MY DEFINITIVE LIST O' RECOMMENDED FILM FESTIVALS

I'm often asked by filmmakers which festivals I'd recommend.  Probably because I'm the guy who made OFFICIAL REJECTION.  I get asked a lot.

Not that I mind, but there are quite a few good ones out there, and since they're not all alike, I find myself giving a long rambling answer full of endless qualifiers and an excruciating amount of detail.  So rather than continuing to repeat the whole shebang time and time again, I thought I'd simply spill it all out here, in one concise place.  Then everyone will be spared listening to me drone on and on and on.  And on.  And on.

Please note the following list of recommended festivals does not include any of what I'll refer to as the "Big Seven": Sundance, Slamdance, SXSW, Tribeca, Los Angeles, Toronto, Cannes or Berlin.  It's not that I don't recommend them, but rather their value should be staggeringly obvious and if anyone reading this is lucky enough to be accepted to one, GO.  Regardless of what the experience is like.  These are "market festivals", meaning that the few remaining legit distributors actually attend them with the intent of acquiring films, and if your movie is playing there, it’s probably going to be looked at.  Additionally, both national and international press cover these fests, giving your flick the potential for massive media exposure, so you better go wave it in their faces.  And if nothing else, having the laurels from one of these bad boys on your resume, poster, or DVD cover is only going to help you by proving that, however briefly, a movie of yours made it to "the show".

But most filmmakers don't get into any of the Big Seven, nor are these usually the fests they're inquiring about when asking me for recommendations.  What they want is to know what regional film festivals, hundreds of which take place all over the world each year, are worth spending their hard-earned dollars to apply to.

Before I give my picks, I should probably lay out the criteria by which I judge a festival's worth.  The ones I think are worthy of recommendation all have these elements in common, so rather than continually restating the same justifications after each fest on my list, I'll spell 'em out now:

1) The festival is run for the right reasons:  Each is put on by people who truly love movies, and want to use their event as a platform to showcase films that otherwise might not get exposure in their area.  They favor art over commerce and talent over celebrity, and while it's impossible to always avoid making programming decisions based on big names or politics, they keep it in check.  Festivals like this also tend to be extremely filmmaker friendly and throw good parties, so you'll likely have a good time.

2) They attract big audiences:  While I believe every filmmaker should tirelessly promote their movie wherever they go, if the festival isn't well-known in its region or isn't generally well-attended, there's very little you can do to get people to show up to your screening.  Festivals should strive to develop a good relationship with their local audience over time, and the ones I'm recommending have done just that.  They've culled a crowd of potential moviegoers for you, leaving it your hands to lure them to see your specific flick.

3) They attract media attention:  For most indies, playing the festival circuit IS their theatrical release.  That said, you not only want to get as many people as possible to see your movie; you want to get as much coverage as you can as well.  In addition to audiences, festivals should develop a good relationship with their local press.  It's still up to you to swing coverage your way, but if that city's newspaper, TV and radio outlets don't care about the fest, they're not going to touch you.  If you want to get written about, discussed or reviewed, a fest with solid press connections can certainly go a long way towards making that happen.

There are plenty of well-intentioned festivals that have yet to develop the latter two points, and some that certainly attract big crowds and press but lack the first.  The ones I'll be recommending here, however, possess all three of these qualities.  I’ve attended them, seen these criteria fulfilled firsthand, and therefore can heartily endorse them. 

Now, there are also several others either OFFICIAL REJECTION or TEN 'TIL NOON played that I heard were great, but wasn't able to actually make it to myself.  Since I can’t account for their quality from personal experience, I’ll include these but list them separately at the end.

PHOENIX FILM FESTIVAL - This one's my all-time favorite, which is the reason it's featured as the "example of what a festival should be" in OFFICIAL REJECTION.  It's run by a trifecta of amazing guys - Jason, Greg, and Chris - and is the only fest I've made a point of attending whether I've got a movie or not.  I could write volumes about what they do right, but in the interest of brevity I'll just mention a few things that really put them over the top:

One, the entire event is centrally located.  The festival puts up a tent outside their venue, the Harkins Scottsdale/101 theatre, and everything that goes down - the screenings, parties, panels, awards shows and galas - does so right there. 

I cannot stress how much such a simple thing enhances the experience.  At every other festival, there's always this downtime where you're sorta waiting for the next bit of business on your schedule and find yourself on your own.  When you've traveled to a city you're not familiar with, putting your life on hold to promote your movie, these pockets of dead time are a serious bummer.

