SOVEREIGNINDEX
Tier 1

Sundance — Documentary Competition

Park City, United States · January

The most important documentary competition

in North America. A Sundance documentary

premiere transforms distribution prospects

and critical reception.

Sundance documentary values films with

extraordinary access, editorial courage,

and the potential to shift public understanding

of important issues.

Premiere requirement
World premiere required
Submission fee
$60-$95
Platform
Sundance Film Festival Submissions Portal
Accepts
Docs
Oscar qualifying
Yes
Acceptance rate
~0.4%

An Inconvenient Truth, Capturing the

Friedmans, Super Size Me, The Act of Killing

Documentary submissions are reviewed

separately from narrative. The competition

is fierce but the impact of selection is

enormous. Have your distribution strategy

ready before you submit — distributors

move fast at Sundance.

Submissions open

August

Early deadline

TBD

Regular deadline

September

Festival

January

Tier 1

Sundance Film Festival

Park City, Utah · January

World premiere required

Oscar qualifying · Competitive

Submission fee: $60-$95

Acceptance rate: ~1.2%

Tier 1

Toronto International Film Festival

Toronto, Ontario · September

World premiere required

Not Oscar qualifying · Competitive

Submission fee: $0

Acceptance rate: ~0.8%

Tier 1

Berlin International Film Festival

Berlin, Germany · February

World premiere required

Not Oscar qualifying · Competitive

Submission fee: $0

Acceptance rate: ~0.15%