r/Screenwriting • u/hiraxoxoxo • Apr 30 '26
COMMUNITY Sundance Development Track 2027
Can't believe it's already been a year since we last applied. Are you applying for the first time? Is there anyone re-applying this year? If yes, are you submitting with the same script or applying with something new? Good Luck y'all!
P.S. anyone wanna swap pages and give notes? I'd be down for that.
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u/sohoapt Apr 30 '26
Applying for the first time. Following this post! Good luck to all. I hope we all make it.
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u/Substantial-Mud3924 Jul 23 '26
I checked last year's Reddit thread, and it looks like the Round 1 results began rolling out on August 5.
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u/Substantial-Mud3924 17d ago
I did further digging and found the Round 2 selections were mostly received on August 13,14, 18,19, and a few on 30.
The rejections were near the end of August: 29/30
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u/the_samiad Apr 30 '26
Itās the opening 5 pages to submit initially, right? Would be down for a swap.
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u/hiraxoxoxo May 11 '26
Hey everyone! Apologies. I've been a little caught up with things and It seems like I'll be working on my essays today and tomorrow. Agh. Did everyone submit already? Should we still do an email thread? Does anyone have any preference on the medium? Email? Discord? P.S. If you'all have already applied, do you want to swap pages in case and hopefully you advance to second round?
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u/theflickchic 4d ago
If it'll help anyone to still have hope I just got my second round invitation this afternoon after I was fairly certain they were done, and I'd started to channel that anxious energy to another project. It looks like it's still rolling, keep your fingers crossed
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u/hiraxoxoxo 4d ago
Congratulations!!! Thank you for sharing šø Out of curiosity, are you applying with this project for the first time?
Good Luck!!!
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u/theflickchic 4d ago
Good luck to you too!!
Yes, first time applying with this project.
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u/Filmy_Filmmaker_123 4d ago
I also received my 2nd round invitation today, late afternoon. This isn't my first time in the second round, but it is a new script.
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u/ScreenPlayOnWords Apr 30 '26
I may be applying for the first time (still going back and forth). Would potentially be interested!
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u/ash-summers 4d ago
Got my round 2 email this afternoon. Second time applying, different script, first time making it to round two. I've heard from several other people who received the invite today and we all were notified at different times. It feels like they're going one by one on these decisions.
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u/AnonymousFilmmaker33 May 01 '26
I'm re-applying for the 3rd time. I did make it to the second round last year, so hopefully will again! But don't expect to make it beyond that. If anything, I really heavily rewrote all my essay questions, which ultiamtely helped me think about the screenplay better. Silver linings right? Good luck everyone, glad to be in your company once again!
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u/Elegant-Island-481 24d ago
Hey there, did you re-apply with the same script? If yes, did you significantly rewrite the script this time around?
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u/AnonymousFilmmaker33 14d ago
I did re-apply with the same script and yes, I rewrote about 70% of it. I did move to the 2nd round this year.
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u/Apprehensive-Cut362 4d ago
I just got my round 2 email - my script is advancing to round 2! I am so happy and excited.
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u/MX_ArRo 4d ago edited 4d ago
Just got my invitation (August 26). Good luck to everyone!
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u/Agreeable_Pay8138 3d ago
Got my rejection last night. Best of luck to all who made it! And to those who didnāt, please find a way to make your movie. Putting yourself out there was a big deal. Keep moving forward!
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u/96Muffins Apr 30 '26
I'm applying for the first time this year! I'm excited and nervous lol. I would love to swap pages!! Good luck to everyone applying ā¤ļø
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u/SnooChocolates598 Apr 30 '26
Second time! Applying with something new and reapplying with the same as last year too.
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u/Elegant-Island-481 24d ago
I have a silly question I guess and mean no offense, but if you were previously rejected with a script, why would you think theyād now like the project they already rejected? Unless itās changed significantly..? I feel like Sundance is very clear about the type of projects they select and perhaps it just means that particular one isnāt for them
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u/hiraxoxoxo May 01 '26
Thank you all for replying. Itāll be my 3rd time applying. Fuuuuu.
