How To Get a Short Film Into Sundance – and Turn It Into a Feature

“There’s never been a better time to make shorts or watch shorts,” says Mike Plante, the senior short film programmer at Sundance Film Festival. Mike, who has been at Sundance for over 20 years, shares his thoughts on the future of shorts and what his team looks for in the selection process.

In today’s episode, No Film School’s Ryan Koo speaks with Mike Plante to discuss:

• Developing motion picture films at the drug store in the ‘90s
• Why shorts are a great medium to learn and experiment 
• Working at festivals and movie theaters
• Receiving over 12,000 short submissions in 2024
• Disadvantages of creating long shorts
• Differences in funding international shorts
• Seeing many different types of voices, stories, and styles
• Sundance shorts that later became features
• What makes you a filmmaker
• What Sundance looks for in a short

Memorable Quotes

• “You’re always a filmmaker, but there will be months you’re not doing anything on your film.” [2:48]
• “You may watch a thousand shorts and nothing is good. Then you just start to lose your mind.” [10:45]
• “Your 30-minute short has to be better than three, 10-minute shorts.” [12:25]
• “The internet is good for shorts because you can put it up. It doesn’t mean anyone will watch it.” [31:31]

Mentioned

Submission Dates for Sundance

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