What To Know Before Participating In A Film Festival Media Inclusion Program

In the fall of 2022, I was scrolling through Twitter, now X, hunting for writing opportunities when I came across a tweet promoting the Sundance Film Festival’s Press Inclusion Initiative. The initiative, created in 2018, supports film critics from underrepresented communities to cover the festival. I was interested in covering film, but was only a few years into my writing career and I assumed I was unqualified. 

The tweet noted that up-and-coming writers and film lovers were welcomed to apply, so I put aside my imposter syndrome and put in an application. A few weeks later I learned I’d been accepted and would receive a $3,000 travel and accommodation stipend to attend in person, with full access to the festival’s events.

Sundance’s program is one of a number of diversity and inclusion initiatives for press launched at film festivals in recent years. The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and the International Film Festival Rotterdam have started similar programs. Sundance’s is remarkably generous. According to a representative from the program, since its launch, the program has given 200 journalists access to the festival’s screenings and events.