Which fest is best?

July 11, 2007 1:58 PM

We, a group of amature filmmakers, are in post and looking for festivals.

The film is a twenty minute short with a Twilight Zone-esque plot. Based on that, and the fact that it's VERY low budget, which fests are our best options in terms of acceptance and exposure?

posted by Roman Graves to media & arts (13 comments total)

buy a copy of independent filmmaker magazine (or something along the lines). there are dozens of ads for festivals accepting indie shorts.
posted by mrunderhill at 2:10 PM on July 11, 2007

Look for local festivals, festivals with affordable entry fees, and festivals with themes relevant to you (Maybe you're Asian-American, for example) or the piece.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 2:10 PM on July 11, 2007

As an early addendum, I'm looking for specific festival recommendations.
posted by Roman Graves at 2:19 PM on July 11, 2007

I would start here:

http://www.withoutabox.com/

Good luck!
posted by rocco at 2:21 PM on July 11, 2007 [3 favorites]

Okay, Sundance.

Maybe you need to tell us more about your team, budget and project.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 2:22 PM on July 11, 2007

Get this book and check out the "genre" sections to see where your film might best fit it.

Withoutabox rocks as well.
posted by shino-boy at 2:50 PM on July 11, 2007

thirding withoutabox. only problem is I can't keep up with their recommendations, and always end up feeling bad that I skipped some deadlines that could have been my big break .

i set up a filter so all the email skips my inbox, which means I don't have to constantly think about it, but which also means I don't think about it. Still, totally worth it.
posted by prophetsearcher at 2:55 PM on July 11, 2007

Withoutabox is your best bet although not all film festivals are listed there, especially if they are new or small.

For more research, try filmfestivals.com as well.

It's important to find festivals that fit your style so you don't go wasting money on entry fees. Look at the films they have shown in the past.

Twenty minute shorts are a bit more difficult to get in. A rule of thumb for some festival organizers is that anything over ten has to be really good. If it doesn't hook them in the first three minutes, the judges probably won't watch the whole thing.

Best of luck. Post in the grey if you get accepted. I'm in the same boat.
posted by strangeleftydoublethink at 3:32 PM on July 11, 2007

I don't mean this in a snarky way, but if you're doing any web searches to help you find information, you'll get better results if you spell the word "amateur".
posted by matildaben at 3:52 PM on July 11, 2007 [1 favorite]

Depending on what you mean by "Twilight Zone", possibly Dead By Dawn.
posted by liquidindian at 4:00 PM on July 11, 2007

you'll get better results if you spell the word "amateur"

I blame most of the porn industry for that. Just like how I spelled cemetery "sematary" until I was about 10 because of Stephen King.
posted by Roman Graves at 4:45 PM on July 11, 2007

Roman Graves: Really? I've only encountered the correct spelling of the word in that context. Maybe I only see literate porn.
posted by matildaben at 5:02 PM on July 11, 2007

Strongly seconding the Chris Gore book linked by shino-boy, then WAB once you figure out what you want to do.

You need a strategy. Figure out your goals, then find out how you can achieve them.

And, yes, let us know in Projects when we can see it.
posted by asuprenant at 11:49 PM on July 11, 2007