Film Festivals
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Film Festival Application Process Do’s and Don’ts (Or, How Not to Shoot Yourself In the Foot When Applying to a Film Festival)
So it’s that intense festival time of year again. You’re considering festivals, applying to festivals, maybe excited about the festivals you’ve been accepted to or recalibrating your expectations after unexpected rejection letters. If so, then the following ten do’s and don’ts may be helpful to you. These suggestions are based not only on my own work with clients, but also from some amazing advice from some really knowledgeable folks who I have had the pleasure of being on panels with over this past year: Basil Tsiokis (programmer, Sundance and DOC NYC), Tom Hall (programmer, Montclair Film Festival), Dan Nuxoll (Rooftop Films), […]
by Jon Reiss on Dec 19, 2017 -
David Lynch Launches “Festival of Disruption” with Film, Music and More
“Life is a festival of disruption,” according to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Now filmmaker and Maharishi disciple David Lynch will create his own Festival of Disruption. Taking place at the Ace Hotel in Los Angeles on October 8 and October 9, the festival will feature film, music, photography, multimedia, dance, and discussions all curated by Lynch himself. On the film side, the festival will screen the documentary Blue Velvet Revisited, The Elephant Man, and rare David Lynch shorts. There will talks by architect Frank Gehry, Mel Brooks, Kyle McLachlan & Laura Dern, and Blondie’s Debbie Harry & Chris Stein. Chris Milk will exhibit […]
by Paula Bernstein on Jun 21, 2016 -
Filmmaker Stephen Elliott Investigates a “Rigged” Film Festival Submission Process and Launches the Lo-Fi Los Angeles Fest
Stephen Elliott is an author, filmmaker, and founding editor of the respected literary web site, The Rumpus. He co-wrote and directed the James Franco-starring About Cherry, which premiered at The Berlin International Film Festival in 2012 before screening at other festivals. And the film The Adderall Diaries, based on his memoir of the same name, premiered at Tribeca in 2015. With these credentials, he (rightly?) assumed that his own second feature, Happy Baby, based on his novel of the same name, had a reasonable chance of getting accepted into one of the more than 15 film festivals he submitted to. But, it […]
by Paula Bernstein on Jun 10, 2016 -
Film Fest Finder Aims to Be Like Yelp for Film Festivals
How to find the right festival for you and your film? Film Fest Finder, a new free web site, aims to help filmmakers and filmgoers find the right festival to serve their needs. Through a rating and reviewing system, filmmakers and filmgoers can search over 7,000 festivals by name, city, country, or review. PC Thompson, creator and co-founder, along with Donna Pizzi, told Filmmaker Magazine that “there is such a proliferation of festivals out there — 10,000 in all — that navigating those waters is extraordinarily time-consuming, costly and mind-boggling.” To make things easier for filmmakers, Thompson and Pizzi wanted to create […]
by Paula Bernstein on May 6, 2016 -
Ashland Independent Film Festival Unveils Lineup for 15th Anniversary
The Ashland Independent Film Festival in Ashland, Oregon will celebrate its 15th anniversary from April 7-11 with a tribute to some of the early pioneers of independent film and a selection of new projects which push the boundaries of cinema. “It’s going to be an exciting and stimulating five days and nights,” said Cathy Dombi, the festival’s executive director, in a statement. “More than 50 visiting filmmakers and artists will attend the festival to engage in dialogues after screenings, with several artists accompanying their films with live music, art exhibits, and even virtual reality headgear for audiences to sample.” In his […]
by Paula Bernstein on Mar 16, 2016 -
More Women, Less Men, and a Possible Future of Cinema
[Editor’s note: this is a guest post from director Gina Telaroli. Enough said.] Over the past few months I’ve been spending more time than normal at the gym, getting up at 5:30 AM and arriving there by 7:00 for yoga or a cardio/weights/TCM combo before heading to my job for the day. When I made the decision to kick it up a notch from my usual two days a week, my reasons were probably a New York City cocktail of anxiety, sublimation, and restlessness from having a day job that keeps me at a desk. What I realized after a […]
by Gina Telaroli on Nov 3, 2015 -
Seed&Spark’s WestFest: Streaming to Theaters
Both a selective crowdfunding site and curated streaming platform, Seed&Spark has proven itself a unique enclave for filmmakers and viewers since its inception in 2012. From October 1-3, the hybrid will fully realize its “Cinema” component with a three-part film program at The HUB LA. Screening a total of six films from the recently launched Conversation series, the festival calls upon S&S founder Emily Best, Sundance programmer Christine Davila, and Twitch Film editor Ben Umstead to bring their selections to a live format. Filmmaker spoke with Seed&Spark’s director of content, Amanda Trokan, about the unprecedented event, and bridging the gap between online and […]
by Sarah Salovaara on Sep 25, 2013 -
12 Steps to Avoid Going Broke Applying to Film Festivals
The author of this guest essay is a filmmaker whose most recent film is Between Us. He is also the co-founder of the Slamdance Film Festival. — Editor I recently wrote an article about 12 Steps to a Saner Festival Plan in which I suggested the volume-method of festivals: Get your film into as many festivals as you can, and build momentum from one to the next. Unfortunately, a lot of people read that article. And the one consistent question I’m getting is if we’re broke filmmakers, how can we afford to apply to so many festivals? Chances are you […]
by Dan Mirvish on Sep 10, 2013 -
Film Festivals and the Future of Streaming
When was the last time your film was screened at a festival? When was the last time you attended a film festival? It’s very tough getting selected for a choice festival slot, but many of the leading festivals are taking advantage of video streaming to promote themselves as well as films they present. Festival streaming provides indie makers an opportunity to jump into distribution and make back some needed revenue. In addition, it allows audiences a way to check out some of the hot new festival hits. Last year, Sundance offered nine short films for streaming and has also made […]
by David Rosen on Sep 9, 2013 -
10 Lessons from the Film Festival Circuit
I just got back from eight film festivals in less than four weeks with my first feature, The Discoverers. We’ve been fortunate to win a few awards, get great press and meet new friends this past month. I’m sharing a few things I’ve learned to hopefully help fellow filmmakers on their own unique journeys. 1. Embrace your audience Festivals can be a lot of things: a market where distributors see your film, or an opportunity to get press, but they are also your first time to connect with an audience. Embrace the experience of sharing your work in a theater […]
by Justin Schwarz on May 6, 2013
