How Can a Filmmaker Better Position Their Film for the Festival Circuit?

by Lee Chambers

For the last 15 years, I taught producing, directing and film business in a practical film program in Canada. My short films have been executive produced by top directors, such as David Cronenberg, Paul Haggis and Roger Corman. My work has selected by hundreds of film festivals over the years, and I have been invited to speak at festivals in England, Australia, Canada, Cayman Islands, Iraq and the United States. My directorial feature debut, The Pineville Heist was selected by over 50 festivals and was sold to over 30 countries.

After 20+ years pushing shorts, scripts and features at festivals around the world, I’ve learned that a 30% acceptance rate is pretty good going. That means it’s likely seven out of every ten festivals will reject you for a variety of reasons. You can’t control it but you can play smart…

1. Be honest about the quality of your film.

Be honest about your film and don’t push for Sundance or Cannes if it doesn’t at all match the content or production values of what they accept. I know you worked hard to make your film but now the real battle begins… getting it seen. You will soon learn that there are thousands of people — just like you — trying to navigate the festival and distribution gauntlet. Most festivals have specific programs. It’s impossible for them to take in everything so don’t set yourself up for disappointment when you really had little chance to begin with.

2. Spend time researching festivals by looking at their past selections.

There are thousands of film festivals and events… Where do you start? Where do you submit? Consider your film in terms of length and quality and compare to what else is showing at the festival you are interested in. If you are making shorts… make it short. Most festivals would rather screen a dozen shorts in a program, over selecting your 40 minute epic. So check out what films the festival has previously accepted and review their programs. You may find your family drama has no chance at a festival that leans towards dark and edgy.

3. Spent the money and didn’t get in?

Yep. This happens a lot. Even good films get rejected. Don’t dwell on it. Move on. Don’t hold a grudge or let it piss you off. Accept it. It’s part of the game. The process — even with research — can be hit or miss. Set a festival budget for your film. Try asking for waivers or discounts. No matter how you play the game… we all get rejected sometimes!

4. Offer to be on panels or consider running a workshop or masterclass.

The best way to meet people is to be seen! If dozens or hundreds of people hear you talking about your experience, it instantly becomes that icebreaker where people come and talk to you. If you aren’t on a panel, go to them and try asking a question at the event. Be sure to offer up a super short bio prior to your question. “Hello my name is Lee and I directed a film that is screening here…” Ask a good question and people in the audience may remember you. It makes networking easier and a lot more fun.

5. Attending festivals can get expensive so deciding which ones to invest in takes planning. Ask filmmakers about their experiences from previous events.

So you got accepted and have a firm screening date. Excellent! Should you attend? Is it worth it? Look up filmmakers that were there before and reach out. Seek them out via FilmFreeway, their websites and social media links and drop them a line. Be courteous, short and sweet and maybe you’ll get some solid non-biased advice. FilmFreeway offers feedback forums too, which can help guide your decision.

6. Have your festival deliverables ready to go.

Way to go! You are in! Your hard works has been rewarded. Now the festival needs a synopsis, a BluRay copy, cast and crew listing, poster, etc. Be sure you get this stuff in ASAP so they can get the program ready without delays. Hopefully you reviewed the deliverables before submitting because if you can’t provide a DCP or don’t have a subtitled version, it may mean they can’t play your film. Making the film isn’t enough. You need to have the materials to help sell, market and promote it.

7. Make sure you have solid poster that looks great as poster and as a small a thumbnail image.

Cramming your poster with laurels may be tempting, but once the image is shrunk down to size, you may not be able to read them all anyway. Selected by lots of festivals? Great! Maybe just highlight a few keys ones for your marketing materials.

8. What are your goals? To just party… or are you looking for a distributor?

Understand your reason for attending the festival. What do you want to get out of it? There’s usually always an interesting mix of moviegoers, local business, industry folks and other filmmakers at most film festivals. Where do you fit in? Have a game plan and be armed with business cards and post cards.

9. Be ready to network.

Post cards, business cards, posters and a smile. Think about having someone with solid design skills tackle your promotional materials. Picking readable fonts, colors that don’t clash and resisting the urge to cram in too much take a trained eye. Just look at how Hollywood sells to you. Follow what works and make it look spectacular. This may take a few bucks but image is everything. Sadly for great movies with crappy posters… people do judge books by their covers. Want to have the movie that people want to see at the festival… make professional looking materials.

10. Follow and keep track of the folks you meet.

This business is built on relationships. You are planting seeds and not everyone you meet will become a creative partner or investor. Some will just come and go but you may not realize who may grow into a positive contact at the time. There’s honest hard working creative folks out there and there’s lots of sharks and wannabe’s too. Learning to be polite and kind to all you meet is a skill. Collect cards and postcards. Keep notes on the event and stay in contact from time to time. But don’t pester… be humble and kind.

Born and raised in Canada, Lee Chambers holds a post-graduate diploma in Film Production from Leeds Metropolitan University in the UK. He returned to Canada in 2004 after spending ten years working professionally in London and LA, working on film and television productions for the BBC and Miramax. His films have been executive produced by Roger Corman and David Cronenberg and screened at top festivals around the world with critical acclaim coming from Empire, Total Film and Fox Television. He can be found at www.leechambers.com