SFFILM and Dolby Institute Announce First Film to Receive Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision Grant

Inaugural Dolby Fellowship in Partnership with SFFILM Awarded to: 

Michael Tyburski and Ben Nabors’ Film Palimpsest

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Nov. 08, 2018 -- SFFILM and the Dolby Institute have partnered to create a new fellowship, supporting films from development through post-production. The Dolby Fellowship provides an exciting opportunity rarely afforded to independent filmmakers—to thoughtfully elevate and deepen the role of sound and image in their finished films with advanced technology from Dolby Laboratories. SFFILM Makers—SFFILM’s artist development program—and the Dolby Institute will offer the selected fellows artistic and industry guidance, facilitate introductions, and provide a cash grant allowing them to begin work with a sound designer during the screenwriting stage. Fellows also gain post-production support, with comprehensive sound design, a Dolby Atmos mix, and Dolby Vision color correction and mastering support. 

SFFILM and the Dolby Institute have selected Michael Tyburski and Ben Nabors as the inaugural recipients of the Dolby Fellowship, to develop their narrative feature project Palimpsest. The film tells the story of a “house tuner” in New York City who calibrates the sounds in people’s apartments in order to adjust their moods. After years of collecting data, he believes he’s discovered naturally occurring harmonies that are influencing the way people behave.

In addition to mixing in Dolby Atmos, the Fellowship supports the makers of Palimpsest in finshing and presenting the film in Dolby Vision, delivering high dynamic range, expanded contrast ratio, and an enhanced color gamut.

Named by Filmmaker magazine as one of the “25 New Faces of Independent Film” in 2013, director/co-writer Michael Tyburskiis an award-winning filmmaker living in Brooklyn, New York, where he directs commercials, documentaries, and short films. His films have screened around the world, including at the Sundance Film Festival, where the short film version of Palimpsest won a Special Jury Award. The feature-length screenplay for Palimpsest was selected for IFP's Emerging Storyteller's Program and the Screenwriting Lab at the Hamptons International Film Festival, where it was also a recipient of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation’s Screenplay Award. His latest film, Actor Seeks Role starring Alex Karpovsky and Dylan Baker, won the Grand Jury Prize at IFFBoston in 2015 and was curated by the New Yorker as part of their Screening Room series.

Producer/co-writer Ben Nabors is a filmmaker and founder of the Brooklyn-based production company {group theory}. His debut feature film, William and the Windmill, a documentary about young Malawian windmill inventor William Kamkwamba, won the Grand Jury Prize at the South by Southwest 2013. He also co-wrote and produced the Sundance Special Jury Prize winning short film version of Palimpsest. In 2013, Filmmakermagazine named Nabors amongst the “25 New Faces of Independent Film.” In 2014, GOODMagazine recognized him as a “GOOD 100,” and the US State Department tapped him as a Film Envoy within the American Film Showcase ambassadorial program. 

Recipients of Dolby Fellowships in partnership with SFFILM are hand-picked by SFFILM and Dolby staff. This program is not currently accepting applications. For more information about filmmaker opportunities offered by SFFILM, visit sffilm.org/makers.

Dolby Laboratories (NYSE: DLB) is based in San Francisco with offices in over 20 countries around the globe. Dolby transforms the science of sight and sound into spectacular experiences. Through innovative research and engineering, we create breakthrough experiences for billions of people worldwide through a collaborative ecosystem spanning artists, businesses, and consumers. The experiences people have – in Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, Dolby Cinema, Dolby Voice, and Dolby Audio – revolutionize entertainment and communications at the cinema, on the go, in the home, and at work.

Dolby and the double-D symbol are among the registered and unregistered trademarks of Dolby Laboratories, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Other trademarks remain the property of their respective owners. DLB-G

SFFILM Makers (formerly "Filmmaker360"), the organization’s artist development program, provides significant financial and creative resources to independent filmmakers through grants, fellowships, residencies, fiscal sponsorship, and more. Since 2009, over $6 millionhas been disbursed to more than 150 film projects in various stages of production. Highlights include the SFFILM Rainin Grant and SFFILM Westridge Grant for narrative features; a joint effort with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to cultivate stories rooted in science and technology; and the Documentary Film Fund, a partnership with the Jenerosity Foundation. For more information, visit sffilm.org/makers.

SFFILM is a nonprofit organization with a mission to champion the world's finest films and filmmakers through programs anchored in and inspired by the spirit and values of the San Francisco Bay Area. Presenter of the San Francisco International Film Festival, SFFILM is a year-round organization delivering screenings and events to more than 100,000 film lovers and media education programs to more than 10,000 students and teachers annually. In addition to its public programs, SFFILM supports the careers of independent filmmakers from the Bay Area and beyond with grants, residencies, and other creative development services. For more information visit sffilm.org. This press release is available online at sffilm.org/press