tips’n’tricks
be in competition but if your short isn’t one of the lucky few, you can always screen it at the Short Film Corner (a useful short movie market and networking place). Then you cold go for Toronto at the CFC Worldwide Short Film Festival (June) where your film could be included in another short movie market. The next major U.S. Film Festival to submit your film to is the Palm Springs International ShortFest (also June) where you can find a huge short movie selection which is really worth being a part of. Try also to submit to the Melbourne International Film Festival (August) which is the biggest and most acclaimed movie event in Australia, or you could bet on the Venice Film Festival (September) which only admits world premieres. And to finish the A-lister Festivals Tour, don’t forget the Rio de Janeiro International Short Film Festival (November) which is one of the major film festivals of Latin America.
If you are selected to screen at one of the big ones listed above, most of the other festivals will send you invitations to enter their own events at no cost.
You will need to build the credibility of your film by having it selected for a lot of festivals around the world. And do not hesitate to pick the ones that include short movie markets for buyers, distributors and film directors if you’re thinking about the near future. But, as we said at the start, whilst submitting to the Alister festivals of your dreams, you should also applyto smaller or more specialized festivals (horror, children, LGBT,...) which are great places to catch some attention with your movie as they are more accessible to small productions and often offer a broader selection of short movies: Brief Encounters Short Film Festival, International Hamburg Film Festival, Flickerfest, Huesca Film Festival, Uppsala Film Festival, Bruxelles Film Festival, Montreal International LGBT Film festival, Villa do Conde, Fantasporto, Fanfasia, Cinemajove, Mecal, Montreal lmage+Nation, Stockholm Film Festival...
These festivals can allow you to build the credibility of your movie for other festivals. To find out where to submit your film, you could use one of these three useful websites: Withoutabox, Reelport or the Short Film Depot. You just need to create an account, register and upload your film, submit to festivals and check-out the progress. These services are free but will not include festival entry fees. Festivals are really the best way to bring your film(s) to a wider audience, to promote your work and to meet with the industry players. Try to attend as many festivals as you can if your movie is selected, to network and speak about your next project while you promote your current film. A new journey is about to begin for you...
Concerning the Alister Festivals, be ambitious but realistic about your work. Wait for the answer from the few festivals of your dreams which require a Premiere, but keep sending to the smaller ones in other territories.
WOSH by Daazo.com - the European Shortfilm Centre 73