nofilmschool » filmfestivals

Straight Baller Fests: The Definitive Unscientific List of Film Festivals That Cover Your Flight & Hotel

Laura Gamse — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 14:00:07 +0000

Film festivals are to directors what higher education is to high school graduates: either a launchpad for success, or a hangover with a helluva price tag. Best fest lists are all over the interwebs, but lists of festivals that cover your costs are harder to find, and for good reason. Which fests treat filmmakers right, on and off the carpet? Read on for the definitive unscientific list. (more…)

What Cameras Are Festival Filmmakers Using in 2013?

E.M. Taboada — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 08:59:19 +0000

When thinking about your upcoming project, do you ever catch yourself dreaming about the latest greatest buzz camera? I know I do. It’s easy to get caught up in the tech and forget that finding the right tool for a given project is just as important as thinking about the right project for the tool you have at hand. As the good folks at Indiewire found out at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, filmmakers are using a great variety of cameras to make their projects happen. (more…)

3 Must-Haves to Get Your Film Distributed

Oakley Anderson-Moore — Fri, 03 May 2013 19:59:33 +0000

Even though we wax poetic about how rewarding the art of filmmaking can be, at the end of the day, we need audiences to see the finished product. They don’t have to rabidly declare it their favorite film (though that would be nice), but there’s really no point spending all this time and money on a feature if the only person who owns the DVD is your mom. In a series of videos posted by IFP from Mark Litwak, the entertaining Entertainment Lawyer explains how to prepare yourself for the do-or-die of distribution. (more…)

'World's First Instagram Film Experience' Used to Promote Toronto Silent Film Festival

V Renée — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 03:56:47 +0000

Has Instagram become the new mutoscope? Well — not completely, but the folks at the Toronto Silent Film Festival have come up with an inventive way to replicate this visual illusion in order to draw attention to their upcoming event. By uploading stills from famous silent films on Instagram, users can quickly scroll down the images and watch a scene play out — kind of like a mutoscope or flip book, only digital. Despite a few technical kinks, these stroboscopic “trailers” are bringing silent films to life to a brand new generation of moviegoers. (more…)

Is There an Ideal Length for a Film Festival Short?

Joe Marine — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 00:55:40 +0000

Length is always a tricky issue when it comes to short films. Some advise that you should keep them as short and sweet as possible, others say you should let them be as long as they need to be to properly tell the story. Continuing the great conversation with HollyShorts co-founder Daniel Sol, Film Courage asks with the clip below “How long should a short film be?” Click through to check it out. (more…)

When is a Film Ready to Be Submitted to a Festival, and Do Production Values Really Matter?

Joe Marine — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 21:53:26 +0000

We recently shared a terrific conversation about film festivals with HollyShorts co-founder Daniel Sol, and now Film Courage has released a few more excellent clips from the interview. This time, Daniel talks about great production values and mediocre execution vs. great execution and mediocre production values, and how you can know whether your film is finally ready to be submitted to a festival. Click through to check them out. (more…)

Why Short Films Are Rejected from Festivals and Reasons You Should Make a Short Before a Feature

Oakley Anderson-Moore — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 15:08:12 +0000

You finished your short film and it’s the perfect calling card. It embodies you as a director: your range of styles, the twists and turns of your scriptwriting skills, and your ability to create high production value on pennies. In short, you’ve made it awesome. Unfortunately, the programmers at your favorite film festival disagree. You cry on your keyboard, eat a roll of raw cookie dough, and shout “Why?!” to no one in particular. Maybe that’s a tad dramatic (or is it?) but nevertheless, I think everybody can agree that it’s frustrating not being able to find out why your film got chopped. In the videos below, HollyShorts Film Festival Co-Founder Daniel Sol talks about why shorts might get rejected from a festival, goes into detail about how they program their festival, and mentions why you might want to make a short before a feature. (more…)

Sundance Institute Presents: NEXT WEEKEND, a 4-Day Film Festival in Los Angeles

Micah Van Hove — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 08:23:43 +0000

Yesterday, March 4th, coincidentally the only calendar date that doubles as a complete sentence, the Sundance Institute announced a new summer film festival to take place in Los Angeles from August 8th-11th. NEXT WEEKEND, intended to celebrate the “renegade spirit of independent filmmaking,” will feature screenings, panels, parties, and workshops. The festival promises to bring eight unreleased feature films, including selections from Sundance’s NEXT section and new feature films from elsewhere. There will also be a shorts program and the annual ShortsLab: Los Angeles, a half-day filmmaking workshop centered on short films. (more…)

Film Festival Costs Got You Down? Find the Free Ones on the 'No Entry Fee Festivals' Blog

Joe Marine — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 03:54:05 +0000

If you’ve ever entered a film into a festival, whether it was a short, documentary, or feature, you’ve probably had to pony up some decent cash just to be considered — and that doesn’t include the additional costs once you’re accepted. What about festivals without entry fees? Do those even exist? The answer, as you probably guessed based on the title of the post, is yes, and you can find plenty of them over at No Entry Fee Festivals, a site that focuses specifically on the free ones. Click through to learn more about it. (more…)

Need to Keep Track of Major Film Festival Deadlines? There's an iFilmfest App for That

Justin Minich — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 23:54:20 +0000

