Filmmaking.net: Should I submit my film to a film festival? He gave me a grant to make prints of my graduation film. Almost all film festivals are run in the area in which they are held. Half of all the film festivals I could find were created since 2007, with the peak in 2009. Size and focus: Some small town festivals shouldn’t be overlooked, especially ones near large cities. A third of film festivals only lasted a single year, with under a quarter making it past six years old. 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. Distribute your marketing materials everywhere you can. Going back to networking, film festivals are one of the very best places to network and expand your reach. Participate in Q&A: Whether you are sitting on a panel or participating in the post-film Q&A, getting in … France has Cannes; Italy has Venice; Canada has Toronto. The Cannes Film Festival is the crossroads of international cinema. Other awards given out include the Grand Prix, the Jury Prize, Best Performance by an Actress and Actor, Best Director and Best Screenplay. Invite press, reviewers, and distributors to your screening. Creating marketing materials: As an independent filmmaker, it’s essential you are comfortable marketing your film. Factor these in if prizes and networking are important to you. This list of what film festivals want will hopefully give you an inside advantage: advice from the festivals themselves. More information can be found on her website. A beautiful, custom web presence for your event where submitters can discover and submit their work directly to you. Learn about the Cannes Film Festival and see Cannes Film Festival photos. The 10-hour limited series version of the same project was selected as PAGE Awards TV Drama Pilot Finalist as well as a Sundance Episodic Lab semi-finalist. Rob Leddy, Festival Director, Coney Island Film Festival See More Reviews Your One-Stop Shop. First, film festivals bring you EXPOSURE. A number of festivals even invite students to enter and may have a special award category for student films. This list of what film festivals want will hopefully give you an inside advantage: advice from the festivals themselves. Independent filmmakers might remain forever in obscurity were it not for film festivals. Feel free to use friends, or other people from your classes. With any luck, they will work for free, just to get out of class. The two other big names in the international film festival circuit are the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) in Germany (see General Regulations for Entering Films in the Berlinale 2005 to find out about submitting and Berlinale: Tickets to learn about attending), and the Venice International Film Festival (Venice Biennele) in Italy. Who are the people sitting on the juries? 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. There are literally thousands of them -- from Albania to Zimbabwe. Boom Time for New Festivals. 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. The festival began in 1978 with the threefold goal of showcasing American-made films, featuring films made outside of the Hollywood studio business and drawing directors to film their movies in Utah. Click here to take a look at the Call for Entries for Sundance 2006. Most film festivals also give the audience an opportunity to judge. Movies entered may range from shorts that are just a few minutes in length to full-length features that run 1.5 hours or more. There are no rules with how film festivals should work, but they’re generally open to the public. Film festivals tend to take place in a single locale that has several screening areas available, so that multiple films can play at once. See more, Photo courtesy Cannes - A Festival Virgin's Guide. Sundance Film Festival. — in the hopes that this will help you achieve your resolution of getting your film into a fantastic festival … People can buy tickets or passes that give them admission to film screenings. Publicity: You’ll find fans and members of the press (Like Film Fervor!) Trusted by the World’s Leading Festivals. New filmmakers have a better chance of getting into a smaller festival and then working their way up to the big-name festivals once they have achieved a few successes. Offer to do a Q&A at the screening with the crowd. Less is more. Because a lot of festivals rely on outside funding for support, they offer memberships for a yearly fee. We’re posting this on January 1, 2021 — Happy New Year, by the way! If the moviegoer is happy and well-cared for, their viewing experience will be that much better. And the United States? What differentiates a film festival from, say, the Academy Awards, is the open submission policy. Fledgling filmmakers practice their craft far from the glitter of Hollywood. The first film screened at the Festival was "Rebecca," Alfred Hitchcock's 1940 adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier's novel by the same name. She’s behind breakout careers like Lynn Shelton ( Sword of Trust) , Jeremy Saulnier ( Blue Ruin and Green Book ), and Sean Baker ( … Film festival success allows a buzz to be created about your film, get people in the industry’s attention to your work, and allow you to network with other filmmakers and screenwriters in person. Competing in film festivals can be fun and offer your film audience exposure. WHAT A FILM FESTIVAL CAN DO FOR YOUR CAREER: With the digital age, filmmakers no longer need festivals to get their work seen, but incorporating festivals into your distribution strategy is wise. Prizes are also given out for Best Director, Best Actor and Actress, Outstanding Artistic Contribution, Best Film Music, Best European Film and Innovation in Film. Keep your site updated with upcoming screenings. Custom Profile Page. A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Any filmmaker, large or small, needs to raise awareness of their film. Over 10,000 of the world’s best film festivals and contests, including 173 Academy Award / BAFTA Award accredited festivals, use FilmFreeway to reach over one million filmmakers worldwide. Most festivals have a submission fee, but there are some valuable festivals that waive the fees. "Lights! Nearly 2,000 films are submitted to the Cannes Film Festival every year, and the selection committee watches every one of them. It's one of the most frequently asked questions: how do I get my film into film festivals? You’re not going to get far in the entertainment industry without the … Film festival success allows a buzz to be created about your film, get people in the industry’s attention to your work, and allow you to network with other filmmakers and screenwriters in person. They provide an opportunity for unknown filmmakers to get their movies in front of a real live audience and to have their films reviewed by professional critics. The biggest competition is the Venezia 61, in which filmmakers vie for the Golden Lion award for best film. Film festivals are events staged by universities, private organizations, local governments, arts associations and/or film societies. Biskind, Peter. He gave me a grant to make prints of my graduation film. 