20 Best Film Festivals to Enter Your Film or Script
by Jaden
Got big dreams?
Submitting to film festivals is one of the best ways for an unknown person with no connections to break into the film industry. It’s a relatively painless procedure that could change your life forever. What if you get accepted? What if you win an award? What if you receive an offer? You’ll never know unless you try.
The objective of entering a film festival is to be recognized for your talents — preferably by someone from Hollywood who has the power to jump-start your career, right?
With so many film festivals vying for your attention, which ones do you choose to spend the time and money entering?
The following 11 film festivals are legitimate big time film festivals where lots of Hollywood powerhouses, professionals, and celebrities will be in attendance.
8. São Paulo International Film Festival
For more intimate and supportive niche film festivals, check out these:
3. San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival
7. American Black Film Festival
8. San Diego Asian Film Festival
9. Screamfest Horror Film Festival
What are your experiences with film festivals and which are your favorite?
Good luck with your entries!
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Click here for The Top 10 Best International Film Festivals of 2011
Comments
33 Responses to “20 Best Film Festivals to Enter Your Film or Script”
Got something to say?
I go to the Maine International Film Festival every year. I am determined to write a short film that’s good enough to enter within the next few years.
http://www.miff.org/
Thank you, Jaden.
Thanks, RJ. There are so many great local Film Festivals.
You’re welcome, Shane. In a few days, I will post the Best Legit Script Competitions.
Hi,
Thanks Jaden.
Do you know which of these accept screenplays vs finished films?
Also a technical question:
How do you format special effects and occassional subtitles in a screenplay?
I’ve been putting FX as a “shot” before the description, and
Subtitles as a “paranthetical”, but not sure either of these is standard.
Anyone know?
Thanks
Hi Michael Oaks.
For screenplay competitions, read this post:
Top 8 Screenplay Contests of 2009 and the Scams
http://www.screenwritingforhollywood.com/contests/top-8-screenplay-contests-of-2009-and-the-scams
Technical Answers:
Write in SPECIAL EFFECTS into the Scene Description area. No need to specify that they are special effects.
Like this:
EXT. SPACE — NIGHT
A fireball with the face of the devil comes flying through the black space and stars.
And like this:
INT. LIVING ROOM — MORNING
Santa Claus comes down the chimney as a mouse, then as he scurries away from the fireplace, he transforms back into the plump round man we know and love.
For SUBTITLES… Words written over the image of a scene… You write TITLE CARD.
It goes like this:
INT. LIVING ROOM — DAY
Johnny enters the room in his pajamas.
TITLE CARD:
1984 Pasadena, California
Johnny sees Santa Claus passed out on his daddy’s favorite chair.
…………………. JOHNNY
……………Santa, you are real!
Or, if you are doing an ongoing visual text dialog, you can get creative and do something like:
WORDS SCROLL DIAGONALLY ACROSS SCREEN:
Here comes Santa Claus, Here comes Santa Claus, Right down Santa Claus Lane…
If you put TITLE CARD, this is standard and the director will choose where to put the text.
If you are trying to do something groundbreaking, then you will have a little more freedom with how you write it into your script.
The main thing is to be clear in expressing the visual concept and to follow screenwriting format as much as possible.
Hope I answered your questions.
Thanks for visiting.
Thanks! Jaden!
A couple other questions:
FYI, I’m using Movie Magic.
Not sure what you mean by “Scene Description area” is this in the script or like “scene notes” on my software? ”
Do I put act and/or scene headings in the actual script?
Not sure how to format P.O.V.- do I put it on a seperate line like
EXT — DAY
P.O.V.
or with the prior shot dexcription like
EXT — DAY — P.O.V.
and
Do I put who’s point of view it is, like-
EXT — DAY — P.O.V. — JAMES
Strange I can’t find answers in any of the books or software I have.
Also, do the competitions have strict length limits; is 145 pages acceptable for a fairly epic film?
Thanks Again.
Hi again.
I’m also not clear on how to format or lable MONTAGE.
