A Practical Guide to Attending Your First Film Festival What to expect and what to do before, during, and after the festival experience. ; LEARN MORE with our online filmmaking course. “Film festivals act as gatekeepers. They add a layer of curation that assures audiences and distributors alike that someone already has done the hard work of finding the cream of the crop. If your film has been accepted, you’re in good company!” Many aspiring filmmakers dream of what it will be like to one day sit in a movie theatre, while above the audience, light streams from a projector onto the screen, illuminating the fruits of their labor and passion. Getting a film in front of an audience so that people can experience its story and characters is the traditional end-all be-all be-all of the filmmaking journey. For some, the first time this happens is at a film festival, so it’s not surprising that festivals hold a special place in filmmakers’ hearts! If you’ve yet to attend a festival, then you may be wondering what it’s like to go to one with your own film, and that’s what we’ll discuss today. We’ll also talk a bit about film festivals in general: what are they, and what do they have to offer us as filmmakers? Lastly, we’ll touch on ways you can find success at a festival, so that you’re equipped with some basic strategies when you score your first festival acceptance. What is a film festival, anyway? On a...
Published By: Lights Film School Blog - Friday, 31 August, 2018