuuna McKitty’s crime drama follows a prominent New Orleans socialite family as they are thrust into the center of a deadly conspiracy, forcing a decorated Haitian American Olympian and her estranged fashion mogul brother to confront the secrets that fractured their crumbling empire.
• Nobody’s Horses: Courtney Graham’s action-packed drama follows a disgraced veterinarian as he is pulled into an impossible mission to rescue the remaining wild horses on a military base, battling addiction, media scrutiny, and a military cover-up along the way.
• Skullcrusher: Caia Lee’s crime thriller takes place in early 2000s Los Angeles, where a single mother working in Hollywood’s adult entertainment industry searches for her missing friend after police dismiss the case, leading her to a high-end underground club and a deadly conspiracy linking powerful real estate developers to disappearances across the city.
• The 51st State: Alejandra López’s dystopian drama is set in a not-too-distant future where Puerto Rico has become the 51st U.S. state, following the first Puerto Rican senator as she attempts to contain a resistance group on the island who have been perpetrating a series of attacks aimed at inciting a revolution and, ultimately, secession.
• With Blades of Iron: Francesco Staluppi’s historical epic follows an Indigenous huntress as she leads a war of annihilation against the Norse invaders who shattered her tribe and butchered her father, setting her on a collision course with a merciless Viking shield-maiden equally committed to securing the land for her exiled war band.
• Blood and Wax: Daud Sumolang’s historical drama takes place in 1920s Java, where a Chinese Indonesian girl sacrifices herself into marriage to save her family, only to discover that survival in a gilded cage requires her to master the dangerous arts of seduction and betrayal, while revolutionizing the batik trade and guarding a forbidden love that could destroy her.

The Sundance Institute’s commitment to supporting emerging talent and fostering innovative storytelling has been instrumental in shaping the careers of numerous talented writers and creatives in the industry. This year’s Episodic Intensive fellows are a testament to the institute’s dedication to nurturing the next generation of storytellers.