Every once in a while I am reminded that I live in an age with an eerie yet delightful attribute: I can ask why isn’t there a device or piece of software that does a certain thing, and then usually within 6 months the thing I wanted becomes a reality. Case in point: I was wondering how a friend of mine went about keeping track of a bunch of major film festival deadlines. The most obvious answer was that he probably spends time on Withoutabox and enters in deadlines into some calendar software. Still, I couldn’t help but ask myself “why isn’t there an all-in-one app that helps filmmakers keep track of film festivals?” As if on cue, a few days later iFilmfest popped up on my digital radar. (more…)

Make a Short Film in Northwest Louisiana for a Chance to Win $50,000

Justin Minich — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 18:00:48 +0000

Last year, 86 teams competed in the first annual Louisiana Film Prize, and one lucky team walked away with $50,000. Now, the 2013 iteration of the LAFP has just kicked off, and once again they’re offering a cool $50,000 for the best short film shot in the northwestern section of the Bayou State, as well as $500 prizes for each of the 20 finalists. Here’s the details on the competition’s rules and how to enter: (more…)

How to Improve Your Film Festival Q&A and Why It Could Affect the Future of Your Movie

Joe Marine — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 23:29:09 +0000

Many of you have probably been to a film festival at some point, and there’s a good chance you’ve either been a part of, or witnessed, a Q&A after the screening. I myself have done both — though I’ve been to more than I’ve actually been involved in — and they tend to range from fantastic to cringe-worthy. It’s not easy doing one well, and even more importantly the success of that Q&A may actually affect the future of your film. That’s why Scott Macaulay over at Filmmaker Magazine has put together a list of 12 things that directors can do to “ensure that their festival Q&As are as charming, thoughtful and inspiring as possible.” (more…)

Sundance Announces More 'Accessible' 2013 Lineup, Festival Director Answers Your Questions in Reddit AMA

Dave Kendricken — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 21:30:35 +0000

The Sundance Institute recently announced the 2013 festival lineup, complete with shorts and features from the far-end of challenging and experimental work, all the way to more mainstream-oriented pieces featuring a number of Hollywood regulars. For the first time ever, the festival received over 12,000 submissions — with 4,044 of those being feature film or documentary submissions, which outdoes last year’s total by only 2 (whereas 2012 saw an increase of 6% from 2011). This isn’t the only unique or buzz-worthy news about the upcoming festival, however. (more…)

Enter the Shot on RED Film Festival, Winner Receives a RED SCARLET Camera Package

Joe Marine — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 23:10:04 +0000

So you’ve shot a film on RED but you want to actually project that movie for an audience in 4K? With so few films actually being distributed in 4K, aside from renting out a 4K theater, what’s a filmmaker to do? Well, RED is answering that question with their own film festival, which will include both shorts and features from independent productions. The festival will be free to enter, but the deadline is approaching quickly, so you probably won’t have time to shoot something just for the festival if you haven’t done so already — though you can submit films that have already played at other festivals. Click through to read all of the details about the festival. (more…)

Couch Fest: A Film Festival Happening in Living Rooms Around the World with a Top Prize of $500

Justin Minich — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 15:00:16 +0000

In 2008, Seattle filmmaker Craig Downing had an idea: Take a film festival out of theaters and put it into the more intimate, communal venue of peoples’ living rooms. What resulted was the self-described “awkwardly awesome” Couch Fest. Now in its fifth year, Couch Fest has grown from a Seattle-based festival to one that happens in homes and idiosyncratic venues world-wide, spanning North America, South America, Europe, and even as far as Oman. This year the Golden Couch award for best short is $500, and there are other goodies on offer as well: (more…)

Watch Every Video from the 2012 Vimeo Festival Award Winners

Joe Marine — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 16:00:20 +0000

The winners of the 2012 Vimeo Festival have been announced, and unlike a regular film festival, where it could be months before you get to see the films of the winners, you can watch the videos right now embedded below. Philip Bloom, a presenter at the 2012 show, put together the list of winners and also embedded them on his site. Just because you haven’t seen any good videos on Vimeo lately, doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Even if you’re not a fan of all of them (hopefully at least one of them), they are still of a higher quality which many of us should aspire to. (more…)

Watch, Vote and Be Inspired - Vimeo Festival + Awards Voting Now Open

E.M. Taboada — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 22:04:42 +0000

Want to watch a boatload of awesome shorts? Want to participate in one of the cooler emerging film festivals from the comfort of your own home? Public voting for the Vimeo Festival + Awards is now open. With 156 selected entries across 13 categories there’s plenty to check out between now and the festival itself. Want a taste of the offerings? Check this out: (more…)

'Your Film Festival' Deadline Less Than a Week Away - $500k Grant (And More) on the Line

E.M. Taboada — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 13:00:10 +0000

On March 31st, 2012 the first ‘Your Film Festival’ will close its doors to submissions. But it’s not just the $500k grant money that’s on the line — it’s who and what comes attached with it. The winner will not only get to open the Venice Film Festival, but they’ll have Ridley Scott and his production team produce their $500k project. With that in mind, let’s listen to what Mr. Scott has to say as you prep your 15-minute narrative submission: (more…)

Call for Entries: The 180 Second Microcinema Film Festival

Ryan Koo — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 16:33:10 +0000

I get a fair number of emails from other filmmakers who have made a short, posted it to Vimeo, and are wondering what to do next. Finding an audience and gaining exposure is a definite challenge, and due to time constraints lately I haven’t posted as many shorts or exposure opportunities as I’d like. So here’s one opportunity: the 180 Second Microcinema Film Festival is calling for submissions of, as you can guess from the title, 3 minute shorts. Got a film of this length, or an idea for one? The deadline is December 15th. More details: (more…)