Sundance Film Festival

www.sundance.org/festival

Sundance Film Festival
Park City, Utah
January 17 (9pm)-27, 2008

Sundance started in 1978 as the Utah/US Film Festival to attract more filmmakers to Utah. Robert Redford (Utah resident) was the festival’s first chairman and moved from September to January (ski resort town, more attention from Hollywood). In 1985 management of the festival was taken over by the Sundance Institute, a non-profit organization, and in 1991 was renamed the Sundance Film Festival

Mission: Sundance Institute
Sundance Institute is a year-round non-profit organization dedicated to the discovery and development of independent artists and audiences. Individual donations to Sundance Institute support theatre, film, and music artists as they receive guidance and resources at critical points in the creative process. The community of supporters help these artists navigate the challenges of creating new work and see their projects succeed. Individual donors support the Institute by making general contributions, providing program specific support, purchasing tables and tickets to the annual Gala in New York, or by joining the Patron Circle.

Registration has officially closed and will no longer be accepting applications or submissions for the 2008 Festival. Check back (www.sundance.org) in June 2008 for information about deadlines and submissions for the 2009 festival. For the 2009 Festival the film must have been completed in 2007 or 2008.

Received over 8,000 submissions this year. (If you had submitted a film you’d be notified via e-mail in early December) If denied you can submit next year, but you’d better rework the previous version.

Films should be submitted on a single DVD and packaged in a plastic DVD case and must be compatible with standard set-top DVD players. As of this year they will accept high-definition discs in HD-DVD format only. You’ll have to fill out an online application, send your film along with a copy of the page you’ll print out upon completing the online application.

What they’re looking for What stands out:
Independent spirit of interesting and original storytelling, interesting points of view. Diverse voices and films that push limits both stylistically and narrative (excite them).

There is no “student” category although anyone/age can enter if their film fits the certain requirements. They do have a Students at the Festival Program where High School and College students can apply (applications are closed, check back in June of 2008 for more info) to view screenings, attend panels, and learn more about independent filmmaking.

EARLY SUBMISSION DEADLINE:
U.S. & INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILMS ($25 ENTRY FEE)
Monday, August 20th, 2007
U.S. & INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILMS & DOCUMENTARIES ($35 ENTRY FEE)
Monday, August 20th, 2007
OFFICIAL SUBMISSION DEADLINE:
U.S. & INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILMS ($35 ENTRY FEE)
Friday, September 7th, 2007
U.S. & INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILMS & DOCUMENTARIES ($50 ENTRY FEE)
Friday, September 14th, 2007
LATE SUBMISSION DEADLINE:
U.S. & INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILMS ($60 ENTRY FEE)
Friday, September 21st, 2007
U.S. & INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILMS & DOCUMENTARIES ($75 ENTRY FEE)
Friday, September 28th, 2007

(FYI: They do not judge on postmark dates, all films are viewed equally whether they are early, regular, and late. The only difference is the entry fee.)

Categories:
• Independent (dramatic) 16 dramatic narrative feature films from the U.S. Must be a world premiere and will compete for Jury and Audience Awards. (70+ mins)
• Independent (documentary) 16 feature length documentary films from the U.S. Must be a world premiere and will compete for Jury and Audience Awards. (50+ mins)
• World Cinema (dramatic) 16 dramatic narrative feature films from international filmmakers. Must originate from a country other than U.S. and Must be a U. S. premiere, will compete for Jury and Audience Awards. (70+ mins)
• World Cinema (documentary) 16 documentaries from all over the world. Must originate from a country other than U.S. and Must be a U. S. premiere, will compete for Jury and Audience Awards. (50+ mins)
• Premieres work from established U.S. and international directors (eligible by invitation only).
• Shorts more than 4,000 submissions a year (U.S and international) and either play before features or in one of eight Shorts programs. Eligibility requirements are not quite as strict as with features and films will compete for Jury Awards. Short films may be screened at other festivals or on the internet. MUST NOT have been broadcast on T.V. or released on DVD before the festival. (Narrative Shorts: 69 min or less, Documentary Shorts: 49 min or less)
• From The Collection a join partnership between the Sundance Institute and the UCLA Film and T.V. Archive. (No films submitted, they choose 2 from their archives to show each year)

The following Festival programs are non-competition categories, meaning that the eligibility requirements are not as strict-- films do not need to retain any sort of premiere status, and are allowed to have screened at up to two other film festivals before Sundance.

• Spectrum dramatic and documentary films from new filmmakers from the U.S. and around the world.
• Park City at Midnight eclectic mix of horror, over-the-top comedies, surreal tales, explicit animations, and bizarre stories that defy categorization.
• New Frontier films that push boundaries of present-day cinema (experimental film, media-based performance, and any work that celebrates the convergence of art and film).
*You specify between U.S./International (where did at least 50% of funding come from) Narrative, Documentary, and Short. If chosen they place your film*


Funds go?
Sundance Institute is a non-profit organization that provides many different programs and initiatives for film and theatre writers, directors, actors, producers and composers. Fees from festival submissions help fund programs such as these, and also help us keep the submissions process thorough and democratic. We strive to process every package promptly and watch every film with an attentive and unbiased eye.

Previous Years:
2007
• 3,287 feature films submitted (1,852 were U.S)
• 122 feature films selected (82 world premiers) from 25 countries
• Premiers (16 films-all feature length)
• Independent Documentary (16 films from 856 submissions-all feature length)
• Independent Dramatic (16 films from 996 submissions-all feature length)
• World Cinema Documentary (16 films from 506-all feature length)
• World Cinema Dramatic (16 films from 929-all feature length)
• New Frontier 18 films chosen (ranging from 1 minute to 110 minutes) All U.S. films with 2 from France, and 1 from Korea.
• Midnight (8 films-all feature length)
• Spectrum (27 films: 44 min, 60 min, and the rest feature length up to 353 min typically about 65% U.S. 35% international)
• Shorts (43 films running time: 4,8,9,9,9,10,10,10,10,11,11,11,12,12,13,13,14,14,14,14,14,15,15,15,15,15,15,17,17,17,17,17,18,19,19,2020,21,22,23,29,33,40)
• Shorts played before features (28 films from 3 min to 22 min)

2006
• Independent Documentary (16 films all feature length)
• Independent Dramatic (16 films from all feature length)
• World Cinema Documentary (16 films all feature length)
• World Cinema Dramatic (16 films all feature length)
• Spectrum 24 films
• Park City 8 films
• Frontier 5 films

No real themes except they do not seem to have more than one topic/story in the same category, so it’s easier to get your film seen if it’s an extremely unique topic or something that has never been done before. Documentaries range from history, gaming, Hollywood scandals, global warming, religious, tragic past events, and cancer documentations.