This is it! The inaugural episode of Film Festival Hacks, the podcast that explores the festival circuit “from both sides of the badge.” Alex Ferrari is an award winning filmmaker with nearly 600 international film festivals under his belt. He’s joined by Chris Holland, author of Film Festival Secrets: A Handbook for Independent Filmmakers who has worked closely with more than 200 film festivals including Sundance, AFI Fest, and SXSW.
Together we explore the hidden world of film festival programming and pass along tips that give you that critical edge in the festival submissions game.
Getting the most out of your film festival investment takes careful planning ahead. In this first episode we look at what filmmakers can do during the submissions process to make sure they get the best results and how to avoid some common pitfalls.
The primary topic of conversation of today’s show is the top 3 things that annoy festival programmers. These are typical mistakes that most festival rookies make, which is why we’re here to teach you the important do’s and don’ts of getting your film in front of these crucial gatekeepers while keeping them in a good mood. They’re the little things that may not seem like a big deal to you but are major annoyances to festival directors.
This episode alone will save you hours of frustration and keep you out of the doghouse, so set aside 15 minutes to invest in your festival future.