Sundance Institute announced its 2008 Documentary Fellows, who will participate in the Documentary Edit and Story Lab later this month. The weeklong lab, held at the Sundance Resort in Utah, will pair the Fellows with seasoned veterans of the doc community—both editors and directors. The Documentary Edit and Story Laboratory offers an intensive artist-to-artist collaborative experience where quality nonfiction storytelling is engaged with rigor and candor. Each artist is encouraged to explore a new take on story structure, narrative arc, voice, creative elements and more. Sundance Labs are an open, creative environment in which Fellows advance works-in-progress and are encouraged in the spirit of experimentation and risk-taking.

"Sundance is welcoming a group of nonfiction artists whom we believe will both contribute and learn from the  Sundance Institute's values of creative freedom and innovation,” said Cara Mertes, Director of the Sundance Documentary Film Program, in a statement. “The Labs Advisors and Fellows also comprise an outstanding group of editing talent, some of whom have been working in the documentary form since the late 1960s. Editing is a critical and often under valued element of documentary filmmaking and we are privileged to highlight their artistry in this Lab."

The 2008 Documentary Fellows are NC Heikin (director) for Kimjongilia, Natalia Almada (director and editor) and Daniela Alatorre (producer) for El General, Deann Borshay Liem  (director) and Vivien Hillgrove (editor) for Precious Objects Of Desire, Jennifer Maytorena Taylor (director) and Kenji  Yamamoto  (editor) for New Muslim Cool. The Fellows will work with an acclaimed group of Creative Advisors: Editors: Lewis Erskine (Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple and Marcus Garvey: Look for Me in the Whirlwind), Mary Lampson (A Lion in the House and Harlan County USA) and T. Woody Richman (Farenheit 9/11 and Trouble the Water) and Directors: Sam Green (Weather Underground and Lot 63, Grave C), and Laura Poitras (My Country, My Country and Flag Wars).

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