Film Festival Strategy

December 8, 2012: The world of film festivals is large and confusing. It's easy to spend a lot of money and time on submissions and end up with little to show for it. Our Film Festival Strategy class in three parts gives you the opportunity to learn the ins and outs of film festival selection and to ask your questions of film festival expert Chris Holland. Holland is the author of Film Festival Secrets and has worked with dozens of film festivals and hundreds of filmmakers to create successful festival strategies.

The class is split into three sessions to allow you to focus on just the topics in which you're interested. Alternately you may attend all three sessions at a discounted rate.

Part 1 - Is your film ready for the festival circuit?

General $50 / Member $40

Saturday, December 8, 2012: 10am - 12pm Plaza Theatre, Upstairs Theatre 1049 Ponce De Leon, Ave

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The most important factor in your film's success at film festivals is the film itself. This class will focus on making sure your film will have a fighting chance on the festival circuit before you start submitting.

Topics covered include:

- How good is your film - really? - How to get honest opinions - Holding test screenings - What festival programmers want - Common mistakes filmmakers make

Part 2 - Creating a film festival strategy

General $50 / Member $40

Saturday, December 8, 2012: 12:30pm - 2:30pm Plaza Theatre, Upstairs Theatre 1049 Ponce De Leon, Ave

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Competition for the available slots at film festivals is fierce. Filmmakers waste more time, money, and energy than they need to festivals by submitting blindly to a wide range of events instead of carefully targeting the right fests. A little know-how and careful research can help you save money by submitting to fewer festivals while increasing your chances of acceptance at the same time.

Topics covered include:

- Defining yourself, defining your film - Setting your festival goals - Picking the right festivals for your film - Saving money on submissions fees - Submissions tactics - what works, what doesn't

Part 3 - Marketing your film at film festivals

General $50 / Member $40

Saturday, December 8, 2012: 3pm - 5pm Plaza Theatre, Upstairs Theatre 1049 Ponce De Leon, Ave

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You're all set for your festival world premiere – now you just have to get people to show up. Don't rely on the festival to bring the audience to you! Find out how to pack the house yourself and have a great opening night.

Topics covered include:

- What festivals will do for you - and what they won't - Create a web site, mailing list, and electronic press kit - Bring your own audience - Engage the press (beyond just the local film critic) - Tap special interest groups to fill seats

Register for all three and save

General $130 / Member $100

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YOUR FILM COULD BE CHOSEN... 

Upon registration, attendees will be encouraged to submit their films for consideration. One attendee per class will be selected to have their film used as a practical example for the topics in that session. Don't miss this chance to get a personalized jumpstart on your film's festival strategy!

Instructor: Chris Holland has worked with film festivals for more than a decade. In the early days of the internet he was a film critic and later he joined the staff of the Austin Film Festival. In 2006 Holland joined film distributor B-Side Entertainment as the Director of Festival Operations, working with festivals like Sundance, AFI Fest, and SILVERDOCS to market films to audiences and to discover emerging new voices in cinema. In 2008 he published Film Festival Secrets: A Handbook for Independent Filmmakers and began working as an consultant on marketing and festival strategy with independent filmmakers around the world. Chris currently lives in Atlanta, GA where he serves as an advisor to the Atlanta Film Festival.