I’ve been putting it as Shot
MONTAGE
Do I not need to put it at all, and just descrbe the action?
Thanks.
Michael Oakes
Hello again Janden,
Another technical question from a first time writer.
One of my books, “Successful Script Writing” by Jurgen Wolff & Kerry Cox, suggests not using Transitions, such as CUT TO:, DISSOLVE TO:, FADE TO:, etc. except when occassionally needed for clarity or effect, since the new shot, ie. INT. –…, implies a Transition. Your thoughts as I consider cutting most of these?
Thanks
Michael Oaks — Hi Again.
The scene description area is underneath the scene heading.
A scene heading is this>>
EXT. JOHN’S BEDROOM — DAY
A scene description under that would go like this>>
John lays on his bed in his room.
A scene description describes what is happening.
Regarding POV (Point of View)… I never use that; it is generally a directorial choice. But yes, when you use it, always put whose POV it is. So to put it all together in a scene, it would look like this:
EXT. JOHN’S BEDROOM — DAY
John lays on his bed in his room.
JOHN’S POV of a spider crawling across the ceiling: spider drops down right on his forehead.
John jumps up screaming.
……….JOHN
……Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!
—————
That is how I would use POV, but a writer can use creative license with POV and use it in a number of different ways, as long as it is clear to the reader what is happening.
—————
Yes, all script competitions will have minimum and maximum script lengths for number of pages. Generally, 90 to 120 is the range for a feature script. Epics are not commonly met with glee.
————–
To be clear about writer’s intentions, definitely include a title for
MONTAGE
Then follow it by each scene clip. Example:
MONTAGE:
INT. SUNROOM — DAY
Jay and Lisa kiss for the first time.
EXT. STREET — Night
Jay and Lisa hold hands and walk down the street.
INT. 55 CHEVY — DAY
Jay and Lisa, 40 years older, in their 50s now, make out heavy against the steering wheel.
END OF MONTAGE.
——————-
Yes, I absolutely agree with Wolff & Cox; do not use unnecessary transitional language like “CUT TO” and “DISSOLVE” etc… It slows down the story and is not attractive in the script. I try not to use them. Yes, the scene headings INT/EXT….. are sufficient to say we have moved on to a new scene.
Director and editor will make style choices on editing and how to go between scenes.
——————
Thanks Michael for your good questions and visiting.
Jaden,
Thanks for being soooo helpfull!
What steps do you recomend to protect a script before (or after) submitting to contests, festivals, agents, producers, etc.?
Thanks.
Mike
Hey Jaden,
I got an Honorable Mention nod at the L.A. Reel Film Fest.
Still re-working it. Thanks for the great tips.
Also, I got good coverage from the ScriptSavvy, as well as pouring over books and Story Wizard’s to re-structure my story.
But wonder how much to rework it after the fact to fit story structure standards. It’s tougher because its a historic bio-pic, so clear antagonists tend to come and go, and most don’t stick around for the end- no single throughline, though a lot of conflict. The question is, do I have to make it conform to standard story structure, and try to win a first place major award, or move with the small success I’ve had to get an agent/producer?
Hi Michael,
Fantastic! You are well on your way. Congratulations.
Re your May 27, 2009 question:
Maybe I replied to you directly via email, but I apologize if I missed this question at the time. Been a busy year for me.
You probably figured out by now, for rights protection, you register your script with WGA and/or Copyright. Links are on my RESOURCES page.
Re: Jan. 4, 2010:
You may rework your script until you are completely dry of ideas for improvement. Careful not to overwork it and lose its soul though.
How far you can stray from standards depends on how successful you are at fulfilling your readers’ desires for information and emotional experience. You can break any rules as long as you are still meeting the want of the public and are giving ‘em what they need.
Standard story-writing rules are like the basics to building a house. If you can build a house another way and it still stands strong, looks great, and meets the inhabitants needs, by all means, do it. But it is safe to say there are certain things all people want: kitchen, toilet, bedroom, etc. because we all have basic needs that must be met: eating, relieving, sleeping… So if you stray too far from that, it could be an interesting house but no one will want to live there because it is unstable or doesn’t have a toilet.
