Congratulations to WIFVNE Member Caitlin McCarthy on being named a 2025 Writing Fellow for the inaugural Sundance Institute Cultural Impact Residency on Sundance Collab! We're thrilled for you!

Variety article: https://variety.com/2025/film/news/sundance-cultural-impact-residency-1236345418/

Writing Fellow Caitlin McCarthy is of documented Métis descent. Her stories tackle political and social issues, blending humor, heartbreak, and action. Notable work includes WONDER DRUG, a Sloan Science and Film script at the HamptonsFilm Screenwriters Lab, now in development with Stephen Nemeth/Rhino Films.

Created in honor of social justice advocate Michael Latt, Sundance Institute six-month Cultural Impact Residency uplifts early-career underrepresented storytellers, empowering them to craft impactful narratives that spark social and cultural change.

As part of this program, Caitlin receives mentorship, creative support, and access to industry resources to develop her crime thriller, A NATIVE LAND.

A NATIVE LAND centers on a Black Native American policewoman as they battle prejudice and self-doubt while hunting a serial killer in an off-season resort town.

She says: "I’m especially excited to be working with my advisor, Jessica Sharzer (A SIMPLE FAVOR), along with an inspiring cohort of fellows across fiction, nonfiction, and episodic storytelling. The residency also features esteemed advisors Rita Baghdadi (SIRENS), Patricia Cardoso (REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES), David France (HOW TO SURVIVE A PLAGUE), Claudia Lloso (THE MILK OF SORROW), Reinaldo Marcus Green (KING RICHARD), LaToya Morgan (DUSTER), Rodrigo Reyes (SANSON AND ME), and Justin Simien (DEAR WHITE PEOPLE)."

https://www.sundance.org/blogs/announcing-the-2025-fellows-for-the-inaugural-sundance-institute-cultural-impact-residency-on-sundance-collab/