But this doesn't happen in Phoenix.  In the morning you wake up at your hotel (which is only a mile or so down the road from the Harkins), hop onto their free shuttle and head straight to the venue, where you're plugged into the festival for the rest of the day.  Screenings start early and the parties go late, so all unnecessary downtime is eliminated.  To my knowledge, no other festival can boast this.

Secondly, they don't program a lot of films.  Their feature competition category usually only consists of around twelve flicks, and that's narrative and documentary combined.  While that does make it harder to get into the fest in the first place, this is done in order to give the selected films a chance to screen several times, which allows serious buzz to build around each and every movie.  "Oh, you missed that one?  It was great – and you can still catch it when it shows again tomorrow night!"  Phoenix boasts some staggeringly rabid film fanatics, and by the time you're showing your flick for the third time, they're literally packing themselves into the aisles.

STARZ DENVER FILM FESTIVAL - It's a wonder this world-class festival doesn't yet attract major national media and distributor attention.  Sponsored by the Starz channel, this is a top notch event, with huge galas and three - yes, three - lounges for filmmakers to relax in.  The programming is particularly strong; it's all about quality, with little interest seemingly placed on the size, scope, or star-value of the movies.  The result is an eclectic mix of both higher-profile and micro-budget DIY films, and when I was there I didn't see a bad one in the bunch.   The staff is super-friendly, and every year they organize a trip for filmmakers to Denver's legendary Casa Bonita, which is NOT to be missed.

deadCENTER FILM FESTIVAL - Although completely unrelated, this one functions as sort of a sister to the Phoenix Film Festival - it's run by three ladies instead of three dudes, and the vibe of both is, in the best sense, eerily similar.  I've personally witnessed a lot of growth at deadCenter; when we visited with TEN 'TIL NOON in 2006 it was well-intentioned and promising, but when we returned three years later it had blossomed into something far larger and more impressive.  Screenings are packed, and the press is everywhere.  Carry copies of your press kit wherever you go.  I'm not kidding.

The only minor drawback is that, unlike Phoenix, the festival is spread out all over downtown Oklahoma City, but they run a pretty effective circuit of shuttles for filmmakers.  Or, for anyone possessing a pair of legs, you can work off all the free food by walking.  It takes about fifteen minutes to cross the length of downtown OKC on foot.

FORT LAUDERDALE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL - This fest operates out of the coolest venue I've ever had the pleasure to screen in - the Cinema Paradiso.  It's a funky converted church with plush stadium seating, state-of-the-art projection, and a full bar in the lobby.  But the theatre's best feature is a hidden back staircase; this allows you to travel between the nose-bleed seats and said bar without disrupting your audience.

FLIFF owns and operates the Cinema Paradiso year round, so if you screen successfully at the festival, you might also try sweet-talking the staff into booking your movie as a regular engagement down the road.  Something to think about, especially for those of you planning self-distribution.

SAN DIEGO FILM FESTIVAL - This festival excels at handling the press so well that, in the years I attended, they managed to pack their theatres using only their publicity team - no paid advertising at all.  The fest is run like a big media event and it feels like it, too.  If you make yourself available to their PR folks, you and your movie can get quite a lot of coverage.  Their parties are also insanely good.

UNITED FILM FESTIVALS - This is actually six festivals in one, with editions in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, London, San Francisco, and Tulsa.  So when you apply you're actually doing so for multiple fests, and acceptance can get you quite a bit of play.  Plus, on the off-chance you're rejected, you can request constructive and detailed feedback on your flick, albeit for a nominal fee.

Another unique aspect of United is the company that runs it, Connell Creations, not only produces movies but is also starting to distribute them, and as of this writing has acquired and released two films that it discovered while programing the fest.  Collapsing the gap between festival and distributor is a unique approach, and their model, thus far successful, is still evolving.  Something to keep an eye on. 

RIVERRUN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL - When we attended this fest in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, I asked Executive Director Andrew Rodgers why he had actively avoided any mention of celebrities in their program and press materials.  I was naturally curious: several of the movies on their schedule had famous faces, and exploiting their presence would certainly be an expected way to try and lure audiences.

His answer was simple: "The whole town knows what we do here, so I don't have to play the name game.  And if I don't have to, I won't.  I'd rather let the art speak for itself."

Wow.  Just... wow.  This festival is focused solely on presenting quality work, and their screenings are packed.  They're doing something seriously right.

NEWPORT BEACH FILM FESTIVAL - A well-run, well-financed and well-attended affair that gets a solid amount of industry attention, presumably because of its propinquity to Los Angeles.  There were a few actual distributors, albeit minor ones, wandering about when we hit this festival with TEN 'TIL NOON. 

