In our Insider Sessions, Sundance Institute staff answer your questions and guide you through the process of applying to our labs, grant opportunities and the Sundance Film Festival.



For this Insider Session, join Mike Plante, senior programmer for Short Films, for an informational session about submitting your short film to the Sundance Film Festival. Get an inside look into the film selection process, debunking myths around festival programming, along with tips on what to prepare as you enter the festival circuit.


The conversation will be followed by a live Q&A session to answer your questions surrounding the submission process for this current festival cycle. If you're planning to apply, bring your questions about ideal runtimes, submitting works-in-progress, and more.


Click here for more information on festival deadlines and entry fees. Submissions for the Shorts program close September 6th.



If you would benefit from an accommodation to fully participate in this event, please complete this form, contact us at (435) 776-7790, or email us at accessibility@sundance.org to discuss your specific requests. Every effort will be made to accommodate advance requests; requests made within 5 days of the event may not be guaranteed.


Live event registration for Sundance Collab Insider Sessions is free of charge. A recording of this event will be posted to our Video Library the next business day following the event. All registered attendees can watch the recording through September 6th.  After that, on-demand access to the recording can be purchased for $5.


Mike Plante
Senior Programmer for Short Film, Sundance Film Festival
Mike Plante is a senior programmer for short films at the Sundance Film Festival, where he has worked since 2001. Each year he and a team of 9 shorts programmers go through over 10,000 entries to select 70 shorts to play at the Festival, discovering new film talent in the process. He has worked at film festivals since 1993, and he also makes feature documentaries. His recent film AND WITH HIM CAME THE WEST (2019) played at MoMA Doc Fortnight and his short THE POLAROID JOB (2017) is available at The New York Times Op-Docs.
Katherine Street
Moderator | Digital Course & Event Producer
Katherine "Kat" Street is an LA-based award-winning filmmaker and Philadelphia native. A cinephile at heart, she writes female-driven stories with complex (oftentimes damaged) main characters, centered around self-discovery, self-love, and belonging. She has written numerous short-form projects, including original shorts, pilots, and features. She wrote and directed the dramatic short film “Cycles,” which received festival recognition in both acting and best romantic short. She also created her award-winning flagship web series "The New Adult,” which is currently streaming on Kweli TV. more...

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