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Production
2024

Captions Will Be Needed

IDA Enterprise Documentary Fund Grantee

  • white woman iwht long hair and think chain earrings
    Natalia Almada, Director
  • white man in suit with grey suit
    Josh Penn, Producer
  • white woman with blonde hair and gkassess on grey background
    Esther Robinson, Producer
Person in MRI with netting over their face.

About the Project

Captions Will be Needed is filmmaker Natalia Almada’s cinematic response to living with a rare cancer. A magical-realist, science-fiction documentary about embracing uncertainty during an era that believes in technology's omnipotent power to answer all questions.

 

Project Team

    white woman iwht long hair and think chain earrings

    Natalia Almada

    2012 MacArthur “Genius” fellow and two-time recipient of the Sundance Documentary Directing Award for El General in 2009 and Users in 2021, Natalia Almada's directing credits include–Todo lo demás (New York Film Festival 2016), El Velador (Cannes 2011), Al Otro Lado (Tribeca 2005) and All Water has a Perfect Memory (Sundance 2002). She lives in Mexico City and San Francisco.

    white man in suit with grey suit

    Josh Penn

    Josh Penn is a producer with the Department of Motion Pictures. He has been nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture, Outstanding Producer at the Producer’s Guild Awards and won a Peabody Award. He has premiered a dozen projects at Sundance since 2012, garnering 5 awards from the festival. He produced BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD, (Sundance Grand Jury Prize, Cannes Caméra d’Or, and four Oscar nominations), MONSTERS AND MEN (Sundance Special Jury Prize), the series PHILLY D.A. (Gotham and Peabody Award Winner), Users, 32 Sounds, A THOUSAND THOUGHTS, WENDY, and FAREWELL AMOR, among others.

     

    white woman with blonde hair and gkassess on grey background

    Esther Robinson

    Esther Robinson has worked on behalf of America's artists for over 20 years as a foundation program officer, technology entrepreneur, non-profit leader, and film producer/director. Her critically acclaimed directorial debut A Walk into the Sea: Danny Williams and The Warhol Factory took top prizes at The Berlin, Tribeca and Chicago film festivals. Her recent producer credits include: The Velvet Underground by Todd Haynes, Through The Night by Loira Limbal (PBS/POV 2021), the Academy Award Nominated film Strong Island by Yance Ford, and Memories of a Penitent Heart by Cecilia Aldarondo.