Your film may not open at Slamdance, but it could wind up there down the line. Following this trend, a number of festivals have expanded into the online arena. Nearly 2,000 films are submitted to the Cannes Film Festival every year, and the selection committee watches every one of them. © 2021 Active Interest Media All Rights Reserved. Jeanne Veillette Bowerman is an Executive at Pipeline Media Group and former Editor-in-Chief of Script magazine and a former Senior Editor at Writer's Digest, where she wrote the regular screenwriting column, Take Two, for Writer's Digest print magazine. WHAT A FILM FESTIVAL CAN DO FOR YOUR CAREER: . Just because you didn’t get into a top festival, doesn’t mean your film isn’t good. Offer to do a Q&A at the screening with the crowd. Drea is a festival programmer for Sundance Film Festival, Geena Davis’ Bentonville Film Festival, and has previously worked for L.A. Film Festival and Slamdance. The online festivals bring a large audience of fresh eyes to true indie work. Size and focus: Some small town festivals shouldn’t be overlooked, especially ones near large cities. Robert Gardner was very supportive of my work when I was there. Generally, filmmakers are given a deadline by which they need to submit their film(s). Special events: Be sure the festival offers more than just films. With the digital age, filmmakers no longer need festivals to get their work seen, but incorporating festivals into your distribution strategy is wise. Here is a list of 20 film festivals, both domestic and international, that are worth submitting to in the upcoming year: 1. There are also individual prizes given out to short films. Camera. Film festivals are the places and events where cinema and the moving image can be elevated and celebrated in all its guises. Networking: Film Festivals provide a huge resource for filmmakers to find like-minded people in the business as well as audiences that, potentially, come from all over the world. Every festival works differently, and every festivals … Toronto and Sundance are just two of the film festivals that have an online branch. The next thing you should do is research the festival … There are no rules with how film festivals should work, but they’re generally open to the public. 76-79. Large studios use large-budgeted public relations and marketing campaigns out of the financial reach of an independent filmmaker. Often, while the screenings are underway in one part of a film festival, there are simultaneous workshops on screenwriting, film production, finding an agent and other subjects related to the art and business of filmmaking. Industry connections and distribution: If you’re looking to connect with agents, managers or distributors, be sure those festivals are well attended by executives. First, film festivals bring you EXPOSURE. While most film festivals will take a long time to prepare, they can also be done quickly, and less professionally at the high school level. Often times, the parties, panels, discussions, Q&A’s, and networking events are where your best connections are made. How to Enter a Film Festival. We’re posting this on January 1, 2021 — Happy New Year, by the way! The data shows that film festivals are often run once, and then never again. Gather press clippings and film reviews for your files and website. Festivals accept one or more formats, including 35mm, 16mm, Super 8, VHS, Beta and/or DVD. Are the movies shown in a regular movie theater? A lot of the top tier short film festivals such as Encounters, Clermont Ferrand and the London Short Film Festival do not have any type of premiere policy. Bring screeners for the press to view in the press office. The online festival serves as a perfect learning curve in marketing your film. Every festival works differently, and every festivals … Prizes are also awarded in several other categories including best short film and best first feature. The famous filmmaker Federico Fellini once said that "entering the Film Palace of the Venice Film Festival was like passing a final exam.". Boom Time for New Festivals. The short answer to the economics of film festivals is… from many different places. He gave me a grant to make prints of my graduation film. Publicity: You’ll find fans and members of the press (Like Film Fervor!) If we’re not attending them we’re reporting on them, and what happens at them affects what movies end up making it into theaters, where we report on them again. In 1930, the event was expanded to include music, theater and cinema. http://www.champselyseesfilmfestival.com/en/, www.clermont-filmfest.com/index.php?nlang=2, www.sansebastianfestival.com/in/index.php, http://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/festival/festival.html, http://www.salemfilmfestival.com/2011/index.html, http://www.freerangefilm.com/submission.html, http://www.greatriverfilmfestival.com/submit.html, http://www.anightmaretoremember.com/home.html, http://asuartmuseum.asu.edu/filmfest/index.php, http://strasbourgfilmfest.com/submissions.html, http://www.londonundergroundfilmfestival.org.uk/, http://www.torontourbanfilmfestival.com/submit, Ask the Expert: Can an Out-of-the-Box Indie Succeed, Balls of Steel: A New World of Distribution - Goodbye Promise Releases on IndieGoGo. Any filmmaker, large or small, needs to raise awareness of their film. Going back to networking, film festivals are one of the very best places to network and expand your reach. It then had a run at the Cannes Film Festival, where Soderbergh walked away with the coveted Palme d'Or. What differentiates a film festival from, say, the Academy Awards, is the open submission policy. With thousands of festivals around the world, though, deciding which festivals to submit your film to and when to submit can be overwhelming.I am a filmmaker who has shown films at several festivals and submitted to many more. Film festivals give new talent an opportunity to shine, while also showcasing the work of already well-known and respected filmmakers. Track Real-Time Progress. Cannes!" Are you waiting until the end of the submission process when the programmers are exhausted from watching thousands of films, or are you taking advantage of catching a programmer’s eye by submitting early? The Berlin Film Festival was founded in 1951, just six years after the end of World War II, as part of an attempt to restore Germany to its former artistic glory. And the United States? Judging differs from festival to festival; but usually, each member of the jury votes by secret ballot, and the film that receives the majority of votes wins. This was so it could go to film festivals. This list of what film festivals want will hopefully give you an inside advantage: advice from the festivals themselves. With any luck, they will work for free, just to get out of class. The data shows that film festivals are often run once, and then never again. What type of follow-up do I do after a festival? Politics: Many film festivals have politics surrounding them. Some festivals are broad in scope -- they welcome a wide range of subject matter and film lengths. A third of film festivals only lasted a single year, with under a quarter making it past six years old. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. There are literally thousands of them -- from Albania to Zimbabwe. Created since 2007, with the coveted Palme d'Or two of the moviegoer ’ s no evidence of … online. 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