Festival Strategy Guide: Insights from Floriane Andersen on FilmFreeway</span>
Recently, Cinematography for Actors collaborated with the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge to produce festival strategy workshops held at AFI. This initiative provided insights into the festival circuit and submission strategies, enriching CFA's offerings to filmmakers.
Cinematography for Actors (CFA) board member and filmmaker Floriane Andersen shared her expertise on effectively navigating the film festival circuit using the FilmFreeway platform. Drawing from her experiences with her award-winning film "Unforgotten" and her production "Rattled," Andersen offers a comprehensive guide for filmmakers aiming to maximize their festival submissions.
Here are some of the key insights from her talk:
Clarify Your Festival Goals: Floriane emphasized the importance of defining clear objectives before submitting to festivals. She advises targeting smaller, established festivals for award aspirations, seeking festivals with educational and networking opportunities for industry connections, and considering local festivals to build relationships with nearby filmmakers.
Optimize Your FilmFreeway Profile: A complete and tailored FilmFreeway profile is crucial. Floriane recommends filling out all sections meticulously, including concise bios and director or producer statements, and leveraging the "My Lists" feature to organize target festivals aligned with specific project goals.
Budget Wisely for Submissions: Financial planning is essential for festival success. Allocating funds specifically for entry fees, submitting early to take advantage of lower fees, and considering FilmFreeway Gold for submission discounts are strategies she strongly suggests to manage costs effectively.
Craft Impactful Project Submissions: Attention to detail in project submissions can make a significant difference. Floriane advises including comprehensive technical details, listing the full team in credits, avoiding premature IMDb release dates, and adding personalized cover letters to enhance the submission's appeal.
Common Questions Addressed:
Role of Producers in Submissions: Producers, including those who are also actors, are typically responsible for festival submissions. Emphasizing the producer role in this context is important.
Inclusion of Producer’s Statement: Adding a producer’s statement provides depth to the submission and is recommended.
Number of Producers to List: Only the lead producer should be listed in the contact section, with other producers included in the credits.
Selection Process Duration: The selection process can take several months; strategic planning is necessary to accommodate festivals that may require premiere status.
Tailoring Bios for Each Project: Customizing bios to align with each specific project and the festival’s audience enhances relevance.
Timing of Submissions: Submitting early is advantageous due to potential discounts and to avoid higher fees closer to deadlines.
Researching Suitable Festivals: Utilizing the "Festival Focus" section and relevant keywords helps identify festivals that are a good fit for the film's genre and themes.
Number of Festivals to Submit To: Aiming to submit to about ten festivals for every anticipated acceptance increases the chances of selection.
Approach for Episodic Content: Submitting as a series and including all episodes, if applicable, is the recommended approach.
Floriane concludes by highlighting that film festivals offer more than just a platform for showcasing work; they are vital spaces for connection, providing opportunities to engage with audiences, fellow filmmakers, and industry professionals. The relationships built through these experiences are invaluable, underscoring that festivals are about sharing stories and engaging deeply with the art of storytelling.