Submitting Your Film To Independent Film Festivals
What is an 'independent film festival'?
There are really two types of independent film festivals, in my opinion. There are the big festivals where films are being sold to studios and to distributors. Of course there's the Cannes Film Festival in the South of France every summer and there's the Tribeca Film Festival, and Sundance. A lot of the famous ones we already know. Then there are other film festivals that are really just there to expose independent film-makers, where independent film-makers can come together, meet and exchange information and collaborate on the next project. They're smaller in size. They're not necessarily geared toward selling films, but giving films some press and attention. If you do five or six of those festivals, if you do Palm Beach, Palm Springs, Palm Desert and Breckenridge, you may get a little heat on your film and people in the business are talking, and then you can go out and maybe sell it. Every film festival is different in its size and its scope. A lot of these film festivals have completely lost their focus and they're not even about movies anymore. They're more about parties and going to the club and getting free trips to Mexico and 'swag', or whatever they call it. Sundance has received a lot of criticism over the years for losing its focus on the independent films and becoming too caught up in Puff Daddy performing with Pharrell - nonsense that has nothing to do with the movies.
What is an example of a successful independent film festival?
Sundance is by far the most successful independent film festival. It was a vision that Robert Redford had about twenty five years ago in a little town in the middle of the Utah mountains that he loved and where he spent a lot of time there, built a home. He saw it as a place where independent film-makers could come throughout the year and write their movies, and work on their films away from Hollywood. Eventually, he just started showing movies there, and slowly but surely it became the premiere film festival in North America to have your film seen, to have your film sold, to have your film talked about, and where actors come to meet other directors. Independent film-makers can go to Sundance and meet producers, and meet people from the studios and sell their films, and, slowly but surely, it became the premiere film festival, arguably in the world.
How do I submit a film to an independent film festival?
Every film festival has deadlines for anybody to submit their films. Obviously, a film festival like Sundance is extremely competitive, and they will take and look at your submission, but you're going to be one of thousands and just getting accepted is an honor at a film festival like that, regardless of whether you go out and sell your movie. For other film festivals, they're happy to have your submissions, and chances are you will be accepted and you will be taken care of and have your film shown in a theater, to a room full of strangers. At the end of the day, that's really what it's all about; you want your film to be seen, and regardless of how big or small a film festival is, it's a really great outlet for that.
What are examples of smaller independent film festivals?
There is a great film festival in Breckenridge, Colorado called the Breckenridge Festival of Film. It takes place every June and it's in its 27th year. They have great stars come like John Favreau, James Earl Jones and Peter Fonda, who come to talk to independent film makers. It's not about selling your film to the studios. It's not about getting your picture taken with Julia Stiles at an after-party somewhere. It's really about film and the community of Breckenridge and bringing some money into the community. The Palm Beach Film Festival - a film that I starred in played down there and we had a great reception. People talked about the film and I met a lot of cool, young film-makers. There are film festivals all over this country. There are comedy festivals, horror movie festivals, and completely digital film festivals. If your movie was shot on DV or HD and completely digital, then you can enter your film in that. There are film festivals all over the world. There are some big ones in Venice, Berlin and Rome. In fact, the Rome Film Festival has partnered with the Tribeca film festival in New York and they exchange films and have panels back and forth. There are film festivals all over the world to which any independent film maker can submit their materials.
What's your advice to independent filmmakers?
My advice to any independent film-maker out there is to fight for what you believe in, and that, I assume, is your movie. No-one's going to be helping you. You have to help yourself, and help the movie, and believe that you can get this movie not only made, but seen. You have to really, really believe, and let that passion come off in your work. Otherwise, people aren't going to want to pay attention to you and help you out. Everybody wants to get paid, everybody wants to be all Hollywood. But you know what? If you can get people excited about your material, and excited about you and your belief in your material, then you're going to go out and make a very successful independent film.