Now if you’ve ever considered submitting your short film to Sundance, here’s a metric to consider: Less than one percent.
Those were the odds of getting a short film accepted into one of the world’s most prestigious cinematic showcases. Last week, organizers of the 2020 Sundance Film Festival announced that of the 10,397 short films submitted for consideration, 74 were accepted for the showcase, which premieres next month. That equates to about 0.7 percent!
You’d have a better chance of getting accepted into Harvard University (5 percent) and The Juilliard School (6 percent). Heck, if you qualified for training, you’d have a better shot at becoming a Navy SEAL.
Crazy, huh?
Still, next month’s Sundance Film Festival promises to be an extraordinary cinema showcase. The Indie Episodic, Shorts and Special Events sections of the 2020 Sundance Film Festival promise to be among its most diverse and inclusive yet.
Forty-eight percent of the selected shorts were directed or created by one or more women; 33 percent were directed or created by one or more filmmakers of color. Plus, 19 percent of those shorts were created by one or more people who identify as LGBTQIA.
Some of the words used to describe these works include “enlightening” and “riveting.”
Plus, the selections cut across all categories, from narrative and documentary to animated and experimental.
Here are just a smattering of the featured works:
“Hillary” offers a behind-the-scenes look at Hillary Clinton’s ill-fated 2016 Presidential campaign.
“McMillions,” executive produced by Mark Wahlberg, provides a real-life account of the McDonald’s Monopoly game scam. “The Trade” is a glimpse into the sobering cycle of human smuggling and sex trafficking from Central America to the United States.
“We Are Freestyle Love Supreme” features a cast that includes Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and centers on the 15-year journey of an improv hip-hop group.
Included in the program are a number of narrative, animated, and international shorts. The 2020 Sundance Film Festival runs from January 23 to February 2. For more information about Sundance’s Indie Episodic, Shorts and Special Events program, go to this site.
Submit Your Film to Us
What’s crazy is that many of those rejected Sundance shorts are quite good and worthy of consideration. Though Sundance puts on an extraordinary showcase, there are scores of other festivals and platforms to get your film submitted, accepted, and seen.
Itsashort.com gives talented filmmakers the opportunity to get exposure for their work. For more information on submitting your film to itsahort.com, please go here.
Our Favorite Christmas Moment — Hands Down
We would be remiss if we didn’t let you guys in on a favorite holiday memory of ours. Six years ago, the Holderness family blessed us with this viral Christmas, um, rap video…
Well, this delightful little video got the SNL treatment in 2014.
Yes, the Holderness family got spoofed by the folks over at 30 Rockefeller Center. The SNL clip, no longer available on YouTube, was a bit rough on this lovable family. It was humorous and a little too on the nose.
That’s okay. We reserve a space for the Holderness family in our hearts. Itsashort.com did a live stream with the family some years ago, so they are our friends.
Anyway, we hope you enjoy the video and Happy Holidays!
