The Film Festival Secrets Filmmaker's Bible: 114 Articles, Videos, & Podcasts with Tips, Tricks, and Advice for Submitting to Film Festivals
By Chris Holland
If you're looking for festival submissions help, you've come to the right place. I've scoured the internet for every bit of wisdom and strategy surrounding the film fest programming and submissions process. Those links are gathered here for a comprehensive list of how-to first-hand experiences and tips from the film festival circuit.
Before you go, be sure to check out the Film Festival Secrets Vault, a compilation of my own best tips & tricks from the last decade of observing the film festival circuit.
Got an article I haven't listed? Let me know about it!
- How to Get Rejected by a Film Festival (podcast)
- 8 Short Films You Should See Before You Start Submitting to Film Festivals
- Sundance by the Numbers - 2014 Infographic
- Attention, Filmmakers: Essential Film Festival Tips
- 8 Tips to Make the Most of Film Festival Submissions
- A Hustler's Guide to Film Festivals (podcast)
- Top 10 Tips For Submitting Your Film To A Film Festival
- If You’re Not Following These 3 Basic Festival Rules, Nothing Else Will Matter
- 16 Things Film Festivals Hate About Filmmakers
- 10 Tips For Submitting to Festivals
- How to Request Film Festival Fee Waivers (And Actually Get Them)
- 3 Quick Tips for Successful Networkingn at Film Festivals
- A Talk with Directors Rejected by Sundance Film Festival
- Top 3 Mistakes of Short Filmmaking (podcast)
- Film Festivals: Sex, Booze, & Networking (video)
- Film Selection Process (Reel Shorts Film Festival)
- John Cooper (Director, Sundance Film Festival) AMA on Reddit
- 10 Tips for Submitting to Film Festivals
- Conversation with Cucalorus Film Festival's Executive Director Dan Brawley
- Three Ideas You Should Steal From the Sydney Film Festival 2014
- Q&A with Jon Gann, Founder/Director of DC Shorts Film Festival
- Put Your Film In the Right Category When Submitting To Film Festivals
- Will Your Short Film Make Festival Programmers Happy? (podcast)
- Filmmakers of Reddit: What Are Your Film Festival Experiences?
- Want To Get Your Film Into Sundance? The Festival’s Programmers Reveal Secrets To Successful Submissions
- Why Don't Film Festivals Give Feedback?
- Negotiating with Film Festivals (podcast)
- Filmmaker Submission Tips from Moondance
- How Can I Pick the Right Festivals for My Film? (podcast)
- Film Festival Tips
- 6 Reasons DVDs Are Dead as a Festival Submission Format (Or Will Be Soon)
- 7 Game-Changing Film Festival Tips
- Q&A With Jarod Neece, Festival Producer & Senior Programmer for South by Southwest (SXSW) (podcast)
- Film Festival Basics: Five Reasons to Submit
- A bit of advice for your Film Festival submission
- The Do's and Don'ts of Submitting to Sundance
- Film Festival Success
- Sxsw Film Submission Tips: Submitting A Work-In-Progress Cut
- Sxsw Film Submission Tips: How To Submit Your Film Video
- SXSW Film Submission Frequently Asked Questions
- SXSW Film Submission Tips: Submitting to Other Festivals and Premiere Status
- Why Short Films Are Rejected from Festivals and Reasons You Should Make a Short Before a Feature
- Faux Films Submission Tips (PDF)
- Film Festival Tips - Secrets to a Successful Film Festival Premiere (video)
- Film Riot's How to Get Into a Film Festival (video)
- Indy Mogul's Time to Enter Film Festivals! (video)
- Ten Festival Submission Tips from a Festival Director
- New Hope Film Festival & Script Competition Call for Entries and Insider Tips
- Slamdance Frequently Asked Questions
- May the Odds Be Ever in Your Favor: 8 Tips to Make the Most of Film Festival Submissions
- Top 10 Festival Tips Countdown: Tip # 10: Don’t Wait for the Late Deadline
- Festival Tip # 9: Know Thy Festival
- Festival Tip #8: Don’t Underestimate the Power of an Image
- Inside the Docs in Progress Screening Selection Process
- Festival Tip #7: You Need to Budget…and That Includes Festivals
- Documentary Film Festivals - Submit, Attend, Enjoy!
