Archives The Collection

The Collection

If your film has played at the Sundance Film Festival or passed through any of Sundance Institute's artist development programs, we encourage you to preserve it!

Film Preservation
Whit Stillman's Metropolitan

All too often, independent films fall victim to neglect, chemical decomposition and changing library ownership. As a result, quality prints of many films become difficult or impossible to find.

Our goal is to change that. By placing your original elements, prints, and video copies in the Sundance Institute Collection at UCLA, you can help us ensure that these films survive for future generations to appreciate.

There are three ways the Collection can help you properly archive your work:

  1. Do you know where your negative and other pre-print elements are? Surprisingly, many filmmakers don't. Consider depositing them at UCLA's state-of-the-art facility, where they'll be properly maintained.
  2. Does a preservation copy (a film print or digital master) of your film exist somewhere safe? It's important for you to preserve your work in a high-quality format, so please consider donating a good print or high-quality tape master to the Collection. If your print is in a closet, give it a safer home. If you have a distributor, please encourage them to donate a print. If your final format was digital, don't assume it's safe. Digital formats face a different set of preservation challenges, and should likewise be placed in an archive.
  3. Help us build the most comprehensive video library for the study of American independent cinema by donating two video copies (DVD or VHS). One will be stored in our internal library and the other at the Archive Research and Study Center in UCLA's Powell Library, where they are available only for on-site viewing to qualified researchers.

Your work is important both to independent film and the heritage of Sundance Institute, we hope that you'll help us expand the archives and, in doing so, protect your film. Our FAQ page should answer any questions you have about the purpose and procedures of the archive.

We look forward to hearing from you. For more information, contact:

John Nein
Sundance Institute
8530 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 300
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
310-360-1981
John_Nein@Sundance.org