Ever wonder how long it takes for a movie to be released after it’s made? Join the club. I’ve asked myself the same question, albeit for different reasons of course, upon completing “ABYSS: The Greatest Proposal Ever.” Knowing this short film would not be on its way to Utah to dance alongside the major industry players any time soon, here are some major factors that helped me figure out which baskets to put its (possibility for) theatrical screening eggs in.
Shouts out to Michael Hennessy who expressed interest in learning how I selected festivals to submit my movie to, and the process I used to do so.
Picking Festivals Based on Recommendations:
I go through the list of domestic and international Oscar-qualifying festivals for short films, to find places to submit my work. Being sanctioned by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gives festivals a certain type of advantage in terms of attracting press attention and they usually have industry connections. These types of festivals also tend to give out valued prizes (monetary, in-kind goods, distribution, etc.) for films screening in competition. So, I’m likely to cater my film festival submissions toward events that have a high profile in the eyes of the people who are in charge of the Oscars.
I also read through MovieMaker Magazine’s 25 festivals Worth the Entry Fee, to find film festivals where my movie could be submitted for consideration. In addition, I used nominees and winners of MovieMaker’s reader-survey for the Coolest Film Festivals in the World, to gauge where it would be best to submit my short film.
A portion of the film festivals I selected to send my submissions to were also influenced by recommendations from fellow filmmaking buddies of mine.
Picking Festivals based on My Own Film Festival Submissions Criteria:
Do they program films that have black people in them? On the surface, this might seem like an arbitrary factor in determining where to submit a film but I believe that the program lineup is a reflection of what festival organizers are interested in supporting. If there isn’t a diverse lineup of films featuring and/or made by people who look like me or Latino directors, Mexican directors, etc. in a festival’s most recent schedule, then I’m less likely to believe that my film stands a chance at being showcased at said event.
Are there any black audience members in attendance? I might consider submitting my work to a film festival – even if its program lineup is less inclusive than preferred – if there is a noticeably diverse cultural landscape among the ticket-holders that the event attracts.
Picking Festivals based on a Varying Degrees of Another Movie:
I look for films that have certain elements or hooks similar to mine, and then submit to the festivals where they screened and/or won awards. These characteristics could include anything from technical aspects, to the story or genre. In the case of “ABYSS: The Greatest Proposal Ever,” I looked at festivals where movies such as “How to be Black and Sexy” and “Snow on Tha Bluff” played in previous years. Since my short film was shot on HD, I sought out film festivals that programmed movies that were made on video.
Since the main character's plight involves SEPTA and he hails from North Philly, I added the Philadelphia Film Festival to my list of places that might be receptive to the movie, given its “local” tie-in.
As I continue to play the film festival waiting game, however, I’m quickly learning (or sometimes being reminded of) quite a few valuable lessons including the importance of being realistic about what the distribution and exhibition prospects are for my project.
Although there are film festivals that I hope to NEVER submit a movie to again, there are several film festivals that I look forward to attending and hope to play at – if only just once – sometime in the near future.
When was the last time YOU went to a film festival?
How many local film festivals are in YOUR town?
What would persuade YOU to attend a film festival?
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Sunday, March 2, 2014 at 5:45PM 
Writer’s block and time management are some of the biggest challenges that I deal with while juggling blogging duties with filmmaking matters and my general day-to-day life. Thankfully, one of my favorite blogs by Australian husband and father Darren Rowse, has helped me hone in on a possible solution for the former matter that could help me also get a handle on the latter issue – themed weeks!