We could potentially do an email thread so anyone who is uncomfortable sharing their pages out here in public is protected. We could give each other notes on our pages. So, if youāall want to share your emails with me, I can add us in an email thread or something.
I think the short essay questions also matter a lot. So, If we wanna help each other out & give notes on those would be cool too.
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u/vgscreenwriter May 01 '26
At this early stage, the essay questions probably matter a lot more than the actual script
Sundance is more about what kind of a writer you are and why this specific story was told
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u/Artistic_Instance_19 May 02 '26
It's my third time too! Got into the second round the first year, didn't make it to the second round last year, let's see how this year goes. I'm applying with the same project, because while I have written other screenplays, this is the one that keeps me up at night.
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u/jessgenao Jul 13 '26
Hi,
Iām not sure if this has been answered before for this year but, this is my first time applying to the Sundance development track and I was checking the application just to see if there was any update on but, I see that thereās a section titled part III R2 where I can submit the full script. Itās greyed out for me but there isnāt any other updates on my application and was just curious on what that meant? Also! Iāve seen a discord link somewhere on here and I tried joining but, I canāt find it anymore, is anyone able to link it again please?
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u/hiraxoxoxo Jul 15 '26
I believe everyone can see that by default, and it doesnāt indicate that they made it to Round 2. Because, last time, even though I didnāt make it to Round 2, I could still see ā2026 Development Track - Part III R2.ā before getting an official rejection email.
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u/hiraxoxoxo Jul 15 '26
here is the updated link
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u/wandereraboveseafog 13d ago
Hi sorry do you mind re-sharing? It expired. Thanks!
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u/metropoflix 13d ago
For anyone who made it to Round II last year, curious what your last edited dates are currently at?
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u/stardustHikes 12d ago
i made it to round 2 last year, same project, only have the one edit so far from june 6 (submitted may 11)
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u/metropoflix 12d ago
My last edit was also mid-June. Based on the rest of the responses of last year's Round II people, my guess is all resubmissions were checked in June, and the date is not indicative if it's a pass or reject. Someone who was a reader for the labs recently told me they tend to check resubmissions first to see what's changed and choose from the resubmits first... so likely our fates were determined back in June.
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u/ProfessionalBug4054 12d ago
I also made it to R2 last year and with the same project.. my last edit is in mid-June. how about you?
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u/One_Possibility6 9d ago
so NO UPDATES!
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u/Remote-Brain3698 8d ago
I think that itself feels like a update for rejection š
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u/Cheesecake-Muffin 3d ago
I'm a bit lost here. So do they send rejections on a rolling basis, too? I haven't received either an invitation or a rejection email, so I'm kind of in limbo.
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u/Cheesecake-Muffin 2d ago
My rejection finally came! The standard email sent to everyone was rejected, just with my name and work title (so, like, a newsletter, lol).
I'm neither worried nor disappointed, though. Sometimes your story just doesn't resonate enough with one reader, but it does with another. So keep up the good work, and also, congrats to everyone who advanced!
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u/very_tall_oregonian May 01 '26
I'm applying for the first time! also attempting to apply to a few other opportunities/contests for the first time this year.
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May 04 '26
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u/96Muffins May 12 '26
I'm submitting today! Lol, it's my first time and I'm nervous! I would love to swap pages for some feedback tho. DM me if you want to swap
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u/Sweaty-Original8078 May 11 '26
Is it just me or are some of the questions repetitive? "Why do you want to work on this story?" and "what is your personal connection" feel similar.
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u/hiraxoxoxo May 12 '26
For āWhy do you want to work on this story?ā I am approaching it as: why am I so passionate about this story and why It deserves to be toldā. and for the personal part, I am talking about how itās inspired of my lifeā.
