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Festivals

Film Festival Plan

1 year, 4 months ago - Charly Faye

Hi All!

I was wondering if anyone had any useful tips and tricks for putting together a festival plan. I work in the industry primarily as an actor, however next year I will be submitting a short I put together with a great team and would love to start thinking about what festivals to look at. We are on a limited budget so want to be smart with where we are submitting! And also any tips on online release would be greatly appreciated.

A bit about the film: it is around 10 mins in length, female led and shot on a small budget, however this hasn't taken away from the quality. It has some underlying LGBTQ+ themes and was filmed in London this year.

Thank you!

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1 year, 4 months ago - Joe McGowan

Hi Charly

Congrats on making your short! I've just been through this process myself with my new comedy short and happy to give you any advice I can.

If you don't already know, Film Freeway is the portal to every film festival around the world. Set yourself up with an account and you can start browsing. Film Freeway has a LGBTQ+ and a Women filter in its search function, so it's worth looking at what comes up when focusing on festivals .

The main thing I did was go to festivals and screening and make a note of any films I liked that were of similar tone/style to my work and follow the writers, directors, producers etc on social media. Usually, towards the end of a films festival run the filmmakers will have a final poster with all their festival laurels and awards. Make a list of those festivals and research whether they're the right fit for your film.

If you make a list of festivals that you like the looks of for your short, reach out to them on social media (Instagram is usually best for doing this) and ask if they can share a discount code. You'd be surprised by the amount of festivals that will give you a code just for reaching out and expressing interest in their festival.

If you have extra budget you could send your film to Festival Formula, who will watch your film for free and decide if they want to help you curate a film festival plan for your short. Their cheapest package is £800, so it's hard to say if it's worth the investment.

I hope this helps in your festival journey. If you have any other questions please ask away.

All the best and good luck with your short!

Joe

1 year, 4 months ago - Charly Faye

Hi Joe,

Thank you so much!!! This is all incredibly helpful. Attending festivals to make note of films with a similar tone/style is a great shout and I will definitely be using the discount code tip! In your experience, what do you think is a good budget to set for festival submissions? I know there is probably not a straight answer to that.

I'm really grateful for your detailed response and I hope your festival run for your comedy film did/is doing well!

All the best,

Charly

1 year, 4 months ago - Joe McGowan

Hey Charly

Glad you found my ramblings useful. Happy to help :)

In terms of budget it's really all about how much you have to be honest. I've entered my film into 26 festivals and spent around £500-£600, if that gives you a gauge of how far your money can take you on the festival circuit. If you put your list of festivals together and enter them early you'll save yourself a lot of money in the long run.

All the best

Joe

1 year, 4 months ago - Charly Faye

HI Joe,

Ok that is really useful to know, thank you! And yes we are thinking of carefully planning around the early-bird entries where we can, so we can be as careful with our money as possible.

Thank you and best wishes,

Charly

1 year, 4 months ago - A.L. Nott

Hey Charly,

Just started entering my a short film to festivals myself and there are many factors I look at relating to specifics of the film and my situation and goals. I go on Filmfreeway and set filters to narrow down the options then scrutinise these closely. But this Cine Circle online seminar might be helpful:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/film-festival-masterclass-tickets-863954008697?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl

Wishing you all the best with it!

Anton

1 year, 4 months ago - Charly Faye

Hi Anton,

Thank you so much for your response - I have signed up for the seminar, it looks very helpful! I hope your own festival run goes well and I really appreciate you taking the time to respond to my question.

All the best!

Charly

1 year, 4 months ago - Adrianna Polcyn

Hi Charly,
Big congratulations on completing your short film. I have also completed mine very recently and I have used Film Freeway as mentioned above. You can search for free-submissions on Film Freeway as well, and this is what I started with and then started selecting more that interest me or are in line with what genre my film is. Also make sure you find the festivals that have the Early Bird option (so watch for festivals that open submissions this month - then you always get a cheaper price). I left quite a few festivals I want to submit my film to for next year, as I missed the Early Bird deadline, but would be able to hit it next year.

My short film budget was 20k, and I dedicated 700 pound for festival submissions.

1 year, 4 months ago - Charly Faye

Hi Adrianna,

Thank you! This is very helpful - I think most festivals we shall be submitting next year, as getting the Early Bird Deadlines will help us save some money. Really useful that you have included your budget so thank you so much!

Best,

Charly

1 year, 4 months ago - NICHOLAS PROSSER

Hi Charly,
I think we are in a similar situation so it might be worth us talking to confer. I have just completed post production on a short drama film I have written and directed (duration -8 minutes & 15 seconds) called FREE AGAIN. So, hopefully, I am about to embark on the submission to festival phase. My film was a self funded project and, in all probability my last before I hang up my director boots at the age of 76. Though I have 25 years experience of directing drama series and serials for broadcast television, the genre of short film was a completely new departure for me.

So far, I have placed the film on Film Freeway but it would be to "compare notes."
If this is of interest to you, please e-mail me at nicholas.prosser@gmail.com
All the best
Nick