Are Film Festivals Still Worth It?
The entry fees for some film festivals can be very high. Thus, many people think that film festivals are not worth the money. If a film festival is in other cities or countries, you might need to travel to see your film. Also, there is no guarantee that you are going to win. The film year festivals of 2020 were very different due to the pandemic restrictions. However, there are still many benefits of attending film festivals. In this article, we are going to talk about the importance of film festivals.
Networking
If you want to find other filmmakers and producers, then film festivals are perfect for you. Most people go to film festivals just because of the networking opportunities. For example, everyone who will attend the Cannes Film Festival will be from the movie industry. Thus, these film festivals are full of executives and producers who can help you produce your future projects. They can also give helpful advice to you. This will help you in improving your future projects. You should always have some contacts with producers and executives.
Film festivals are also filled with passionate filmmakers. You can meet assistant directors, scriptwriters, and cinematographers at these festivals. Thus, film festivals can help you in strengthening your network.
Prizes
Most film festivals will offer prizes to filmmakers. Due to this, many filmmakers will come to these film festivals. You can get free subscriptions and gear at these festivals. However, the best prize is probably cash. You can earn a fair amount of money by winning these film festivals.
Marketability
Film festivals will help you in improving your marketing skills. You need to sell your film to bloggers and programmers. Thus, you need to learn how to write good loglines for your movies. Also, you will learn about how to pitch your project, story, and yourself. These are critical skills for every filmmaker. You should always try to improve your marketing skills as it will help you in attracting more people.
If you are participating in a film festival, then it will improve the credibility of your film. Thus, you can use it for promoting your film. If your film wins an award at some big festival, you can use it to promote your movie. It will also help you with entering other film festivals.
Exposure To Large Audiences
Film festivals will give exposure to your films. Sometimes putting your movie on YouTube or Vimeo is not enough. Video platforms like YouTube have billions of videos. Thus, you need to find an audience for your film. Film festivals will give you access to a large audience. The chance of having an audience is enough to justify the entry fees. These film festivals will help you in finding a new audience for your films.
Awards and Recognition
Awards will help you in building your reputation. You can market yourself as an award-winning director or filmmaker. However, you should ensure that you are getting awards from reputable film festivals. You should check if the film festivals have a physical event. Also, you should ensure that it is a respected film festival.
There are many great first-year festivals where you can promote your films. However, there are also many scams. Thus, you should be careful when you are looking for a film festival. Winning awards will help you in marketing your film. Therefore, you should always try to win as many prizes as you can.
Niche Audiences
Many film festival categories are directed towards a specific niche only. If your film fits this niche, then you should enter the film festival. You will have a higher chance of winning an award at these festivals. There are many festivals that will focus on highlighting great stories.
If you are working on a horror film, then you should enter horror film festivals. Similarly, students and new filmmakers can enter short film festivals. These festivals focus on short films, which are generally created by students. Thus, you can promote your short films at these festivals.
Check out some great options for genre-specific, niche film festivals:
Reviews
You can get your film reviewed at film festivals. If your movie is playing at the correct venue, then you have a better chance of getting accurate reviews. Good reviews will help you in getting press coverage and further festival acceptances substantially! Film reviews can often even help in getting distribution deals.
Because of the immense value that comes from insightful independent film reviews, we’ve created a branch of professional film reviews here at The Film Fest Network. Our review team is dedicated to writing, publishing and properly distributing professional film reviews with the intention of helping filmmakers grow their presence online and achieve more at film festivals.
CLICK HERE TO GO LEARN MORE ABOUT THESE PROFESSIONAL REVIEW PACKAGES
Conclusion: Are Film Festivals Worth It In 2021?
These are the main benefits of attending film festivals. You can GROW your film by attending these film festivals, even still in 2021. Also, these film festivals will help you in strengthening your network. You can win awards at these film festivals. These awards will help you in marketing your films. Thus, in our opinion, film festivals are certainly still worth it in 2021.
