WHY FILM FESTIVALS MATTER: A FILMMAKER’S PERSPECTIVE

“And for runner up best film…”Negative Space”!”

My jaw hit the floor. That was our 4th award that day, amidst dozens of amazing films in the Richmond 48 Hour Film Fest. The year was 2018. This was my first experience winning awards at a film festival, and it hooked me for like. I laughed with my crew and collapsed on the stage in joy. We had basically swept the awards…best editing, effects and cinematography and best film (runner up). The crew members there were laughing and hugging, we felt so vindicated, that our work was valued.

It’s not all about winning, it’s not all about laurels. But festivals can be a way to fuel your film career and drive it forward. A launchpad for meeting collaborators, celebrating your work and even getting distribution. While the big festival scenes (Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca, etc) are not the as accessible for indie filmmakers, smaller festivals and a strategy can be the difference between finishing a film and really promoting it.

Why do film festivals matter for filmmakers?

Exposure

For directors, film festivals are a vital platform for getting our work out there. My friend Andrew Lee Ryan, who recently had great success with his sci-fi short film Chimera on the festival circuit, shared some excellent insights that capture why festivals are so important. They give our films a chance to be seen and appreciated by audiences in a proper theater setting.

Finding the right collaborators

I met one of my favorite film collaborators, Julia Reingold, at the Brooklyn Sci-Fi Film Fest. We were sitting next to each other. She seemed cool so I went for it and said “so you like sci-fi huh?” Like a cheesy pick up line. But it worked! We instantly clicked over our dream of creating feminist and optimistic sci-fi stories. One year later we were IN that very same festival, up on the screen.

This is the power of finding your niche.

Validation

Let’s face it. Making a film is HARD. Expensive, time consuming, and vulnerable. Getting accepted into a film festival, seeing your work on the big screen and having a way for friends, family and crew to celebrate your work really matters. A festival acceptance can give you that little dose of serotonin you need to keep going. You can stack up laurels on your website (guilty). You can put them on the poster. Just don’t get addicted to this form of validation as the only sign of success. 

This article was originally posted on Short Movie Club. Read the full article on Short Movie Club.