And Why You Need To Keep Doing You

Earlier this week, The Sundance Film Festival announced its features lineup. Congrats to all the filmmakers and films selected. For everyone else, if you haven’t read IndieWire’s Killing the Sundance Myth: No Filmmaker Comes Out of Nowhere, stop doing what you’re doing and go read it. We’ll wait. Because it’s not only a reality check but also filled with good information savvy filmmakers can use. It’s filled will wise gems like this one:

When IndieWire asked Sundance’s new Director of Programming, Kim Yutani, what the biggest surprise discovery was in programming the 2019 festival, she didn’t really have an answer. “We track these things so far in advance,” said Yutani. “I feel like I hear about anything before it gets to us, but that’s just because we’re doing our job.”

Okay. Now that you’ve had time to read the full article, do we think the takeaway for Sundance hopefuls is that they should stop submitting their films? Not at all. If getting selected by Sundance programmers—or any top film festival for that matter—is your goal you need be critical with yourself about what it takes to make that happen. You also need to be patient and give yourself a longer runway. Plan on several years to grind out work, doing your homework, and perfecting your craft. Realize that carefully plotting your film festival strategy isn’t just about one film. It means building a professional team around you while seeking out industry professionals and influencers that want you to succeed.