Film Fesitval Strategy

There are the major film festivals that we all know and love such as Sundance, Toronto, Berlin, Cannes, and Venice. But don’t overlook the smaller festivals like Raindance, Telluride, AFI, LA film Festival that can get eyes on your project. There are also specific film festivals for specific type of films. Do your research and find which ones fit best with your project!

> Think about this early, be smart and plan.
> Get to know and build relationships with programmers (Meet them at film markets and festivals they program)
> Many films are trying to get attention and get write-ups at each festival. Usually, a couple films get selected for more detailed coverage. When the filmmaker’s story is interesting, you are more likely to get written up.

While planning your festival strategy, you need to think about what you want to achieve from festivals? What is your submissions cost? And look up last year’s results of that festival: what was press attendance and coverage like? Do distributors attend it? Did other filmmakers sell films there? What type of press did the filmmakers from last year get?