When watching a movie, we have needs too, info we want, a way we want to feel. Who is this guy? Why should I care about him? Whose the love of his life? How did he get where he is today? How can I do what he did? How can I avoid his mistakes? Tell me something inspiring. We don’t need to know every single person that crossed into someone’s life to answer those questions.
As a historic bio-pic, yes, even with those tend to follow general standard story structure. Take for example a story you would see on the History Channel. I have seen many TV films or even theatre films about people like Alexander the Great or Caesar or Cleopatra or Reagan or Gorbachev, or take VH1 Behind the Music about musicians and bands… all “true” -ish stories, nonfiction, but they hit certain plot points we all want to hear about: love, family, career, highs/lows, weird shit they do, weaknesses, strengths, key important people in the main character’s life who set him on his path or obstruct it, etc…. (All of this is totally opinion and slanted by the writer. Fact is subjective. Writer must make these choices.)
As for too many characters coming and going in a person’s life, you do want to try to limit how many characters you have so your audience doesn’t get lost.
We all know hundreds of people, but only a few people are hugely significant on our lives. It might not be the oldest friend, it might not be the spouse, it might just be a bum on the street who said, “Look up, a person is falling on you,” that changed a person’s life, therefore, now this bum is an important character and maybe the opening of the script.
As the writer, you have to select as few characters as possible that are mandatory to tell your story.
One technique is to focus on say 1 year of that person’s life, like a limited time frame that affected that person greatly, an extremely interesting time frame, within which you choose only a few key people.
“no single throughline”
There always is, you just need to find it, or rather, you need to decide what you want it to be. The throughline is up to you. What is the most important thing about this person that you want everyone to know? Hammer in that idea throughout the script and give examples of it whenever you can. If it is that life is hard and full of conflict, run wild with it.
Thanks for reporting back to us here about your experiences. That’s exciting to get follow up reports. Hope I have been helpful. Keep on truckin!
its always nice to see someone give genuine, unbiased advise. thanks jaden.
Hi Jaden,
Great info.
A couple questions:
Are there festivals that are more likely to take my films?
At without a box I notice they send emails that give 5-10 dollar discounts on late entry fees etc. Does this mean they are in need of films rather than sorting through hundreds?
thanks
Randall
Hi Randall,
You should browse all film festivals’ past film schedules and topics to see which festivals are most appropriate and a good match for your film’s topic matter.
The smaller a festival, the greater your odds that you will be accepted or win something, but the less people will see it, the less publicity, the less recognition, and less reward. You have to weigh all the pros and cons of each festival and decide which is best for you.
Without a Box looks like they are just trying to get some publicity for their service by offering discounts, which is great for filmmakers.
If it was the Film Festival entity itself who was making a surprise deadline extension or offering discounts, it would probably be because they want to make more money or are seeking better submissions, and that yes, they had a low submission number this year, which means yes, your odds of winning go up.
Surprise deadline extensions are unfair to filmmakers who hurriedly finished their films to meet a deadline and could have improved their work, but now have all this competition by people who were able to use that extra time to their advantage.
Hope that answers your questions.
Good luck.
Jaden
WorldFest is a great film festival dedicated to independent filmmakers. Its where George Lucas, Spielberg, and Ang Lee first got recognized.
hi ,i am from Iran and i can’t afford buying TV and i just use my old com , i was wondering that you can send me some films to watch ,thank you
Jen — Thanks.
Gholamreza — At this juncture of my life, as much as I would love to assist you in watching movies, I am sorry, I too cannot afford TV or buying and mailing movies to the other side of the planet. Maybe if you post your email address, some other wealthier reader may contact you and send you some movies. Who knows? What kind of movies do you want?
