This Saturday May 7 the Sundance Institute, known for their annual Sundance Film Festival, is presenting the first ever Chicago ShortsLab workshop with keynote filmmakers Jared Hess (“Napoleon Dynamite”) and Aaron Schneider (“Get Low,” “Two Soldiers”).

Among New York and Los Angeles, Chicago will host this event promoting “narrative short-form storytelling” and to “empower the next wave of emerging artists by giving them first-hand insight into the basics of developing their idea, to making their film, to getting it seen by audiences,” according to sundance.org.

This day-long workshop includes panels, discussions, as well as screenings with notable filmmakers, producers, distributors, and programmers that cover many aspects of filmmaking from “fundamentals of story, creating characters, and the writing process” to legal processes and management.

The day starts at Chicago’s Columbia College at 10:00 and runs until 21:00, including a cocktail and networking reception.

This what-it-takes workshop is an experience for anyone interested in the filmmaking industry wanting to meet and converse with pioneers that have made it what it is today.

Tickets are still available at sundance.org and run at $150. The chance to be inspired however, is free.