Optimizing Film Festival Submissions: A Guide for Filmmakers
When discussing film festival submissions with filmmakers, I often hear they have already depleted their budget on a few months of festival fees. Submitting to unsuitable festivals is a waste of time, energy, and money. Once the budget is spent, filmmakers miss out on festivals that might be a perfect fit for their film.
With some planning and effort, you can better target your festival submissions.
Utilize FilmFreeway Resources
First, take advantage of FilmFreeway's features. By sorting and filtering, filmmakers can create shortlists of festivals based on deadlines, popularity, reviews, accepted categories, entry fees, and more. Avoid focusing solely on upcoming deadlines, as this can lead to submitting to the soonest rather than the best-suited festivals. However, it's important to keep an eye on deadlines to avoid missing opportunities.
FilmFreeway also offers curated lists. MovieMaker Magazine annually selects “50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee,” which is available on FilmFreeway. The staff considers factors like selection percentages from submissions, networking opportunities, panel and workshop quality, and press coverage opportunities. Seventy-five festivals on this list accept submissions through FilmFreeway.
There are also curated lists based on film attributes. For example, for horror films, check out the curated selection of twenty festivals emphasizing horror. Similar lists exist for sci-fi and documentaries.
Follow Successful Films
If there's a film you admire that resonated with audiences similar to yours, submit to festivals where that film succeeded. For instance, AMERICAN EPIC SESSIONS won awards at the Calgary International Film Festival, Tryon International Film Festival, and Sydney International Film Festival, among others. These would be excellent festivals for similar films to consider.
Research Festivals Thoroughly
When considering a festival, check its website for past selections to understand the programmers' and audience's preferences. For example, the Calgary Underground Film Festival archives cover eight years of its main festival and its documentary festival's full history, indicating a preference for less experimental films and well-represented dark comedies. Festival websites often list award winners from previous years, with audience awards being particularly telling of what resonates most positively.
Seek Programmer Advice
As your film is invited to festivals, build relationships with the programmers and seek their advice. This is especially valuable for your initial festival experiences. Programmers follow the success of their selected films and can recommend suitable festivals. They may even advocate for you with other festival programmers.
While there's no perfect science to festival submissions, these tips can help you focus on suitable festivals and improve your chances of selection.
By Sal Framondi,
CEO/Founder, OPPRIME.tv
Producer, Black Filmmakers Matter
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