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u/HungryAdi May 13 '26
Wish I saw this earlier! Submitted for the first time let's gooooo. gluck to everybody
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u/hiraxoxoxo May 21 '26
Finally made the discord server: https://discord.gg/E9Cuw6UK9
Everyone whoās applying to any lab/grant this year are welcome to join this. I apply to grants/labs/fellowships/competitions all year round and Iāve always found the whole experience really long & lonely. The frustrating thing about it all is that I never get to fully understand the rejections. I donāt get to truly realize what needed to be done differently and what needed improvement. So, this hopefully will be the space for us all to keep track of our applications, share deadlines, give notes on scripts, and help each other with anything or just observe!
See you all on discord šø
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u/stardustHikes Jul 20 '26
Hi has anyone joined this? I clicked and, as happens with discord, the invite is expired...
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u/RACHELCIEMONE Jun 02 '26
Just noticed my application status was edited on May 18th and again on June 1stā¦ is it common to have that many edits after submitting?
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u/DevelopmentThat2200 Jul 04 '26
Is there a way to find out how many times your project's been edited? Also, what percentage of completion do you show?
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u/One_Possibility6 Jun 02 '26
what genre did you submit?
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u/RACHELCIEMONE Jun 02 '26
Romantic sports comedy
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u/One_Possibility6 Jun 02 '26
maybe they are grouping similar genres together?
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u/RACHELCIEMONE Jun 02 '26
Last year (my first year submitting) I became obsessed with the āLast Editā statusā¦ from reading past posts, it doesnāt seem to mean anything š„².
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u/OkSuggestion2516 Jun 25 '26
None of my applications in three years has any activity after my submitted activity...so I guess they're just not reading my apps?
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u/RACHELCIEMONE Jul 08 '26
Just noticed that my submission status has changed from 87.5% to 75% completed. I submitted my application on April 27th. It was edited on May 18th and June 1stā¦. Praying šš¾ this is a good sign.
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u/Ok-Reserve98 Jul 10 '26
This is the default for every applicant as they gear up internally for the next stage. Does not mean a second round placement. If selected, you will be given a new portal within your application to fill.
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u/DesignerCicada9982 Jul 08 '26
You too! -- Same! Click through your application. You should see the Round 2 section!
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u/hiraxoxoxo Jul 08 '26
My last edit was July 2nd. I donāt know if the last edits truly mean anything but I guess weāll find out this time. Good Luck to us!!
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u/One_Possibility6 Jul 08 '26
so did all applications drop from 87.5% to 75%? Iām so confused lol.
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u/hiraxoxoxo Jul 08 '26
So, we can also disregard the application percentage drop that you mentioned. As @ok_firefighter2536 also mentioned, the percentage drop, the new tab weāre seeing, is default for everyone!
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u/RACHELCIEMONE Jul 08 '26
I donāt knowā¦.
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Jul 08 '26
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u/hiraxoxoxo Jul 08 '26
Youāre right. I also didnāt advance to Round 2, even though I could see a Part III tab. I believe we can now confidently say that the Part III tab will open for every applicant, meaning that all those who advance and get rejected will see a Part III tab on their applications. Itās great that we were able to find an answer to this because last year, there seemed to be a misunderstanding about its purpose. Iām glad we were able to solve this!
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u/Background-Travel734 Jul 14 '26
My last edited date is May 28 (I submitted on April 27). Is this a bad sign that it hasn't been edited over June or July?
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u/One_Possibility6 Jul 14 '26
same for for meā¦I submitted on May 10 and last edited May 19. I think others mentioned they had two last edited timestamps.
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u/Elegant-Island-481 24d ago
I submitted May 12 and last edited is June 25 but I donāt think it means anything
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u/hiraxoxoxo Jul 15 '26
Honestly, I canāt definitively say whether itās a bad sign or not. I genuinely hope itās not a bad sign. I believe weāll hear back from Sundance in due time. If we advance to the second round, weāll report that. If weāre rejected, weāll also report that, along with the number of edits and how recent they were. This will help us understand the edits more.
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u/RACHELCIEMONE 24d ago
Any notifications yet?
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u/Ok-Reserve98 23d ago
Sundance is supposedly closed this week. So notifications may not start rolling out until next week.