Newport throws a mixer where filmmakers can interact with representatives from other fests, which can be really helpful for continuing your run on the circuit.  (In fact, I made a handshake deal with the director of the Delray Beach Film Festival while we were both standing at the urinals.  Awkward but true.)  Newport also assigns each film a specific contact person - usually a programmer who helped select that particular movie.  This is a nice touch, because it means not only do you have a real-live human being you can always get ahold of, but it's someone who's a fan of your work.

There is one minor drawback: they program an alarming number of flicks, and each one only gets a single screening.  If you're lucky enough to get a good slot on the program, then you're set; but if you end up with, say, 1pm on a Tuesday, you're boned.  Unless you can convince people you know personally to show up, your screening is likely to be a bit of a throwaway.

ALSO WORTH NOTING...

Some strong up-and-comers I feel are more than worth considering:

CINCINNATI FILM FESTIVAL (formerly OXFORD INTERNATIONAL) - These guys had to endure a significant venue change just weeks before their 2009 edition but still managed to pull out a pretty damn good event.  Attendance was understandably spotty in the beginning but grew significantly as the locals realized what was happening.  Their new homebase, the terrific Esquire Theatre, is a perfect location for a festival - and the coffee shop next door, Sitwells, is a wonderfully friendly place to hang out between screenings.

Additionally, the HILL COUNTRY FILM FESTIVAL of Fredrickberg, Texas, has shown tremendous promise.  Now only in their second year, this fest has managed to dominate their local press and as a result attendance has been really encouraging.  Their venue, the Stagecoach Theatre, is equipped with state-of-the-art digital projection, and the opening night film was preceded with a wine-tasting trip.  Nice.

I also really liked Boise's IDAHO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, but the 2011 edition has been cancelled so they can go through some re-structuring.  Ironically, during the writing of this piece, their new managing director contacted me and asked if I would consult with them to "help shape the future of the festival."  That's pretty flattering - hopefully I can come up with something useful to say.

Now, as promised, here are those festivals we played that I didn't personally attend, but I've heard are terrific nonetheless:

First, Birmingham's SIDEWALK MOVING PICTURE FESTIVAL has a reputation for being one of the best and most-loved stops on the circuit.  It's said they do everything right and filmmakers won't have a better time anywhere else.  It just about killed me when I wasn't able to go, but I'd already committed to being at two other festivals the exact same weekend by the time I found out we were accepted, and there was just no way to make it work.  To their credit, the Sidewalk staff was extremely understanding and fully supported our movie regardless.

According to friend and filmmaker Chris Suchorsky, Saugatuck Michigan's WATERFRONT FILM FESTIVAL is just about as terrific as Phoenix, and for many of the same reasons.  Elsewhere in the same state, my partner-in-cinematic-crime Scott Storm fell in love with Bay City's HELL’S HALF MILE FILM AND MUSIC FESTIVAL.  And my pals Todd Giglio and Chris Springer, the guys behind the excellent DRAWING WITH CHALK, did nothing but rave about the NAPLES INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL.

So those are my picks.  I warned you this list would be excruciatingly long.  And please feel free to share your own festival recommendations in the comments below.  I'm sure there are lots of great ones that haven't gotten onto my radar, and they deserve their due, too.

KICKSTART THIS PARTY

Why Crowdfunding doesn't work as well as it could, and what you - yes, YOU - should GoGo and do about it.

 

Finding money to make an indie movie is like trying to squeeze juice from a rock.  It's hard.  Crazy hard.  Investors have always been scarce, and now, in this toxic economic climate, they very nearly don't exist at all.  Desperate would-be filmmakers often end up hat-in-hand on the doorsteps of family and friends, which, after a time, usually generates more ill-will than income.

But then comes what has been seen by some as the "Great Financial Hope" for indies: Crowdfunding.  The idea is simple enough: a filmmaker's "fans" donate to an as-yet-to-be-made film's budget in exchange for rewards, which usually include a DVD of the finished flick along with other merchandise like t-shirts, buttons and posters. 

In essence, Crowdfunding takes a page from the age-old idea of "pre-selling" a movie, but instead of a situation involving regional distributors in foreign territories purchasing rights in advance of principle photography, the filmmaker is pre-selling directly to the audience.  Such pre-sales are then used, in whole or in part, to fund production.  It's a wonderfully simple idea.

It’s easy to see the vast potential in Crowdfunding, but here's the problem:  how many indie filmmakers, most of whom are unknown and many first-timers, have any sort of sizable fanbase to pre-sell to?  I've actually heard several indie marketing "experts" instructing filmmakers to add 500 fans per week to their social networking pages in order to successfully Crowdfund.   Really?  Just like that?  Get people you don't know to become your diehard fans not only before they see your movie, but before you've even MADE it?  And then get them to part with their money, too?  Perhaps these pundits might also suggest filmmakers shit gold while they're at it.  It's probably easier.

