How to Make the Most of Your First Film Festival

Congratulations! You just received your first film festival acceptance email!

Now what?

If you’re a new filmmaker experiencing the film festival circuit for the first time, you probably have a lot of questions about what happens next. This article is for you.

1. To Accept or Not to Accept

Let’s face it: all film festivals are not created equal. And that’s why you have to be intentional about where you choose to world premiere your film. To make the most of your first screening, you should ask yourself the following questions:

1. What is the reputation of the film festival?
2. Does the film festival invite industry, press, and/or alum filmmakers to participate in panels and events?
3. Will your film be in competition?
4. Does the festival have a track record of distributor acquisitions (i.e. is there a market)?
5. Does the festival offer travel and/or hotel vouchers to help offset your costs?
6. What other festivals are you still waiting to hear from?

Deciding which invitation to accept for your world premiere is often more fraught for feature films than it is for shorts. As a programmer, I’ve had dozens of conversations with…