I Submitted My First Professional Short Film to Sundance and Wasn’t Selected. Here Is Why That Is Excellent

When you finish a film, there is a moment where energy and imagination collide. You start picturing festivals, screenings, and maybe even distribution. It is natural. You worked hard. You want the work seen.

Submitting Beneath the Same Sky to Sundance was part of that moment. It was our first professional short film. It had structure, planning, color grade, a defined workflow, cast, crew, and intentional creative leadership. It was funded through a competitive grant, filmed at Harbor Island Studios, and executed like a real production. So we aimed high.

Sundance reviewed the film. Then the notification came.

Not selected.

It stings for a minute. Then clarity arrives.

Submitting to Sundance was still one of the best decisions we made.

Rejection Is Not the Measurement of the Film

Sundance programmers review thousands of submissions. Many strong films never appear in the lineup. Programming is not only quality based. It is thematic, cultural, and strategic.

A rejection does not translate to:

  • The film is not good

  • The filmmaking team lacks skill

  • You should not be submitting

It means the film was not the right fit for this year, this lineup, and this programming slate.

That is normal.

Submitting Raised Our Professional Bar

Before submitting, we reviewed:

  • Audio

  • Color grading consistency

  • Titles and credits polish

  • QC pass for export

  • File naming and delivery standards

  • Frame.io review workflow

The submission forced us to finish the film at a professional standard rather than an independent “good enough” one.

This is where strategy matters. Even if Sundance was not the final landing place, the submission made the film stronger.

The Industry Saw the Film

Sundance has internal watch logs. Programmers and reviewers view, rate, and categorize submissions.

A pass from Sundance means:

Someone inside one of the most influential film institutions watched the project.

For Ragged Films, this matters. Reputation and visibility expand through consistency. The first film sets the baseline. The next one builds the pattern. The third one establishes trust.

Sundance Was the First Step, Not the Goal

When we built the submission strategy for Beneath the Same Sky, we did not expect Sundance to be the only door. We also submitted to:

  • SIFF

  • Social Justice Film Festival

  • Seattle Black Film Festival

  • Palm Springs ShortFest

  • Mammoth Lakes

  • Latino and Native American Festival

  • Justice Film Festival

  • Regional showcases that support community and attendance

These fit the story, the tone, and the purpose.

Beneath the Same Sky is a quiet, character driven drama with emotional weight and cultural relevance. It speaks to empathy, belonging, and connection. Sundance would have been ideal exposure, but not being selected does not change the film’s mission or identity.

The Work Continues

Submitting your first film to Sundance should not be treated as an attempt at “overnight success.” It is part of a process. The submission was a milestone within a larger timeline:

  • Make a film

  • Submit

  • Learn

  • Build relationships

  • Continue developing the next project

Filmmaking momentum is built through iteration.

Why This Rejection Is Encouraging

This rejection means:

  • Ragged Films is operating at the level where Sundance is a realistic submission

  • The film is complete, delivered, and part of a professional submission history

  • We are building data, experience, and a festival presence

Most importantly, we are no longer aspiring filmmakers. We are working filmmakers with a completed film on the circuit.

This is progress.

Closing Thoughts

If you submit to Sundance and are not selected, do not change who you are trying to impress. Stay focused on the story, the audience, and the work.

Prestige will come when the alignment is right.

For Ragged Films, this was not a loss.

It was the first major checkpoint.

And we are already building the next one.


Written by Thomas Scott Adams for Gray Matter
Featuring Beneath the Same Sky by Ragged Films

Location: Seattle, WA, USA

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