Getting On A Festival's Radar
Give Yourself the Best Chance with These 3 Keys
For filmmakers looking to play reputable film festivals, there are plenty of challenges. Getting that ever elusive invitation is just one of them. Another is just getting seen, and by the right people.
Many fests in the top two tiers are getting bombarded with more submissions than ever. The event could get as many as 3-4 thousand feature submissions, and you can double that for shorts. And yes, the top 10 fests get even more.
That’s a lot of movies for programmers to get through. Most of these fests have proper screening and programming committees, but films still manage to fall through the cracks. I’ve had filmmakers tell me they know for certain their films had not been screened, since they were submitted on Vimeo and can track the views. Talk about highway robbery!
Of course, a film has to stand on its own, and fests are often seeking certain themes or topical issues, or trying to fill specific program blocks. Regardless, you want to give yourself a fighting chance to be selected. And for that to happen, it helps to be seen. Even better, get on the radar of the programmers. Here are 3 keys to consider.
Connecting with a Reference
One way to connect with the Festival is to find someone to put in a good word. Whether you know an agent, manager, sales rep, or other filmmaker who has played the event, a quick email or phone call is often all it takes to get moved to the top of the “view” list. Often times, it’s not even about how much pull this person has with the fest. It can just be the mere act of reaching out puts you on their radar. You got this far. You know how to hustle, and must know someone, who knows someone, right? If not, you can move to plan B…
Finding Your Angle
Consider the best pitch. What is best excuse to reach out to the Festival in question. Again, you are not trying to play salesperson here. You’re not going to beg them to play your movie and tell them why they should. You are simply trying to get their attention, to ensure you get a fair shot, to be on their radar. Here are five angles to consider:
You have a new trailer to share. Maybe you didn’t have one when you submitted.
Your lead just landed a series on Netflix, Hulu or other streamer (post strike).
You were just invited to a credible Festival. This get’s their attention.
You shot part of the movie in the town, or are from the region (borderline sales pitch, but fests like to fill their theaters so this can often help).
You have distribution offers. Fests like play films that will find distribution, which they can promote that in their future materials.
By the way, even if you get a friend or contact to connect to the fest, you can follow up again, with one of these idea above. Just a gentle reminder you exist, maybe a few weeks before the notification date.
Approaching the Festival
Okay, you’ve got your reference and/or your angle. Here are a few other factors to consider. One is timing. If you meet that early or even second deadline, give it some time to run its course. Let the Festival get farther into the programming cycle. I typically suggest backing out 6-8 weeks from the notification date. Gives them enough time to see it and talk to other programmers, well before final decisions are made. You don’t want to be too early, or too late.
Another thing to remember is that most credible film fests have a number of programmers. Yes, sometimes the Festival Director is a programmer too. I was, but Directors have a lot on their plate. Try to find a programmer, either on website, on LinkedIn or through that other connection point mentioned above. Too many filmmakers reach out to top officials, even Executive Directors. Emails can get lost there. Try to reach programmers whenever possible.
You worked hard to get this far. You certainly want to give your project every opportunity to succeed. And this starts with getting your film seen. I’m sure some festival people will read this and say this would never happen at their event. And it may not. But it does happen. And even if a film has been seen by a screener (usually a senior film fan or college film student), it never hurts to have another way in, another shout out.
I hope these ideas help you get your shot. Not only did you pay for it, you deserve it.