reported by Brian Scott, CyberScreenwriter.com

Sundance Institute announced today the program of short films selected to screen at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. This year the Festival Short Film Program comprises 83 short films representing 17 countries from 5,107 submissions, from U.S. and international filmmakers. Submissions grew by more than 15% over last year. The 2008 Sundance Film Festival runs January 17-27 with screenings in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden, and Sundance, Utah.

"Since the beginning we recognized short films as a viable art form and an exciting way to discover and launch new talent," said John Cooper, Sundance Film Festival Director of Programming. "We will continue to find innovative ways to extend the success and reach of this amazing work and build a world- wide audience for short-form films."

"This year we received a record number of submissions, including some of the most dynamic work we've seen in years," said Trevor Groth, Sundance Film Festival Senior Programmer. "We are really proud to present the entire shorts program, which represents a higher level of filmmaking craft than ever before. The work is extremely broad and ranges from outrageous animation to fascinating short documentaries, to original and wild comedies to outstanding dramas."

Short films screen in Festival theatres prior to a feature film or as part of one of the Festival's eight short film programs. As it has in the past, Sundance Institute will continue its tradition of streaming an exclusive selection of short films online, free of charge at the official website http://www.sundance.org/festival. Every day of the Festival, one new short film will premiere online for 24 hours.