Film Festival Secrets: A Handbook for Independent Filmmakers
Many filmmakers struggle to find a place on the festival circuit because they don't have the right foundation for their submissions strategy.
They think that all film festivals are basically the same. (Wrong.)
They rush post-production to meet festival deadlines and consider test screenings to be optional. (Nope.)
They think that sending out form emails to hundreds of festivals to ask for fee waivers is a clever way to save money on submissions fees (so very, very wrong).
If you're stumped about where to start – if you’re losing sleep over which festivals are right for you or (worse) blindly submitting to festivals with late deadlines about to pass – get your hands on this book today. You’ll discover not only how festivals operate but also how veteran filmmakers craft a custom submissions strategy for each film they make . . . without wasting resources or damaging their reputations in the industry.
The second edition of Film Festival Secrets has been updated to include the latest festival strategies and standards. New for this edition: a directory of 1200+ hand-picked notable film festivals, organized geographically.
Film Festival Secrets will help you:
Select the right festival for your film
Prepare your festival screener
Save money on festival fees
Create marketing collateral
Craft a screening sell-out plan
- and more!
"Chris Holland's advice on navigating the film festival circuit is invaluable." - Brian Udovich, co-producer of The Wackness and All the Boys Love Mandy Lane
"As a film festival programmer who has also been a filmmaker, I can honestly say that this book succeeds where so many others have failed in terms of describing the realities of the festival circuit." - John Merriman, Austin Film Festival Programmer
“Going into the game forewarned can help you create a better plan of attack and make decisions that are best for you and your film. ‘Film Festival Secrets’ can steer you on the right path. I highly recommend this book.” - Dan Masucci, Fountainhead Pictures
Ready for a copy of your very own?
Print Edition
More praise for Film Festival Secrets:
"Phenomenal! Film Festival Secrets asks and answers all the right questions. The most comprehensive, knowledgeable, and informative guide to the festival circuit to date." - Adam Roffman, Program Director, Independent Film Festival of Boston
"Chris offers valuable insight, practical advice, and unguarded feedback from a collective braintrust of festival insiders." - From the foreword by Gabriel Wardell, Executive Director, Atlanta Film Festival
"I'd like to buy the world a Coke. I'd also like to buy every filmmaker who submits to Sundance and not Slamdance a copy of Film Festival Secrets." - Drea Clark, Executive Director, Slamdance Film Festival
