On Thursday, May 11, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz attended the opening screening of the Sundance Institute’s 11-day film festival at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. The film, Little Miss Sunshine, was directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, and stars Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell, and Toni Collette.

“The Sundance Institute recognizes that from the cutting room to the cutting edge, the film world begins in Brooklyn, the creative capital of New York City,” said Borough President Markowitz.

The program is designed to stimulate dialogue between artists and audiences and to provide insight into the creative and practical processes of filmmakers, playwrights, and composers. The new collaboration is a key component of a year-round celebration of the Sundance Institute’s 25th anniversary.

The festival, which runs through May 21, includes feature films, short films, documentaries, film-music performances, and discussions with actors, writers, directors, and composers, many of whom live and work in Brooklyn.

For a schedule of screenings and other events, visit www.bam.org/sundance or call (718) 636-4100.