About the Archives & Collection

Independent storytellers advance and challenge cultural discourse by creating stories that explore and document the world around us. We are passionate about preserving and sharing these stories for generations to come.

From press kits to posters, films to photos, and scripts to scores, the Sundance Institute Archives & Collection inspires and educates through preservation and access to seminal work of independent artists and the unique history of the organization. By sharing the history of independent storytelling, the Archives & Collection provides an opportunity for discovery and dialogue around creative work and its impact on contemporary culture.

To address the specific preservation risks posed to independent film, Sundance Institute partnered with the UCLA Film & Television Archive to form the Sundance Institute Collection at UCLA in 1997. The Collection at UCLA is home to hundreds of films, and we actively endeavor to rescue those that are at risk and identify titles in need of restoration. Our efforts have brought renewed attention to titles such as Hoop Dreams, Desert Hearts, Reservoir Dogs, El Mariachi, and Paris Is Burning, among many others.

Contact Us

For more information, please email us at archives@sundance.org.

Explore Our History and Supported Artists

See all the independent artists and stories supported by Sundance Institute.

Search the Digital Archives

Discover the story of Sundance Institute through our visual timeline.

A Story Begins: History of Sundance Institute

Brush up on your Festival trivia and check out our Sundance Film Festival history page.

Explore Festival History

Access The Archives

We thrive on sharing our history and the stories of our artists.

• Requests and Licensing

  To request photos, videos, or information, please complete our request form.

  Archives Request Form
• From the Vault to the Screen

  • "From the Collection" Screenings

    Whether it's through our Festivals, labs, or grants, we're always excited about the work supported by the Institute and want it to be seen for years to come. We celebrate the history of independent film through our From the Collection screenings at the Sundance Film Festival, which showcase favorites from past Festivals, and we aspire to share this history and bring attention to independent stories both old and new to audiences around the world.

  • Loan Program and Restoration Projects

    Many titles held in the Sundance Collection at UCLA have prints and DCPs available for loan. As we identify titles in need and as resources permit, we work closely with our UCLA colleagues to bring new life to films through restoration. Several restoration projects over the years have included Paris Is Burning, Desert Hearts, Hoop Dreams, and River of Grass. Many of these restoration projects then become available for loan and often find renewed interest in distribution. Some of the many titles available for loan are below.

    About the Loan Program

    
    The Living End

    
    Mi Vida Loca

    
    Four Sheets to the Wind

    
    But I'm a Cheerleader

    
    The Brother from Another Planet

    
    Down to the Bone

    
    Love and Basketball

    
    Smoke Signals

    
    Paris is Burning

    
    Me and You and Everyone We Know

    
    Living in Oblivion

    
    Wet Hot American Summer

    
    Requiem for a Dream

    
    Hoop Dreams

    
    House Party

Preserve Your Work

The work you create is vital to both the history of independent storytelling and the heritage of Sundance Institute, and we strive to protect and preserve your stories. In addition to providing a safe and secure home for your film, we offer tips and guidelines to help ensure your work is not lost, no matter the medium or platform you use.

Please help us protect your stories by taking advantage of our services and contacting our knowledgeable staff. Digital preservation is ever-evolving, so always feel free to ask questions and share your findings with us at archives@sundance.org.

• Preservation Fund

  You’re making history. From feature-length films to shorts to new-media projects, the work you create shapes independent storytelling and the heritage of Sundance Institute. We help you tell your stories—and we help you protect and preserve them, too. That’s why we’re offering, for the first time ever, open applications for the Sundance Preservation Fund, which provides $500–5,000 grants to support the preservation and restoration of all Sundance-supported projects. Our grant will contribute to funding preservation consultation, scanning services, remastering, restoration, and preservation hardware, migration, and upkeep of your project. The first round of grants was awarded in August of 2019. Applications for the 2020 preservation fund will be open starting April 7. Make history—and make it last.

  APPLY NOW

• Preservation Services

  Preserve Your Place in the History of Independent Storytelling

  Independent films often fall victim to loss or damage because of changing ownership, poor storage, closing labs, or neglect. As a result, quality prints can become difficult or impossible to find, even for films made as recently as a few years ago.

  If your film screened at the Sundance Film Festival or was supported by any of the Institute's artist development programs, you can preserve it in the Sundance Collection at UCLA, which will protect your film from damage and loss and ensure that it’ll stand the test of time.

  What You Can Do Today

  Establish the whereabouts and condition of your negative and other irreplaceable elements.

  Deposit your film. Preserve your final conformed film elements, along with prints and access copies, free of charge at the Sundance Collection at UCLA, where they’ll be properly maintained and safeguarded in UCLA’s state-of-the-art archive.

  Donate a copy. Help us build the most comprehensive access library for the study of independent cinema by donating a Blu-ray, DVD, or .mov to the Sundance Collection at UCLA for use in UCLA's Powell Library Archive Research and Study Center.

  To get started, email us at archives@sundance.org.

  Depositing Your Film FAQ

  • Do I still own the rights? Yes, if you deposit negatives or other pre-print materials, you retain all rights and can access your assets.
  • What if I have a distributor? We work with many distribution companies to ensure that their titles are safeguarded. We encourage you to start the conversation with your distributor to make sure your film is protected.
  • Where do the elements go? They are housed and maintained at the UCLA Film and Television Archive’s state-of-the-art vaults.
  • Will the print be used? On rare occasions, prints may be approved for educational and public screenings by institutions that have provided positive FIAF (International Federation of Film Archives) references.
  • If my film is in the collection, will it be restored? Resources are limited and we identify titles for restoration on a case-by-case basis.
  • Can anyone borrow the film’s video or access copy?No, access copies are only available for on-site viewing at UCLA’s Powell Library.
  • Can you cover the cost of shipping my elements? We usually can; please contact us today.
• Preservation Resources

  • Digital Preservation Guidelines

    Follow these simple but crucial tips for keeping your work safe!

    Copies, copies, copies

    Save a minimum of two copies of your content, with a third as your working files.

    

    Keep 'em separated

    Whether you choose a cloud- or drive-based storage solution, ensure your copies are stored on geographically separate servers.

    

    Be open-minded

    Consider open-source tools. Dependence on third-party developers may jeopardize long-term access to critical software. Self-sustainability is key.

    Put a label on it

    Pick a naming convention, and label all media, files, and projects accurately and consistently.

    Document everything

    Generate robust metadata as well as detailed, human-readable documentation of your work.

    

    Double-check

    Guard against digital degradation by performing fixity checks on your files and analyzing your hardware’s integrity.

    

    Join the conversation

    There’s still a lot we don’t know about preserving our digital heritage. Ask questions and share your findings: archives@sundance.org.

    

  • Preservation Tools & Resources

    Start protecting your video and web related work with these resources and tools.

    • Activists’ Guide to Archiving Video: Comprehensive video archiving workflow.
    • Conservation of media art: Best practices from an artist’s perspective.
    • Emulation-as-a-service: Emulate legacy computer systems, so that old programs will run on new computers.
    • Oldweb.today: Recreate the experience of old web browsers through emulation and explore sites of yesteryear as they were meant to be explored.
    • Tips from the trenches: Best practices for solo filmmakers.
    • Webrecorder: Create high-fidelity, interactive recordings of any website you browse.

Support Us

Help us protect the history of storytelling, champion independent voices, and inspire the stories of tomorrow. Support the Archives & Collection by becoming a member of Sundance Circle.

Learn More