What It Actually Takes to Get Into Sundance

Sundance has moved. In January 2027 the festival trades Park City for Boulder, Colorado, and with that move comes a fresh round of press accreditation that freelancers cannot afford to treat casually.

Credentials opened August 24 and they are limited. That single fact should change how you approach the application. This is not a form you fill out on autopilot between other deadlines.

What Sundance Is Actually Asking For

Sundance encourages freelance journalists to apply with an assignment letter rather than showing up as an unaffiliated writer hoping for the best. An assignment letter is a short, direct note from an editor confirming that a specific outlet has commissioned coverage of the festival from you.

If you do not have a staff position, this is the document that separates a real application from a hopeful one. Editors are not writing these lightly, so the ask matters. Be specific about what you plan to cover: premieres, panels, a particular strand of independent film, or filmmaker interviews.

Why Boulder Changes the Calculus

A new host city means new logistics for the festival itself, and that often means organizers are more selective about credential volume in year one. Apply early, apply with a clear plan, and do not wait for a nudge from the festival.

Building Your Pitch Before You Apply

Editors are far more likely to write you an assignment letter when you arrive with a pitch already shaped: a filmmaker angle, a distribution trend, or a specific section of programming you want to own. Do the pitching first. The credential follows the assignment, not the other way around.

Media credentials: Sundance Press Accreditation

Sundance Film Festival Press & Communications Contacts

Updated September 25, 2026

Tiffany Duersch

Interim Head of Communications
Sundance Institute / Sundance Film Festival

Email: tiffany_duersch@sundance.org
Press Office: press@sundance.org

Rachel Walker

Associate Director, Communications
Sundance Institute / Sundance Film Festival

Email: rachel_walker@sundance.org
Press Office: press@sundance.org

Sylvy Fernández

Publicist
Sundance Institute / Sundance Film Festival

Email: sylvy_fernandez@sundance.org
Press Office: press@sundance.org

Alex Courides

Manager, Communications
Sundance Institute / Sundance Film Festival

Email: alex_courides@sundance.org
Press Office: press@sundance.org

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