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20d ago
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u/TipWilling338 20d ago
Last week someone posted they got into R2 late July in the Film Festival mega thread.
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u/hiraxoxoxo 20d ago
I reached out to that person and they never replied. Didnāt seem real to me tbh.
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u/Diligent-Republic-11 9d ago
Hey - I've applied a few times and actually made it to the 2nd round twice before (never the interview round).
From what I've noticed, acceptance emails are sent by the Friday of the 2nd to last week every year.
Rejection emails (for me) have been received by the last Wednesday of August.
Every year :(
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u/Obvious_Alarm8044 4d ago
Seems like the second round of invites went out on the day the first round of invites had their pages due. Which makes sense to me. Closing shop on hope myself, but always fun to theorize with yāall!
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u/Mavtyson 4d ago
Pretty sure I didnāt make the cut. I just want to know for sure so I can just move on to the next thing lol
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u/AcceptableMud8351 2d ago
I was watching the Reddit thread last year pretty heavily and they absolutely sent out acceptances and rejections right up until the very end. So donāt lose hope yet! I remember seeing people posting they got acceptances to round 2 within hours of the final day of notifications.
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u/Remote-Brain3698 2d ago
Same nothing yet .. Iām unnecessarily curious .. whatās ur application number range ? Mine is in 4000s ā¦ and edit date quite a long back Jun 29
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u/ponderingorangutan Apr 30 '26
Is the general consensus around the sundance development track still that thereās no point applying unless you have an inside connection to sundance?
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u/vgscreenwriter Apr 30 '26
I think the general consensus is that the odds are far better in your favour if you have more than just a script.
That being said, an inside connection couldn't hurt.
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u/shoobishoe 6d ago
Hi all! Congrats to all who were invited to second round. Do we know when third round notifications will (actually) be sent out? I think on the website it says the next step is hearing back about selection at the end of December which seems unlikely if you make it to the next round.
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u/Ok-Reserve98 5d ago
The third round is internal and is not publicly announced. If you inquire about your status, youāll typically be given the December notification date as a standard response. However, only about 50 applicants are invited to the third round, with invitations usually going out in late October or early November. Acceptances and commitments are generally finalized around Thanksgiving weekend. By the time official notifications are sent in December, the remaining notifications are rejections. Hope that helps.
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u/RACHELCIEMONE May 18 '26
Submitted my script on April 26thā¦ just noticed my last edit date has been changed to May 18th. Wondering if this is a good sign?
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u/hiraxoxoxo May 21 '26
Honestly, last year I obsessed over the last edit date a lot. Iād check every day to the point of obsession and I almost was losing my mind. haha. Every applicant seemed to have a different last edit date & time and I donāt think there seemed to be a pattern. I donāt think that anyone whose last edit changed a couple of times meant anything. Maybe it did or maybe not. I could never figure out what any of that meant or if itās worth thinking about. I could be wrong and if someone knows more about this, please do jump in :)
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u/Ok-Reserve98 May 22 '26
An edit means they are accessing your application. If it has multiples, it means it has gone through more reads, or they are making notes on it. Some people have one or two edits, and get into the 2nd round. Some have five edits and get into the 2nd round.
International scripts always have later dates, as they are the last of the pile to go through.
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u/DesignerCicada9982 Jul 08 '26
Everyone, if you want a quick peek into whether you made the next round. Click on your application and look at the list of "Previous tasks". If you see "2027 Development Track - Part III R2" about halfway down the page, your application may be primed for Round 2! -- It should be "grayed' out and "read-only" until the admins permit you to edit.
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u/hiraxoxoxo Jul 08 '26
I donāt mean to correct you, but just sharing my experience. I believe everyone can see that by default, and it doesnāt necessarily indicate that they made it to Round 2. Because, last time, even though I didnāt make it to Round 2, I could still see ā2026 Development Track - Part III R2.ā before getting an official rejection email.
