Behind the Scenes

The lure of independent films stems from the promise of ingenuity, raw emotion and innovative portrayals of human struggle.

The Sundance Film Festival, an internationally renowned event for filmmakers, delivers on that promise every year. With the worlds most talented independent filmmakers traveling to Park City, Utah to showcase their moving works of art, Sundance has become synonymous with innovation in the film industry.

The Sundance Film Festival

The Sundance Film Festival is an annual event hosted by the Sundance Institute. The festival is an international event, where independent films, also referred to as indie films, are judged and given prestigious awards.

Independent films can utilize this avenue to gain recognition, despite their low budgets. Considering that independent film producers cannot afford the advertising strategies used by major film companies, the Sundance Festival presents a splendid opportunity to gain mainstream exposure. As a nod to Park City‚Äôs support of the independent arts, the Sundance Institute holds the annual Sundance Film Festival to give due recognition to talented filmmakers.

The Sundance Film Festival is held every January for 10 days in Park City, Utah. For the next Sundance Film Festival, the events begin on January 21 and close on January 31, 2010.

For those interested in participating in the Sundance Film Festival, the registration and judging process beings months in advance. In fact, registration to participate in the Sundance Film Festival opens at the end of August. For media attendees, applications for press privileges are initiated in September.

The Sundance Film Institute

The sponsor of the Sundance Film Festival is the Sundance Film Institute. This non-profit organization sets the annual event schedule and establishes the criteria for judging the film entries.

The Sundance Film Institute is the brainchild of actor Robert Redford and his friends, who wanted a venue to recognize emerging artists. After all, emerging artists, with their innovative and sometimes radical ideas, infuse dynamism into the movie industry. Today, the Sundance Film Festival is an international event that artists look forward to every year.

Sundance Events

Although the actual Sundance Film Festival held in Park City, Utah lasts for 10 days, the artists embark upon Sundance events months ahead. The official Sundance Film Festival timetable begins as early as August of the previous year, with Sundance film listings and Sundance calendar listings scheduled long before January of the following year.

Several Sundance theaters, such as the Cinemark Holiday Village 4 and the Park City Film Series, are enthusiastic hosts and participants of the independent film festival.

Sundance Opening Weekend is usually a lively presentation, with famous artists and personalities in the movie industry gracing the ceremonies. Various events simultaneously take place in different Sundance theaters.

Each competition event is judged by a Sundance panel composed of recognized and well-respected producers, artists, and film critics. Then, during the Sundance Closing Weekend, multiple awards are given to the best film entries - which then typically enjoy national recognition and distribution.

However, the Sundance Film Festival is not simply a showcase of independent films. There are other exciting activities and events, including panel discussions, several online exhibits, youth programs, and of course, unmistakable live music.

The organizers of the Sundance Film Festival estimate that more than 50,000 people attend this famous event, coming from different parts of the country and world. Online, the conservative estimate of cyberspace observers is one million.

Sundance Programs and Categories

The Sundance Film Festival is certainly a difficult competition, with tremendously talented filmmakers vying for festival spots. For example, in the previous Sundance Film Festival, there were more than 2000 entries from the United States and more than 1500 entries from foreign independent filmmakers. From these entries, less than 150 were chosen to exhibit during the 10-day Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.

Thankfully, every year presents additional opportunities for indie filmmakers to win awards and recognition. Some of the new highlights of the Sundance Film Festival include the Sundance Short Programs, the Sundance Animation Spotlight, and the New Frontier categories. The New Frontier categories include the Sundance New Frontier Artists and the Sundance New Frontier Multimedia Performance Events.

The category awards for the 2010 Sundance Film Festival will be loosely based on the previous independent film festival. There will be four Grand Jury Prizes, one for each distinct category. The categories are Documentary, Dramatic, World Cinema Documentary, and World Cinema Dramatic. There will be two Audience Awards, one for the Documentary category and the other for the Dramatic category.

In addition, filmmakers may also win the World Cinema Audience Awards, the Directing Awards, the World Cinema Directing Awards, the Excellence in Cinematography Awards, and the World Cinema Cinematography Awards.

There are also single awards presented at the Sundance Film Festival, such as the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award, the World Cinema Screenwriting Award, the Documentary Editing Award, the World Cinema Documentary Editing Award, the World Cinema Special Jury Prize, the International Jury Prize in International Short Filmmaking, and the Alfred P. Sloan Prize.

In addition, there are also three Special Jury Prizes, one for Documentary, one for Dramatic for the Spirit of Independence, and one for Dramatic for the Work by an Ensemble Cast. There are two Jury Prizes in short filmmaking and 7 Honorable Mentions in short filmmaking.

Important Sundance Festival Deadlines

To join the Sundance Film Festival, it is important to follow several deadlines: the early submission deadline, the official submission deadline, and the late submission deadline.

The early submission deadline for U.S. and International Short Films, Feature Films and Documentaries for both US and international entries is August 17, 2009.

The official submission deadline for U.S. and International Short Films, Feature Films and Documentaries for both US and international entries is September 8, 2009.

The late submission deadline for U.S. and International Short Films for both US and international entries is September 21, 2009.

The late submission deadline for U.S. and International Feature Films and Documentaries for both US and international entries is September 25, 2009.

The organizers of the Sundance Film Festival postulate that these deadlines are the dates for receiving the entries and not for the postmark dates.

Whether you are an aspiring independent filmmaker or film enthusiast, the Sundance Festival presents tremendous promise for continuous innovation within the film industry. With millions of observers, the Sundance Film Festival continues to play a critical role in shaping the future of the moving arts.