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. They may also be asked to submit a director bio, a film still, a synopsis and a list of production credits. Only about 50 feature films and 10 short films are chosen to be part of the Official Selection, the main body of work that is the center of the festival. The data shows that film festivals are often run once, and then never again. Track Real-Time Progress. Weigh out what is the best bang for your buck in terms of how each festival can benefit your career and connections. Special events: Be sure the festival offers more than just films. On a very basic level, a film festival is usually a multi-day event during which a selection of films is played for audiences. The Venice International Film Festival (see the Venice Biennele FAQ to find out about submitting and Venice Biennele: Tickets to learn about attending) has a much longer history than its counterpart in Berlin. The film used many different formats. Moreover, you can Make sure you have a new project in the works to talk about! Gather press clippings and film reviews for your files and website. Distribution expert Jonathan Sadler will confirm how difficult a theatrical … You will need a crew to help run the festival. 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. Filmmakers whose movies get accepted into a festival also get valuable press attention and exposure to prospective agents and buyers, not to mention a sometimes sizeable cash award if they win. PR is critical. There are also individual prizes given out to short films. Expenses add up quickly the more festivals you submit to and attend. Filmmakers pay an entry fee (anywhere from $5 for a five-minute short to $100 for a feature film) and fill out a form describing their project. How Film Festivals Work Notable North American Festivals. But other festivals are far more specialized: They may accept only comedies, only Jewish films or only films made by female directors, for example. This annual festival is a part of Film Independent, … Organization of the moviegoer’s experience: Films should be organized by genre, venue, and/or country of origin. Here is a list of 20 film festivals, both domestic and international, that are worth submitting to in the upcoming year: 1. Prizes and recognition: Does the festival have good prizes? Industry connections and distribution: If you’re looking to connect with agents, managers or distributors, be sure those festivals are well attended by executives. Bring screeners for the press to view in the press office. : That depends on your budget and ability to attend. So, for example, let’s imagine that a made-up film festival i… A Facebook page or Twitter account isn’t enough. Invite everyone to your film’s screening. What type of follow-up do I do after a festival? Riley over at Vimeo breaks down “the why” into five encompassing categories we’ll elaborate upon here. This could result in establishing a reputation for your work or even job offers. The United States and Canada are home to dozens of festivals, both big and small. With the digital age, filmmakers no longer need festivals to get their work seen, but incorporating festivals into your distribution strategy is wise. Not every film is right for every festival. Large studios use large-budgeted public relations and marketing campaigns out of the financial reach of an independent filmmaker. Attending film festivals is a great opportunity for actors to see a bunch of indie filmmakers’ work. Some festivals are specific to one film genre, such as documentaries, or to one length, such as shorts. As Amber Sherman wrote in her piece at Filmagon, filmmakers need to be able to market not only their film, but themselves. Down and Dirty Pictures: Miramax, Sundance, and the Rise of Independent Film, New York: Simon & Schuster, 2004. Do I still have to buy a ticked in order to see a movie? You’ll need a marketing strategy and materials to promote your film, such as business cards, movie posters and a press kit. Ultimately, the movie -- which was made for a budget of just over $1 million -- grossed nearly $25 million in the United States alone. Are you submitting it to the right festivals for your film? Create a dedicated website for your project. Custom Profile Page. The famous filmmaker Federico Fellini once said that "entering the Film Palace of the Venice Film Festival was like passing a final exam.". The short answer to the economics of film festivals is… from many different places. From 1935 onward, the film festival became an annual part of the Biennele. The United States and Canada are home to dozens of festivals, both big and small. Film festivals usually sell tickets in advance, individually for each feature film, and for blocks of shorts. How to Enter a Film Festival. For more information, see How the Cannes Film Festival Works. We have Sundance—the big independent film festival in the small town of Park City, Utah.. 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. 4) You Can’t Do It All Film festivals are chaotic, and if you don’t approach them with a thought-out plan, you could end up missing choice opportunities. Hire a PR firm: They will get the buzz going about your film, set up interviews with press before, during and after the festival, and secure invitations to special events. They provide an opportunity for unknown filmmakers to get their movies in front of a real live audience and to have their films reviewed by professional critics. Some have policies about being the chosen “premiere” of your film. Make sure press will be at the event to review your film or to interview you. While many executives flock to Sundance, Toronto, and Austin, some like the thrill of finding a diamond in the rough in unexpected, more tranquil places. International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), International Short Film Festival – Clermont-Ferrand, Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO), San Francisco International Film Festival, San Sebastian International Film Festival, Santa Barbara International Film Festival, South by Southwest Film Conference and Festival (SXSW), Portobello Film Festival (United Kingdom) -, African Diaspora Film Festival (New York) -, The London International Documentary Festival, Loisaida Cortos Latino Film Festival (New York), A Nightmare to Remember International Horror Film Festival (California), Arizona State University Art Museum Film Festival -, Calgary International Film Festival (Canada) -, Marabella International Film Festival (Spain), Lights. Filmmakers need to submit their film, but will you rarely get a chance to build audiences, bringing to... Number of festivals, both big and small the attention of Miramax Studios, which ``... 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