The Sundance Institute has awarded Julia Bloch with the Sally Menke Memorial Fellowship, named after the editor extraordinaire who passed away last year. Bloch will attend the Sundance Institute June Directors Lab as an Assistant Editor working with the other Directors Lab filmmakers. From the official press release:
Sundance Institute today announced that Julia Bloch is the recipient of the Sally Menke Memorial Fellowship, created in memory of the organization’s close friend and inspired mentor who died in September of 2010.
“A talented and lauded film editor, Menke was deeply invested in Sundance Institute as a long-time Creative Advisor for the Institute’s Labs and Rough Cut Screenings. said Michelle Satter, Founding Director of the Sundance Institute Feature Film Program. “She was one of our great Creative Advisors — clear-minded, generous, and passionate about the creative process. She loved the editing room and spent hours with the Fellows who sought her out. She cut for performance, story, and the emotional life of the scene and she offered her advice with generosity and kindness.”
In the early 1990s, Menke was recommended by Satter to Sundance Institute directing fellow Quentin Tarrantino. Menke went on to edit all of Tarantino’s feature films, and was nominated for Academy Awards for Pulp Fiction (1994) and Inglourious Basterds (2009). Sally’s other editing credits include Jackie Brown (1997), All the Pretty Horses (2000) and Reservoir Dogs (1992).
Menke’s husband, Dean Parisot, and her children, Isabella and Lucas, set up the editing Fellowship in Menke’s name to honor her memory as well as her love of mentoring. “With Isabella and Lucas, we are very grateful to the Sundance Institute and to all the family, friends and colleagues who have contributed to this fellowship as a way of remembering Sally”. said Parisot. “We are so pleased that she can continue to have an influence on the Sundance community she was so passionate about and we are very excited about supporting Julia Bloch as the first fellow. I know that this will be a wonderful way for Julia to grow as an editor and honor the artistry of the work that Sally loved.”
Bloch will attend the Sundance Institute June Directors Lab as an Assistant Editor working with the Post Production team as they support the creative process of eight emerging independent filmmakers developing their projects through an immersive experience rehearsing, shooting and editing key scenes. Subsequent to the Lab, Julia will work with two accomplished editors in a year-long mentorship focusing on the creative and strategic aspects of an editing career.
Bloch is a New York-based editor who has worked on a wide range of projects, including Terrence Malick’s latest film The Tree of Life (Associate Editor), the Biggie Smalls biopic Notorious (Assistant Editor), and a music video for R.E.M (Editor). She received her B.A. in Comparative Literature from Columbia University in 1999 and went on to graduate school in France. In 2004-2005, Bloch studied editing at the European Film College in Ebeltoft, Denmark, prior to joining Zentropa Productions in Copenhagen as a member of the in-house editorial staff, where she worked alongside Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg. Currently, Bloch is preparing to edit her first feature film The Cold Lands, directed by Tom Gilroy (Spring Forward) this August.
Sally Menke Memorial Fellowship is provided to an emerging editor who will participate as an Assistant Editor at the Sundance Institute June Directors Lab. The Menke Fellow will also have the opportunity to work with two accomplished editors who will serve as mentors throughout the Fellowship year. Sundance Institute would like to thank the many individuals and organizations who contributed to the Sally Menke Memorial Fellowship, with special thanks to Creative Artists Agency, Lawrence Bender, Eve Ensler and William Morris Endeavor Entertainment.
