I was honored to be asked by the Woods Hole Film Festival to participate in a recent discussion with some of this year’s filmmakers about the current state of filmmaking during this pandemic, including the importance of film festivals.
This week, we’ll be looking at what makes film festivals so essential, and what you need to know about them!
Part One: Why Film Festivals Are Good News For Filmmakers
Film festivals have always been an essential part of the life cycle of independent films. Whether you’re part of a narrative feature film, documentary, short, or even a web series or any other kind of content, a film festival is often crucial in giving vital exposure to the work of up-and-coming filmmakers (as well as some more established ones).
We all dream of having our next project premiere in one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world: Cannes, Berlin, Toronto, Sundance, South By Southwest ("SXSW"), Tribeca, Telluride… These names slip smoothly off the tongue and conjure images of red carpet premieres and front page photo spreads.
But did you know that there are hundreds of film festivals that take place throughout the world every year, with new ones emerging all the time? And while they may not be as fabled and legendary as some of the bigger ones I just mentioned, even a small festival can be THE game changer for a film that is trying to get noticed in a saturated market.
Wherever you are in the world, there’s a strong likelihood that at least one film festival is taking place somewhere close by.
Some of these festivals are very general and have few specific selection criteria when it comes to programming. But others have a special focus, highlighting a particular area of society (like African-American festivals, female-driven festivals, or LGBTQ+ festivals, for example) or a geographical location, among many other things.
Every up-and-coming filmmaker should be aware of the film festival circuit, as well as being familiar specifically with their local festival, which will likely have a section showcasing local talent and stories.
Sometimes this is the entire point of the festival itself, even on a national level. These film festivals can serve as a launchpad for some of your region’s best local talent and offer them a stage and publicity that they might not otherwise achieve.
Aside from being a lot of fun (and sometimes a lot of hard work too!), film festivals serve a few crucial purposes for anyone involved in the business of filmmaking and/or entertainment finance:
They offer crucial exposure to filmmakers and their projects, which might otherwise go unnoticed in an extremely crowded market
They offer films the chance to be selected for official competitions and win awards, both of which lend incredible credibility and validation to a title when promoting it
They offer these projects the chance to garner strong word-of-mouth, as well as reviews from film critics in well-read publications, which can otherwise be extremely difficult to get unless the film has a significant release already in place
They offer a potential path to distribution, allowing distributors and sales agents a chance to discover these titles (which we will discuss in more detail in our next post)
Smaller regional film festivals aren’t usually a big cash cow. They often draw sponsorship from local businesses to help provide the funding that they need, but above all they rely heavily on the local community to buy tickets and support the festival.
While some film festivals are “just” a festival (a huge achievement in its own right!), others actually function all year round, putting on labs, workshops and mentorship programs oriented specifically at local filmmakers. They might partner with other creative organizations locally or nationwide to help develop and showcase emerging talent from the region.
Festivals will also put on events for filmmakers. These might be held jointly with the local film commission and are a great place for networking, especially if you are from a place that does not have a huge film community like LA. If you want to discover other like-minded filmmakers to collaborate with, your local film festival could be a great place to start.
Some even offer grants (yes, actual hard cash!) that can be life-changing for an up-and-coming filmmaker trying to break through into the industry.
For many regional filmmakers, this can be an important bridge to the Hollywood industry, taking advantage of the prestige of the festival as well as the network of contacts of its directors to make connections that they might not otherwise have been able to.
Above all though, a film festival is a celebration of film, of art and creativity, and a way of involving the local community in something special, to be a part of something that truly belongs to them.
For many of these people, who live far away from the bright lights of LA or the glitzy beaches of Cannes, a local film festival is a special occasion where they too can be part of the cinema community, which might otherwise seem extremely exclusive and cut off from them.
The whole point of great cinema is to reflect and evoke real life, enabling audiences to connect and relate to the stories on an emotional level, whatever their background. Film festivals allow filmmakers to connect with their audiences on a very personal level, however big or small their movie might be.
Filmmakers need to be aware of the importance of film festivals to connect with their audiences, gain vital exposure, and - as we will discuss in our next post - hopefully to launch their project on the road to distribution…
In Part Two, we’ll look at the business side of film festivals, and how a well-curated film festival can be your key to gaining distribution.
Ricky Margolis is a producer and financier with over twenty years’ experience in the entertainment industry.
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