FFL subscriptions are a great, low-cost way of planning your festival strategy and allocating your budget. Once you’ve made your film, a bigger challenge awaits. Submissions are a bona fide marathon. However, a little bit of math will show you how a budget strategy will make a difference in your film’s career. Last […]
Submission advice
Filmmaking, Festival Strategy and Could-Get-You-Arrested Material with SYDNEY UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL
Selecting films for an underground film festival comes with a more open perspective than festival programmers usually imagine. Katherine Berger, Festival Director of the 9th Sydney Underground Film Festival, wants films with an edge.”[…] just look at our past programming and know we aren’t the one to program your polite, heartfelt Bambi pic!’ We talked […]
From Florida to Hollywood – SUNSCREEN FILM FESTIVAL salutes 10 years
Sunscreen Film Festival turns 10! Big anniversaries demand some extra oomph, and the upcoming edition of the Florida-based festival has that in spades – parties, concerts and big-name stars galore. Not bad for a festival already with a MovieMaker magazine ’25 Coolest Film Fest’ status and name recognition that saw it expand into a Los Angeles […]
The Future of Short Filmmaking with Hollyshorts Film Festival
‘We’re always excited to see the new crop of films!’ Daniel Sol’s passion for short films goes seamlessly in hand with his work. As the Festival Co-Director of the largest short film festival in Hollywood he stands at the cutting edge of short filmmaking. Since its beginning in 2004 the Hollyshorts Film Festival has devoted […]
Where Wild Bisons meet Short Films – Zubroffka International Short Film Festival
A place in-between East and West Europe – the 9th Zubroffka International Short Film Festival is an event not to miss for short filmmakers this winter. The FilmFestivalLife festival is situated at Białystok, one of Poland’s most mystical locations, a place where you can meet wild bisons outside and hot never ending parties inside. We had […]
5 Facts For Filmmakers About NEW ORLEANS FILM FESTIVAL
For its 25th anniversary the New Orleans Film Festival wanted to do something new. That’s why the festival added an entirely new category for music videos! The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences themselves enabled this years festivals spotlight, which aims to showcase new work from both emerging and established black filmmakers. ‘So we’re on the lookout for […]
FOCUS • ‘I expected more’ Razor Reel about Cannes’ Marché du Film and Genre Films
With a new festival name, the Razor Reel Flanders Film Festival – formerly Razor Reel Fantastic Film Festival Bruges – is ready to enter new waters. As a festival that is looking for all kind of genre films, Managing Director Patrick Van Hauwaert and Artistic Director Joke Ruysschaert are expecting a lot of new names […]
6 Tips for Independent Filmmakers from LEIDEN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
To act as a gateway for American independent films into Europe is one of the main goals of the Leiden International Film Festival. Evert de Vries, LIFF‘s Managing Director and Programmer, gave us some hot tips for independent filmmakers you shouldn’t miss… As the fastest growing festival in the Netherlands, it‘s a great way for American filmmakers to […]
Parties, Prizes and Indie Filmmaking at NYC INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL
Indie films have always craved exposure. And that’s what NYC Independent Film Festival offers, as a veritable showcase for independent filmmakers. We spoke to their Executive Director Dennis Cieri, about what you should know when submitting to the festival and we got some intriguing nuggets out of him. Read on to find out about the […]
6 Tips for Documentary Filmmakers from ANTENNA DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL
‘As a programmer, you start to have a kind of instinctive feeling about films,’ – when it comes to documentaries, Rich Welch, Program Manager and Co-Director of Antenna Documentary Festival, knows his stuff. Only in its third edition the festival has become Sydney’s major meeting point for the international and local documentary industry. As one […]
6 Tips for Filmmakers from Edmonton International Film Festival
To show the power of film is one of the mantras of the Edmonton International Film Festival. Festival Producer Kerrie Long is all about that. With her energetic vision the festival has grown over the last few years to an event not to be missed. For its 28th edition, Alberta’s longest running international film festival […]
5 Tips for Emerging Filmmakers from FEST – New Directors|New Films Festival
‘Filmmakers, don‘t submit only to the festivals: go to the festivals!‘ Filipe Pereira, Festival Director of the 10th FEST – New Directors|New Films Festival, knows what is important for upcoming filmmakers. They need to build a network, therefore filmmakers need to attend festivals. With the panels and workshops that make up FEST’s Training Ground, networking […]
4 Tips for Short Filmmakers to get into DC SHORTS FILM FESTIVAL
‘This year we are having a big focus on Spanish films,’ begins Jon Gann, Festival Director of the 11th DC Shorts Film Festival. Turns out having a Spanish short film is a good way to get into the largest shorts festival on the US east coast. But of course that isn’t the only type of […]
4 Tips for Filmmakers Applying to the GIFFONI FILM FESTIVAL
‘Be Different’ is the theme of the 44th Giffoni Film Festival – an event aimed at showing new and fresh films. The festival is dedicated to children and teenagers. Standing in front of a full packed cinema with an international, young and very honest audience is the kind of challenge you will face as a filmmaker […]
Hollywood, New Mexico and Green Chilli: A ‘Shortz’ Chat with TAOS SHORTZ FILM FEST
‘We want to show just the best, the cutting edge.’ As the the only short film festival in New Mexico, Taos Shortz Film Fest‘s Executive Director Anna Cosentine has a very clear idea about what kind of films they want for their next years program. From a one day festival in the beginning to now a […]