BTTL at Sundance 2025

BTTL ACTION GRANT WINNER ‘BRIDES’ HAS ITS WORLD PREMIERE on jan 24th AND bttl leads A PANEL DISCUSSION ‘THREADING THE NEEDLE: FILM, ETHICS, IMPACT’ IN COLLABORATION WITH SIMBELLE PRODUCTIONS ON JAN 26TH.

It is truly a full-circle moment that last year’s BTTL Action Grant Winner BRIDES, the debut film of British Director Nadia Fall, will be having its World Premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 24th, where we will also be announcing the 2025 Action Grant Winner and Finalists. Read more about BRIDES on Sundance’s website. International Sales are being handled by Bankside Films.

Tickets for the premiere are sold out, but you are invited to join BTTL for an exciting panel discussion on Sunday January 26th in collaboration with Simbelle Productions at the Impact Lounge:

"Threading The Needle: Film, Ethics, Impact”
Impact Lounge, Prospector Square, 2175 Sidewinder Dr., Park City UT
Sunday January 26th // 3:30-4:30pm
Cocktail from 4:30-5:30pm for registered panel guests

Breaking Through The Lens, in collaboration with Simbelle Productions, will lead a panel discussion bringing together industry changemakers and visionaries behind some of Sundance’s most powerful films. Their work navigates delicate, often uncharted, emotional terrain while balancing creativity, responsibility, and respect. With practical advice and hard-won lessons, panelists will share their insights covering everything from fundraising and script development to managing on-set challenges and strategizing distribution. BTTL Board Member and 2022 Indie Spirit Award winner Liz Cardenas will moderate this intimate conversation with speakers including Lauren Merage, founder of the newly launched non-profit production company, Simbelle Productions. Director Nadia Fall and Actress Ebada Hassan of BRIDES, a 2024 BTTL Grant Recipient premiering in the Sundance World Cinema Dramatic Competition; and Director Jennifer Tiexiera of SPEAK, in the US Documentary Competition. In line with the mission of creating impactful change in the industry, BTTL founder Daphne Schmon will also announce the winner of its 2025 Action Grant.

If you can't make the event, but are keen to connect with members of the BTTL community who will be there and promote your work, please register your details via the link above. We will be creating a contact sheet, which you can opt into.

See you in Park City!