Demystifying Film Festival Submissions - How Festivals Choose Films and What You Can do to Increase Your Odds of Being Selected

Dear {NAME} As an independent filmmaker, screening your project at a film festival may be the best opportunity to put your film (and yourself) on display. Perhaps because festivals can feel so enigmatic, it’s common for filmmakers not to consider the workings of a festival or the rules and goals they operate under before submitting. To set yourself up for success, it’s time to better understand how festivals tick and what you can do while submitting, or even while making your film, to be better positioned for success and to hopefully get that long awaited acceptance letter. For nearly a decade Harrison Glaser has been immersed in the professional film industry working for Austin Film Festival and Stage 32. As Austin Film Festival’s Film Competition Director, he programmed the festival’s films for five years and discovered his passion for identifying deserving projects and championing exciting and unrecognized talent. During Harrison’s tenure as AFF’s Film Competition Director, over 100 films he programmed went on to secure distribution, six short films were later nominated for Oscars, and one that he qualified ultimately won the Academy Award. His work with Austin Film Festival and Stage 32 allows him to champion undiscovered storytellers and help them amplify their work. He also serves as a professional moderator for many different film related industry panels both online and offline. Through his many years leading AFF’s film selection and working closely with other film fests, he has become intimately familiar with the inner workings of larger festivals, as well as the common missteps many filmmakers make when working with them. [New Webinar Announced- Early Bird Sale - Take $10 Off!]( --------------------------------------------------------------- "Through my years programming at a major festival, I’ve seen my fair share of blown chances and poorly planned festival strategies, well-meaning filmmakers who were never given the tools to navigate the admittedly complicated and confusing world that is film festivals. It broke my heart every time. Filmmakers need to know what they’re getting into when submitting to festivals, and the simple things they can do to better position themselves for success. I’m so excited to bring what I know to the Stage 32 community to help filmmakers better empower themselves for their upcoming festival journeys." -Harrison Glaser --------------------------------------------------------------- What You'll Learn from Harrison: - Who Are Programmers and What Drives Them? - A Bird’s Eye View of a Festival’s Selection Process - What happens to a film after it’s submitted? - Who watches your film? - How many times will your film be watched? - Do programmers watch films in their entirety? - How films are declined, shortlisted, or accepted - What Do Programmers Look For? - Appropriate lengths for shorts and features - Topics and themes - Identity of the festival and its audience - Premiere status requirements - Other content issues - Copyright issues - Submitting works-in-progress - Tips for Submitting Your Film - Navigating deadlines (i.e. does it help to submit early?) - Using FilmFreeway or other services - What you need to have in order besides the film - Should you include press kits? - Cover letters and what to include on them - Communicating with Programmers - Best practices - Appropriate circumstances to reach out - Situations when you shouldn’t reach out - Changing your Vimeo password - Updating your submitted cut - Navigating Fee Waivers - Q&A with Harrison Early Bird Sale - Get $10 Off Today! [Give Your Film the Best Chance of Getting Selected >>]( Can't make it live? Don't worry! We'll record it and you can watch it after for up to 1 year! Copyright © 2020 Stage 32, All rights reserved. You are receiving this message because you are either a member of Stage 32 community, or you have subscribed to receive a newsletter on our landing page. Our mailing address is: Stage 32 2711 N Sepulveda Blvd Manhattan Beach, CA 90266-2725 USA Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from educational updates](. This email was sent from Stage 32 through MailChimp. To [unsubscribe]( or manage your preferences, please use the links above. Help us send you more useful emails by keeping your profile up to date.