- 7 Insider Tips for Getting Your Film Festival Career Started With Filmfest Dresden
- Occidental College: Submitting to Film Festivals
- 8 Tips to Make the Most of Film Festival Submissions
- Submission Tips From a Fest Director
- Film Festivals 101: The Essentials to Film Festival Success
- Legally Speaking, It Depends: Targeting Film Festivals
- Write, Direct, Repeat: Film Festivals and the Short Film, Part 1
- Write, Direct, Repeat: Film Festivals and the Short Film, Part 2
- Legally Speaking, It Depends: How to Pick a Film Festival
- Donna ON PR: Building Your Film Marketing Budget Nest Egg
- Film Festivals Offer The Life Lessons For Longevity
- Tips for First Time Film Festival Submissions
- Tips and Tricks: approaching the festival circuit.
- Film Festival Preparation: What to Bring to Your Screening
- Made Man: 10 Film Festival Submission Tips
- New Orleans Film Festival Submission Tips (scroll down)
- How To Get A Movie Into The Sundance Film Festival by Kyle Patrick Alvarez of C.O.G. (video)
- 20 Points to Consider in Approaching Your Festival Premiere
- Filmmaker Insider's Guide To The Film Festival Selection Process (video)
- Benefits That Big Film Festivals Provide Filmmakers (video)
- DIY Tips For Doing Your Own Publicity At A Film Festival (video)
- How To Target Film Festivals For A Feature Film (video)
- Raising Money For The 1st Feature Film & How Film Festivals Can Help With The Second One (video)
- The Filmmaker Film Festival Checklist by Slamdance co-founder and filmmaker Dan Mirvish (video)
- Toronto, Toschmonto: Time for a Festival Plan “B”: 12 Steps to a Saner Festival Game Plan
- Be Selective Submitting to Film Festivals (video)
- Film Festival Submission Tips For Filmmakers (video)
- “Your Job as a Programmer is to Look on Behalf of the Audience” (podcast)
- A Filmmaker Doesn't Need Connections to Get Into Sundance (video)
- Winning an Award at Sundance Doesn't Guarantee a Distribution Deal (video)
- 5 Tough Love Tips For Getting Your Film Into Film Festivals
- Filmmaking Debate: Submitting A Rough Cut To A Film Festival? (video)
- 10 Tips on Festival and Distribution Strategy From Tall as the Baobab Tree Director Jeremy Teicher
- Film Festival Submission Secrets (video)
- You Asked, I’m Answering – Film Festival Strategy
- I Struggled To Get A Movie Made After My Sundance Debut (video)
- Film Festival Strategy: Withoutaclue to Withoutabox in 16 Steps
- "12 Steps to Avoid Going Broke Applying to Film Festivals" by Dan Mirvish
- How to Navigate Film Festivals With a Short Film
- Hitting the festival circuit: developing your festival strategy
- Festival Strategy 101: Plot the Right Course for Your Film
- Attention, Filmmakers: Here's the Distribution Strategy You Need Before Sundance (Or Any Film Festival)
- Didn’t Get into Sundance? A World of Opportunity Awaits
- 5 Tips for Getting Your Indie Film Into Festivals
- Thom Powers (Documentary Programmer, Toronto Film Festival) on Festival Strategies
- An Intro to Film Festival Strategy
- Getting your short onto the festival circuit
- On Film Festival Premiere Requirements: Who's It Good For?
- 10 Things Every Film Festival Wants Filmmakers to Know
- Film Festivals 411: Why Did My Film Not Get In?
- Breaking the Rules: To Screen or Not to Screen Before the Festival Premiere
- Here Are 10 Things Filmmakers Want Festivals to Do
- Film Festival Strategies
- Film Fest Strategy With Christian Gaines From Withoutabox
- Beginning a short film festival strategy
- This Is How to Get Accepted Into Film Festivals
- Festival Express: Can the Fest Circuit Empower Your Film's Distribution Strategy?
- How Can You Get Your Short Into The Tribeca Film Festival?
