Screenwriters Lab Application Guidelines

1. What you need to know (please read it all!):

The application is a two-step process.

• FIRST, fill out the following simple electronic form. This is where you provide us with all of your contact info and pay the $35 non-refundable application fee via credit card (Visa, MasterCard, or American Express). Don’t worry, the site is secure.
• SECOND, mail us your supplemental materials (see below). Materials will not be accepted electronically.

2. What to include in your supplemental materials:

• COVER LETTER Who are you? What is your project about? What is your personal connection to the material? How do you envision the realization of this script? (for example: “I plan on shooting this for under $25,000 with unknown actors on DV and sets my family will build in my garage” or “I’m just the writer, but I’d like a director with a Lukas Moodysson sensibility to direct it.”)
• RESUME/BIO of yourself, and any other members of your key creative team (e.g. co-writer, director, producer). Don’t worry - if there's no one involved in the project other than you, that does not put you at a disadvantage in any way, shape, or form.
• SYNOPSIS Two double-spaced pages. We know, it’s impossible to boil down your intricate story into two pages. But try.
• THE FIRST FIVE PAGES of the script. Don’t worry - we’re not making our decision just based on these five pages. We just want a casual glimpse into your writing style; all other aspects of your application are as important, if not more important, than the script pages. If page five ends mid-scene, so be it! If you send us the first 10 pages, we’re still only going to read the first five.
• DO NOT SEND DVDs of short films, pages from other work, fruit baskets, etc. If we wish to see more work from you, we will request it. Recommendation letters are not required either.
• PRETTY PLEASE just put a single staple through all pages. No fancy binders, no brads, no paperclips, and no folders please. The whole packet should be around 9 or 10 pages total; one staple should do the trick.

3. Where to send it:

January Screenwriters Lab Application
Sundance Institute
8530 Wilshire Blvd.
3rd Floor
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
(310) 360-1981
Postmarked by May 2, 2011.

If you want to make sure it arrived, you can include a self-addressed stamped postcard and we’ll mail it back to you.  However, because we get thousands of applications that take time to log in, your application package may not be opened until after the deadline.  So if you want to make sure your application has been received in a timely way, please use a delivery service which will provide you with delivery confirmation like Federal Express, UPS, etc.. And if you live in Los Angeles, yes, you can bring it by in person.

4. Then what?

You will hear back from us VIA EMAIL on or before August 15, 2011, letting you know if we wish to read the full script. You will have approximately two weeks from the date we contact you to send it to us. We will respond to every applicant, either way.

PLEASE NOTE: The email address you provide us with today will be the one we use to contact you months from now, and email will be the only mode of communication we will use to contact you.

The email will come from featurefilmprogram@sundance.org.  If you have a “spamblocker,” please allow emails to be sent into your inbox from this address. Last year, close to 10% of our applicants did not receive notification from us because of this factor.

5. Please Note

• If you submit the online application but do not mail us the paper application, we will not refund the $35 application fee.
• Co-writers: Please designate one of you as the primary contact and list that person first.
• If your script deals with scientific or technological themes, you will also be eligible for the Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship. The recipient of the Sloan Fellowship will attend the January Screenwriters Lab, and the review process for Sloan applications is the same as for all other applications to the Lab. This is the only opportunity for open applications for the Sloan Fellowship.
• Unfortunately, due to the amount of submissions, we cannot return applications/scripts/other materials. We also cannot provide individual feedback.
• If you are not an American citizen and are living outside the United States, you cannot use this form to apply for the Lab. Email ffpinternational@sundance.org for instructions.
• If you are an American citizen living abroad, you can still apply for the program. Email featurefilmprogram@sundance.org for instructions.
• If you do not have a credit card, a debit card with the Visa or Mastercard symbol will work as well.
• If you have any other questions or problems, email featurefilmprogram@sundance.org.  But before you do, please read the FAQ fact sheet - most of your questions are probably answered there!

Application to the January 2012 Screenwriters Lab is now closed.