Radhika Apte is taking some time to focus on writing and directing. The prolific actress was one of 11 screenwriters named for this year’s Sundance Institute 9th annual Screenwriters Intensive Lab, which was held digitally on 4-5 March.
Apte shared the news on her official social media account yesterday.
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Posted by Radhika Apte on Tuesday, March 9, 2021
The two-day workshop helps emerging filmmakers focus and develop their first fiction films. The Sundance Institute is also highlighting artists from traditionally underrepresented communities to showcase their work and refine their techniques. The filmmakers were guided by well-known writers, the Institute’s feature film programme and founding director Michelle Satter.
Apte was joined by filmmakers Brian Robau, Daniel Klein, William Kwok, Tulica Singh, Chy Chi, Jo Hatcher, Jessica Mendez Siqueiros, Joyce Sherri, Timothy Ware-Hill, and Xavier Coleman for the workshop. The advisors included Andrew Ahn, Susanna Fogel, Tanya Hamilton, Sarah Koskoff, Michael Starrbury, Wesley Strick, Yen Tan, Joan Tewkesbury, Rose Troche, Ligiah Villalobos, and Kevin Willmott. The Will & Jada Smith Family Foundation provided leadership support for the two-day online event.
The actress, who was nominated for Best Actor International Emmy for Netflix’s Lust Stories (2018), made her directorial debut with The Sleepwalkers, a short film starring Gulshan Devaiah and Shahana Goswami. They play a couple about to start a family and grappling with issues in a delusional state.
The Sleepwalkers won the Best Midnight Short Award at Palm Springs International ShortFest last year.