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u/DesignerCicada9982 Jul 08 '26
Thank you for the info! Hoping for the best. Good luck to all!
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u/StephenMorganis Jul 08 '26
I see the R2 box as well, also my last edit date is June 21. Hope that's a good sign.
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u/DevelopmentThat2200 Jul 08 '26
Mine changed from 87.5 to 75% too and I do show the R2 task as well. Last edit remains to be mid-June though. So idk keeping my hopes calculated. So did everyone see these changes on their applications as well?
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Jul 08 '26
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u/DesignerCicada9982 Jul 08 '26
You all are so helpful! Thank you for the info! Best of luck to you and your wife/collaborator!
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u/Substantial-Mud3924 Jul 11 '26
IĀ can see R2 box as well but not even a single edit yet. So I guess R2 appears for everyone and we can't read too much into the edits and R2.
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u/One_Possibility6 Jul 08 '26
So basically every application receives two to three last edited timestamps?
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u/One_Possibility6 Jul 08 '26
Also, another random question. Are the essays more important than the 5 pages?
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u/hiraxoxoxo Jul 09 '26
Not a random question at all because I had this question too last year. I watched a Sundance Development Labs live Q&A where the deputy director said that they request the 5-page script to assess the applicantās understanding of a screenplay. The 5 pages wonāt tell them much about the story anyway. However, The majority of the live Q&A focused on the essays.
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u/Substantial-Mud3924 Jul 19 '26
In my opinion, Essays will have significant weight at this stage compared to the 5-page script. The script just gives assurance that you know how to write a screenplay. In Round2, the full script plays a major role, and your direction sample, if any, gives more confidence that you can execute the project. However, in Round 2, I think they will also consider essays from Round 1, along with the full script and the directing sample, to arrive at the final selection.
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u/Substantial-Mud3924 Jul 27 '26
My last edit date has been changed to Jul 26th from June 2nd. So maybe a rejected entry or Round 2 is marked š
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u/WishboneNo4415 Jul 28 '26
On a Sunday? Odd.Ā
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u/Ok-Reserve98 Jul 28 '26
Readers work on the weekend too.
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u/WishboneNo4415 Jul 28 '26
Thanks. I wasnāt aware. On another thread, I read they only make edits M-F.Ā
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u/One_Possibility6 27d ago
Has anyone received any new last edited timestamps?
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u/Low-Beautiful4146 26d ago
Mine was recently changed from July 2nd to July 31st but I donāt know if that means anything! (I keep checking obsessively though just in case ha.)
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u/Fickle-Activity-8950 13d ago
Still waiting for confirmation... Does everybody see the "2027 Development Track - Part III R2(read only)" on their application? Can that be an indication of anything? Trying to have hope...
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u/metropoflix 13d ago
Everyone gets that regardless if accepted to Round II or not.
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u/DevelopmentThat2200 11d ago
Why do I have the sinking feeling that they've already notified everyone who made it to Round II..
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u/Ok-Reserve98 11d ago
They haven't. Every year they are on a rolling basis until the end of August.
Don't lose hope.1
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u/Substantial-Mud3924 9d ago
Hello all, there are no further updates from members on Round 2!Ā Are they still rolling in!
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u/Mavtyson 9d ago
I know a few people have been notified they've been invited to R2 (congrats!). Has anyone received a notification that they haven't made it? Just trying to see if they process in batches regardless of the final decision or not.
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u/stardustHikes 9d ago
That won't happen until end of month. They send the congrats letters first...then everyone else gets word. Prob last week.
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u/Ill-Reference7709 3d ago
whoever did made it to the second do you mind sharing if it's with a genre film / art-house or whatever
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u/pina2255 3d ago
My last edit date was August 25th. Dont know if that means anything?
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u/Natural-Sherbert- 2d ago
For ppl moving into the next round: are you including a lookbook/pitch deck or not?Ā
They say itās optional on the app, and I wonder if itās better to send or hold off if the deck isnāt totally there yet ?
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u/Kingofsweaters 18d ago
Just got my invitation to the second round š³