The data shows that film festivals are often run once, and then never again. 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. Going back to networking, film festivals are one of the very best places to network and expand your reach. 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. At the festival, the movie is screened for the jury as well as for the audience. 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. Other awards are given by a separate jury to short films. Fledgling filmmakers practice their craft far from the glitter of Hollywood. The biggest and most prestigious festivals (Cannes and Sundance) are usually the hardest to break into because there is so much competition for a limited number of slots. Film festivals are events staged by universities, private organizations, local governments, arts associations and/or film societies. And many film buffs are looking to the Internet for the latest independent releases. Specialized and Unique Festivals. There are no rules with how film festivals should work, but they’re generally open to the public. The next thing you should do is research the festival … Every festival works differently, and every festivals … The first film screened at the Festival was "Rebecca," Alfred Hitchcock's 1940 adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier's novel by the same name. He gave me a grant to make prints of my graduation film. Our ultimate aim is to build audiences, bringing people to independent VOD projects. 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? A third of film festivals only lasted a single year, with under a quarter making it past six years old. The short answer to the economics of film festivals is… from many different places. Some festivals accept films that have already been screened elsewhere; others require that films have not been broadcast anywhere prior to the festival. The film used many different formats. Some festivals are specific to one film genre, such as documentaries, or to one length, such as shorts. Track Real-Time Progress. The United States and Canada are home to dozens of festivals, both big and small. It could be as simple as scheduling conflicts, or too many films submitted in that genre. Distribution expert Jonathan Sadler will confirm how difficult a theatrical … Are the movies shown in a regular movie theater? You can find out more here: - How Lift-Off Helps Filmmakers. Sundance Film Festival. Competing in film festivals can be fun and offer your film audience exposure. Cannes!" If there’s no evidence of … However, don’t get hung up on larger festivals like Sundance as the be all and end all. On a very basic level, a film festival is usually a multi-day event during which a selection of films is played for audiences. Following this trend, a number of festivals have expanded into the online arena. Learn about the Cannes Film Festival and see Cannes Film Festival photos. Ansen, David. "Lights! The film caught the attention of Miramax Studios, which released "Sex, Lies, and Videotape" in August 1989. Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this HowStuffWorks.com article: Copyright © 2021 HowStuffWorks, a division of InfoSpace Holdings, LLC, a System1 Company. Members not only get tickets to festival screenings, but they also get invitations to special events, discounts at local restaurants and shops and the opportunity to purchase festival tickets before they become available to the public. Unfortunately, there is no clear answer. Offer to do a Q&A at the screening with the crowd. Most film festivals also give the audience an opportunity to judge. Half of all the film festivals I could find were created since 2007, with the peak in 2009. This list of what film festivals want will hopefully give you an inside advantage: advice from the festivals themselves. USA Film Festival – National Short Film & Video Competition – One of the oldest and most respected festivals and film arts organizations in the U.S. 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. Face-to-face meetings are the best way to make lasting connections. Here are just a few: Visit just about any big city in the world and you'll find at least one annual film festival. We'll describe how you can attend an event, how you can enter a film in a festival, how the films are judged and what the rewards are for those filmmakers who win. Film festivals usually sell tickets in advance, individually for each feature film, and for blocks of shorts. Every festival works differently, and every festivals … How to Enter a Film Festival. But other festivals are far more specialized: They may accept only comedies, only Jewish films or only films made by female directors, for example. Film Festivals can be a vital part of the life of a film’s life cycle. The best way to find work is to look for festivals in your area. Join the Script newsletter and find excellent resources to improve your screenwriting today! Boom Time for New Festivals. One such film was Steven Soderbergh's "Sex, Lies, and Videotape," which debuted at Sundance Film Festival in 1989 and won the Audience Prize. Some previously unknown films debut at festivals and go on to become big commercial successes. Make sure press will be at the event to review your film or to interview you. Robert Gardner was very supportive of my work when I was there. The online festivals bring a large audience of fresh eyes to true indie work. Are you submitting it to the right festivals for your film? With the digital age, filmmakers no longer need festivals to get their work seen, but incorporating festivals into your distribution strategy is wise. As an Official Selection of a festival, your film will play in at least one theatre for at least one audience. Submitting a film to the wrong festival is likely to end in rejection. The Venice International Film Festival lasts for 10 days each September. Some filmmakers are even creative enough to reach out to programmers without paying a fee at all! Your film may not open at Slamdance, but it could wind up there down the line. Participate in Q&A: Whether you are sitting on a panel or participating in the post-film Q&A, getting in … It's one of the most frequently asked questions: how do I get my film into film festivals? We’re posting this on January 1, 2021 — Happy New Year, by the way! For more information on film festivals and related topics, check out the links on the next page. Newsweek, May 19, 1997, pgs. Toronto and Sundance are just two of the film festivals that have an online branch. Most importantly, if a film gets great reviews at a festival, even a short film, it will add credibility to your voice and possibly find you an agent or a manager. The United States and Canada are home to dozens of festivals, both big and small. We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. A beautiful, custom web presence for your event where submitters can discover and submit their work directly to you. Track Real-Time Progress. Cannes is as much an event in itself as it is a showcase for some of the best films in the world. 