What to Consider Before Submitting to a Film Festival

Consider which festival is right for you based on your requirements in terms of your career and the requirements of your film. Do your research as to what festival will suit you the best and don't just submit blindly to every film festival.

Setting Goals For Your Film

Are you looking for exposure or are you looking for distribution? Approach your chosen film festival with a strategy of what you want to achieve for your film. Walking in and hoping for the best isn't an effective approach. Set a goal and make a plan of how to potentially reach that goal.

What Do You Do at a Film Festival?

Networking is probably the most valuable asset a film festival can give you. The opportunity to meet other new filmmakers and peers from (potentially) all over the globe is possibly the best justification for film festivals to exist. Embrace this unique and exciting opportunity. Furthermore, make the most of the variety of what is on show, watching as much as possible and challenging yourself to find and engage with work you wouldn't usually see.

What to Do After the Film Festival is Over?

Follow up on the contacts you have made and use them to build your network. These could be contacts who you are immediately trying to get something out of (like a producer interested in your work, for example) or they could be contacts who you got on with and want to stay in touch with (like other new filmmakers, whose work you want to keep up with, for example).

Film Festival Strategy 101: The KEY Steps for a New Filmmaker

So you’ve made a film and you want more people than just your friends and family to see it. Well, film festivals are a great way to get your project exposure, and to introduce you as a new filmmaker to others in the field. Film festivals often play an important part of the folklore of how new filmmakers get their big break or how a film is introduced to the world. But it’s important to not get too swept up

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