There are plenty of filmmakers who rush to finish their film for Sundance, fill out the submissions forms, send off the screener, and then . . . stop. There's nothing wrong with waiting anxiously to hear from what is arguably the world's most famous film festival, but if you're not submitting to other festivals while you wait you could miss out on the entire Spring season. Break out your list of target festivals (see chapter one of Film Festival Secrets for more on this) and get cracking. Here's a handy (but by no means complete) list of festivals with upcoming deadlines. Check each festival's web site for their late deadlines, submission rules, etc.
- IFF Boston - October 31
- Dallas International - December 13
- Atlanta Film Festival (full disclosure: I work there!) - November 22
- Cleveland IFF - November 30
- South By Southwest - November 14
- Oxford Film Festival - November 15
- CineKink (sex positive films) - December 12
- Florida Film Festival - November 15
- Newport Beach Film Festival - October 25 (early bird)