69% of festivals receive at least three forms of funding and only 14% receive all of their money from a … Head programmer and decision makers of Euregion Film Festival 2020 tell you how they work. 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. As the saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Potential of exposure of your film: Quality exposure is as important as quantity. Most festivals have a submission fee, but there are some valuable festivals that waive the fees. The online festival serves as a perfect learning curve in marketing your film. It used 35mm archival footage, 16mm, Super 8, video. Prizes are also awarded in several other categories including best short film and best first feature. So, for example, let’s imagine that a made-up film festival i… She’s behind breakout careers like Lynn Shelton ( Sword of Trust) , Jeremy Saulnier ( Blue Ruin and Green Book ), and Sean Baker ( … 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. Other awards given out include the Grand Prix, the Jury Prize, Best Performance by an Actress and Actor, Best Director and Best Screenplay. Generally, filmmakers are given a deadline by which they need to submit their film(s). Categories may include: If a movie is accepted, the festival organizers notify the filmmaker. If the moviegoer is happy and well-cared for, their viewing experience will be that much better. Many people don’t realize that even with a festival pass, you still need a ticket for each film, and this can mean waiting in … It then had a run at the Cannes Film Festival, where Soderbergh walked away with the coveted Palme d'Or. Camera. 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. 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. Any filmmaker, large or small, needs to raise awareness of their film. Just because you didn’t get into a top festival, doesn’t mean your film isn’t good. Organization of the moviegoer’s experience: Films should be organized by genre, venue, and/or country of origin. A beautiful, custom web presence for your event where submitters can discover and submit their work directly to you. Feel free to use friends, or other people from your classes. Robert Gardner was very supportive of my work when I was there. Harmon, Renée and Jim Lawrence. Publicity: You’ll find fans and members of the press (Like Film Fervor!) Most festivals are open to the public. They are usually open to filmmakers and anyone else interested in film. No one can watch 100 films. In light of these considerations, small towns and cities with multiple screening locations are often good backdrops for film festivals. In 2004, the Sundance festival received nearly 6,000 submissions; it accepted 255 of those films. Moreover, you can Consider the location: Can you afford to get there? In 2003, the Sundance Online Film Festival site hosted more than 600,000 visitors. And How? Rob Leddy, Festival Director, Coney Island Film Festival See More Reviews Your One-Stop Shop. How to Start and Organize a Film Festival: Film Festivals are a great way to showcase new movies that you and your classmates have produced. You’re better off setting up meetings ahead of time, especially with people you already have a relationship with via Twitter or Facebook. It’s ALSO a place for actors to actually meet indie filmmakers, and to become legitimate fans of their work. The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival Web site: http://www.fullframefest.org/... Festivals Around the World. Action! Ultimately, the movie -- which was made for a budget of just over $1 million -- grossed nearly $25 million in the United States alone. As Amber Sherman wrote in her piece at Filmagon, filmmakers need to be able to market not only their film, but themselves. Not every film is right for every festival. Special events: Be sure the festival offers more than just films. So watch out for phone numbers with area codes that don’t correspond to the area in which the festival is held, or numbers which no longer work when you call. France has Cannes; Italy has Venice; Canada has Toronto. 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. Film festivals are typically divided into categories. We have Sundance—the big independent film festival in the small town of Park City, Utah.. Here is a list of 20 film festivals, both domestic and international, that are worth submitting to in the upcoming year: 1. There are literally thousands of them -- from Albania to Zimbabwe. People can buy tickets or passes that give them admission to film screenings. 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. PR is critical. 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. Los Angeles Film Festival. Festivals accept one or more formats, including 35mm, 16mm, Super 8, VHS, Beta and/or DVD. Most festivals accept submissions from any filmmaker, regardless of his or her past experience or budget. But all festivals have something in common: They celebrate the art of film and they champion the artists who produce it. You’re not going to get far in the entertainment industry without the … For more information, see How the Cannes Film Festival Works. Contact everyone you spoke to via email, thanking them for their time, etc. It used 35mm archival footage, 16mm, Super 8, video. More information can be found on her website. Each film festival has its own set of rules. A Facebook page or Twitter account isn’t enough. Before submitting a film for consideration, filmmakers need to research which festivals are most appropriate for their subject. The jury is usually made up of film critics, professors and/or filmmakers who will judge each film for its artistic merit, production value, creativity and overall impression. Large studios use large-budgeted public relations and marketing campaigns out of the financial reach of an independent filmmaker. You consent to our cookies if you continue to use our website. Industry connections and distribution: If you’re looking to connect with agents, managers or distributors, be sure those festivals are well attended by executives. He gave me a grant to make prints of my graduation film.