Sundance movie submissions must be on DVD-R discs formatted for region 0 or 1.
Anyone with between $35 and $100 can enter their short or feature-length movie into the Sundance Film Festival. However, there are also specific requirements the film must meet. In addition, you must follow specific submission procedures to ensure your film is eligible for the festival's various juried competitions.
Deadlines and Fees
There are early, official and late submission datelines listed on the Sundance Film Festival website. They change each year, but early deadlines generally fall during August and late deadlines at the beginning of September. Submission deadlines reflect the date Sundance should receive your film by, not the postmark date. Entrance fees vary depending on when the film is submitted and its length. They run from $35 to $100 per film.
Film Categories
Sundance accepts submissions for short U.S. and international narrative films, short U.S. and international documentaries, and feature-length U.S. and international films (both narrative and documentary). To be classified as a feature, films must run at least 50 minutes in length. Pieces shorter than 50 minutes are considered shorts. For a film to be considered a U.S. project, at least half of the financing must originate in the U.S. Otherwise, it is designated as an international film.
Major Competition Categories
Sundance evaluates films for several core competitions. These include the U.S. Narrative and Documentary competitions (which each accept 16 submissions for competition), the World Cinema Narrative and Documentary competitions (12 to 14 films for jury screening), and the shorts competitions. Sundance must be the world premiere for U.S. feature films and the international premiere for World Cinema films. Short films have no prior premiere restrictions.
What to Include
After filling out the application and paying your entrance fee at withoutabox.com, you will receive a confirmation page. Include this with your film submission and mail it to the address provided by Sundance when you apply online. Test your DVD copy before you send it. You may send a backup copy, but only one DVD is required. You should NOT send any pressbooks or marketing materials, as these will be thrown out.
Do not include any artwork on the DVD case, and refrain from using labels on the disc itself. Rather, write the title with a permanent marker. In addition to the film title, include the tracking number you received when applying online. If you do send in a PAL-formatted DVD, be sure to clearly mark this on the disc itself. Sundance will not accept Blu-ray, VHS or any other tape format. You can, however, submit online using the Withoutabox secure online screener system.
Also write this information on the envelope.