[...] * 20 Best Film Festivals to Enter Your Film or Script * [...]
i am surprised the Los Angeles Film Festival didn’t make your list, since that would seem to be a fest that a lot of upper echelon people could attend without having to travel…where do you think that ranks among the festivals for film submissions?
Hi RJ — There are a lot of reasons why non-LA film festivals rank higher.
The biggest film festivals are more discerning and selective about the films they show, whereas smaller festivals and LA festivals may have less competition so potentially less good films.
Hollywood executives love to travel and get out of town. With big events out of town, they put it on their calendar and look forward to going. It is much more exciting for a Hollywood person to be in France or Colorado than where the person is working every single day.
When execs are out of town, secretaries tell callers the exec is out of town and unreachable. An exec can watch a bunch of movies without the regular daily pressures of work that happen when still in town. It provides a better mental place for the exec to absorb and find new material and talent without being harassed all day by work, family, and friends.
In LA, there are countless film festivals and movie premieres year round. Every single day, something fun and exciting is happening in Hollywood; it is overwhelming and hard to get things done. The execs just can’t go to everything. They also would prefer to see work from around the world and other locations to have more diversity and see something different, possibly ground-breaking. Going out of town makes it more appealing and special, a break from the norm.
All that said, of course there will be important people and execs at many of the LA functions, festivals, and premieres. It is just a different vibe, a different scene, different work gets done, a different sort of magic. Does that makes sense?
[...] * 20 Best Film Festivals to Enter Your Film or Script * [...]
yeah…that makes sense for the most part…especially for some of the lower fests…for some reason i had been under the impression that LAFF was pretty high up the list of fests.
and at a panel at SXSW last year…some of the people there had said to try and get your material into New York and LA fests because execs can see your stuff without leaving town..and with a lot of the financial cutbacks that execs weren’t getting to travel like they used to
thanks for all your work on the list…i hadn’t heard much about Nantucket till i saw this list…so that is a new exciting submission for me :)
RJ – Yes, by all means, apply to NY and LA festivals. There are lots of execs there. Yes, budget cuts have probably changed things quite a bit. Still, entertainment does pretty well during economic hardships.
i wana know about the students film contest!
Jatin — Hello. Yes, great question. There are far too many student film contests for me to mention, surely one at every single school that teaches film studies. Usually, the film schools allow everyone’s films to be shown (within reason) and occasionally industry professionals will attend these local film school festivals. My advice for students is that they enter their films into their own schools’ festivals and maybe choose a few others to enter as well. It is an important and worthy start in the film industry to start showing your work amongst your peers at your own school first for feedback, exposure, and new connections.
the Urban Media Makers Film Festival of Atlanta Georgia is legitimate; also the Peachtree Village International Film Festival, also in Atlanta, Georgia is legitimate too. I have won for best screenplay [same script] at both festivals — UMFF in 2009 and PVIFF in 2010.
Rosetta — Congratulations on your wins! That is fantastic. And thanks for the info on Atlanta Georgia festivals.
A notable exclusion from this list is the San Sebastian film festival. It is without a doubt among the top 5 international film festivals.
As for my experience, the Sitges festival of fantastic and horror film was awesome. The setting is beautiful the selection top draw… its probably one of the top two horror related festivals in Europe, along with London’s.
Last April, I went to the L.A. Comedy Shorts film festival and it was awesome! I saw a panel with Wayne Brady and Jeff Garland, hilarious. There was a lot of networking, met a ton of people, made great connections and I didn’t even have a film there. My friend was one of the screenplay finalists for the feature screenplay competition. She didn’t end up winning, but she said she felt like she won because she had such a good time and a couple of huge companies requested her script. Definitely on my future submit list.
The website is; http://lacomedyshorts.com/
I CAN WRITE ANY TIPES OF STORY GIVE ME A ONCE CHANCE
i want to enter into hollywood
hi
I’m working on my new project(film) script named [title deleted for privacy] based on science. I want to make a new platform on hollywood that take a new question on hollywood . i hope u give me some suggest n ideas abt it. it is my dream . i can do some new on it.