Without a large body of admirers to pre-buy your film, the Crowdfunding process often attracts very few backers from outside the filmmaker's personal social circle.  True, some folks may come across your Kickstarter or IndieGoGo page (the two biggest Crowdfunding sites) and be moved to contribute to them, or the subject matter of your movie may get the attention of a special interest group.  But these tend to be isolated and largely insubstantial incidences, and Crowdfunding frequently degenerates into - once again - begging your family and friends for money.  Sure, many Crowdfunding campaigns can work if the filmmaker is persistent enough to really push it on everyone they know, but that hardly demonstrates the process as the financial savior the indie world so desperately needs.

So how do we make Crowdfunding really work?  Well, in order to answer that question, we need to ask ourselves another one:  How can we expect anyone to give to our Crowdfunding campaign if we've never given to someone else's?

Indie filmmakers are a notoriously selfish bunch: we're takers.  And if we want to see more money circulating to make movies, we need to become backers.  Frequent backers.  I'm not talking about digging deep or emptying our bank accounts, but merely suggesting we each consider making small donations on a regular basis.  Like, say, $20 per month.  I'm fairly confident all of us, even the most destitute, could easily spare that amount.  We certainly have no trouble finding money to pay for the latest DSLR attachment. 

Of the filmmakers I know, only a small percentage have ever backed a Crowdfunding effort themselves, and mere fraction of that do so regularly.  If Crowdfunding is ever going to have any real effect on indie film, this needs to change.  We need to cultivate an environment of contribution.

Now, some have stated that the indie film community itself is too small to make an impact on Crowdfunding, and real growth can only happen by getting the general public to donate.  While it's absolutely true there are more non-movie people than movie people, and therefore a larger collective non-movie-person wallet, getting any one "civilian" to contribute to a campaign usually has more to do with whether they know the filmmaker or if they're connected to the project personally.  The idea that substantial numbers of general population will ever back indie film as a whole is just grossly unrealistic.

So, before we dismiss the indie film community itself, let's crunch some numbers:

My documentary about film festivals, OFFICIAL REJECTION, has a Facebook page with a little over a thousand fans, nearly all of whom are independent filmmakers themselves.  If these 1000 filmmakers each regularly contributed a minimum of $20 per month to Crowdfunded efforts, that would see an extra $20,000 - nearly a quarter of a million dollars per year - being poured into movie production.

Now let's go broader.  When I met Christian Gaines from WithoutaBox at the Riverrun International Film Festival in the spring of 2009, he proudly told me that his website had approximately 300,000 subscribers, all of whom were filmmakers, with another five-to-ten thousand signing up every week.  So let's very conservatively assume that WithoutaBox now has about 350,000 filmmakers in its database.  If every one of those put $20 towards Crowdfunding, we'd have SEVEN MILLION DOLLARS per month - that's EIGHTY-FOUR MILLION DOLLARS PER YEAR - newly galvanized to finance independent productions.  Such an influx of additional capital would mean every project on Kickstarter, IndieGoGo, and every other Crowdfunding site would be instantly and fully funded.  It would completely change the game.

Take a glance in the mirror.  WE are the revolution we've been waiting for.

What I propose is this:  once a month - perhaps the day you set aside to do your bills - go online and commit a minimum of $20 to the Crowdfunding campaign of your choosing.  Think of it as paying your subscription to the new world order of indie film - your dues for membership.  If you have a friend running a campaign, then great: donate to that one.  But if you don't, simply browse Kickstarter or IndieGoGo until you find something you'd like to see made - then commit to it.  If you see two you fancy, consider splitting your money. 

This is what I've been doing.  In the last few months I've become a backer on Dan Mirvish's BETWEEN US, Paul DeNigris' PARALLAX, Victoria & Jen Wescott's LOCKED IN A GARAGE BAND and Crystal Scott’s GIRL CLOWN.  Dan and Paul I know personally, but I’ve never met Victoria, Jen or Crystal.  I merely stumbled across their projects and decided to contribute to them.  Their pitches got money out of a stranger.  That's kinda what it's all about.

But don't just become a backer yourself.  This has to be a collective effort.  Spread the message.  Forward this blog to whomever you can.  Repost it.  Or better yet, put it into your own words, in any format you feel will reach people.  Let's get it out there.  We're all in this together.

Now, you may be reading this and wondering if maybe I'm only suggesting such an approach because I've got my own Crowdfunding effort going.  Well, let me assure you, I don't.  Yet.  But someday I will.

And let's be honest - one day you will, too.

Viva la Revolución.