Montclair SCM Professor Chloe Sarbib Selected for Prestigious Sundance Screenwriters Lab

Montclair SCM Assistant Professor Chloe Sarbib earned a coveted spot in the 2025 Sundance Screenwriters Lab in January, leading to valuable tips for her burgeoning film project and lessons she has carried to the classroom for students taking her Film 3 and Thesis courses this semester. 

The Sundance Screenwriters Lab is a five-day, immersive workshop held annually at the Sundance Mountain Resort in Utah. The prestigious program offers emerging screenwriters the opportunity to refine their projects with guidance from top industry professionals. Only nine other filmmakers received invitations from a pool of more than 3,300 applications. 

Participants receive one-on-one mentorship from accomplished filmmakers and engage in group activities designed to sharpen their scripts. The lab’s creative co-directors, Scott Frank (creator of The Queen’s Gambit) and Jessie Nelson (writer of Waitress), guide the process alongside other industry veterans.

“It’s such an act of generosity,” Sarbib said of the advisors’ dedication to mentoring participants without compensation. “It’s been a tough time for the film industry, and it was heartening to be in a space that felt safe and supportive.”

Without giving too much away about her project, Sarbib said, “It’s a movie about loss, identity, and reconciling the fantasy of who you are and who your family is with reality.” The film unfolds in a single location in Normandy over the span of a few days, a creative decision that helps the project’s feasibility given the relatively limited budget typical of independent productions.

Following her experience at the Sundance Lab, Sarbib is immersed in rewriting her script. “The program is designed to help you clarify your intentions as a filmmaker,” she said. “The advisors aren’t trying to shape the project to fit market expectations —they’re helping you refine your own voice.”

While Sarbib acknowledges that filmmaking timelines are unpredictable, she’s hopeful that her time at the Sundance Lab will accelerate her project’s development. “Independent films can sometimes take eight to ten years to make,” she said. “But I believe Sundance will help shorten that timeline.”

For Sarbib, the experience has already opened new doors. “I’ve had meetings with potential collaborators, and it’s exciting to feel momentum building,” she said. 

“We are extremely proud of Professor Sarbib for receiving this honor,” said Dr. Keith Strudler, Dean of Montclair’s School of Communication and Media. “Not only will she continue to receive incredible insights from industry leaders for her project, but her students will continue to benefit from her unique experience.”

Back on campus, Sarbib’s students followed her journey closely. “They were so excited for me and full of questions before and after I got back.” Drawing from her lab experience, Sarbib has incorporated new insights into her teaching. She shared her project’s visual lookbook with her students, illustrating how some of the assignments they do in class (students make lookbooks for their own short films) directly apply to real-world filmmaking.

“It’s important for students to see that success isn’t instant,” she said, noting that this was the third time she applied to be a fellow at the Sundance Lab. “I’ve told them about the rejections I faced. Developing that kind of grit and perseverance is key in this industry.”

For Sarbib, who joined the School of Communication and Media during the Fall of 2023, the connection to her film students remains a priority. “My focus with them is on learning how to tell a good story,” she explained. “It’s important to learn about the business side, but in school, the focus is first on mastering the craft.”

As Sarbib continues refining her project with support from the Sundance Institute and those she met at the Lab, her students this semester and beyond will undoubtedly be watching closely, inspired by the example of their professor turning her artistic ambitions into reality.

Story by Keith Green, School of Communication and Media

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