Open submissions to our U.S. Feature Film categories must be world premieres, while open submissions to our International Feature Films categories must be international premieres. However, we reserve the right to select projects for some out-of-competition programs that do not meet these requirements.
However, here's a roadmap to guide you in submitting your film to the Sundance Film Festival for the 2025 edition or future years: Eligibility: World Premiere Status: Your film must be a world premiere, meaning it cannot have been publicly exhibited (theatrical, television, online) before the film festival.
Though it usually attracts movie enthusiasts, celebrities and industry professionals from around the globe, you don't have to be a VIP to attend – anyone can buy tickets and enjoy the Festival.
The first step is to complete the online submission form, then send a copy of your film to the address provided. The festival receives over 12,500 submissions for around 275 berths, so the chances of selection are quite slim.
Drea watches more than 350 films every single year and plays an active role in whether they're successful or not. She's well aware of the uphill climb many filmmakers face to get accepted — she said Sundance receives around 14,000 submissions every year and only 100 actually get a premiere.
At 87, Robert Redford FINALLY Admits What We All Suspected
Does Sundance accept rough cuts?
Sometimes we get rough cuts early in our process from filmmakers looking for an early read or hoping we'll be interested enough to watch subsequent versions. Other times, we'll get cuts that have been rushed to meet the fall deadline. We've even received films that have yet to shoot a good portion of the scenes.
Most screenings and panels at Sundance are open to the general public, in addition to many industry professionals who regularly attend. However, the level of access to everything at the festival varies. Sundance Film Festival tickets, packages and passes can be purchased on the Sundance Film Festival website.
The team watches every single submission, before allowing less than one percent of those submitted into theaters. Worried about whether it's the right time in your career to submit, or whether your film is 'Sundance-ready'? Don't be. “Once you submit a film to Sundance, you get into our system.
Average festival acceptance rate is 13% (one in seven submissions). Every 65th submission (1,54%) was accepted at the most prestigious film festivals like FIAPF, Academy Award-Qualifying. In the first chart, we see that a big budget of a short film is a gate to a more intense festival circuit run.
What are the odds of getting into Sundance Film Festival?
Even people with only a passing interest in cinema are familiar with the phrase “Sundance bidding war” or “Sundance darling”. When you consider the odds on such a lottery ticket, bear in mind that 98% of the feature films submitted to Sundance for the 2024 festival were rejected.
The waitlist allows you to take a number electronically via your phone or computer two hours before the film. It tells you what your chances are of getting into the film. All you have to do is sign up and be at the theater 30 minutes early. The wait list actually works well.
Attendees included Pedro Pascal, Jay Ellis, and Normani celebrating the premiere of their film Freaky Tales; Lucy Liu and Julia Fox fêting the Steven Soderbergh-directed Presence; friendly trio Dylan O'Brien, River Gallo, and Victoria Pedretti for Ponyboi; Riley Keough and Jesse Eisenberg (sans furry costumes) for ...
SPECS. For Sundance, features must run 50 minutes or longer and be World Premieres for U.S. films or International Premieres—except for those films in the curated, invitation-only “Spotlight” category. The festival accepts 120 features from a pool of around 5,000 submissions.
It is great for those who want to discover hidden gems outside of the mainstream. New titles are added each week and one or two new exclusive titles premiere each month. Currently, Sundance Now includes approximately 67 series on-demand including some exclusives and originals.
Important: The Waitlist Badge does NOT put you on a waitlist. To join the waitlist for a specific screening, visit the film detail page for that film and click the "Join Waitlist" button for the screening you would like to attend. Voting: Your Waitlist Badge must be scanned to vote.
The Sundance Film Festival accepts content that is 49 minutes or under for the Short Film category from any country. Learn more about submitting your short film to the Sundance Film Festival.
Sundance is expensive. If you can allot the time and money to go, you'll want to make the most of your experience. So here's how to make it even more worth your while.
The Sundance Film Festival is the ultimate gathering of original storytellers and audiences seeking new voices and fresh perspectives. Our annual program includes dramatic and documentary features, short films, and episodic content.
If you have an idea, game, script, screenplay, or production already in development that you'd like to pitch to Netflix, you must work through a licensed agent, producer, attorney, manager, or industry executive, as appropriate, who already has a relationship with Netflix.
The Script must be written in the English language. The Script must be new, that is, not previously submitted to any Sundance Institute labs, competitions, grants, or programs; not already produced; not already sold to a third party; and not distributed online or otherwise.
In the evening, parties tend to require slightly more dressing up, but there are very few events at Sundance which get anywhere near black tie (and most venues will have a coat-check where you can leave your heavy outer layers).
The festival takes place every January in Park City, Utah; Salt Lake City, Utah; and at the Sundance Resort (a ski resort near Provo, Utah), and acts as a showcase for new work from American and international independent filmmakers.
Download the festival's app onto your smartphone to start a waitlist account; the app will have instructions on how to get in a virtual line before each screening. (The app is also handy for schedules and transit maps. And it's the conduit for voting for the festival's audience awards.)
