[Watch the video interview on YouTube here]
Film Courage: Why should a filmmaker submit to film festivals?
Jon Reiss, Filmmaker, Author, and Media Strategist: I think film festivals are great at connecting films to audiences. That being said, not every film is a film festival film. I’ve actually worked with a number of them who get depressed because my film’s not in a festival, what’s wrong with me?
Filmmakers need to understand that there’s certain kinds of film that film festivals tend to program. There’s variety of different kinds of festivals.
-Sales festivals
-A-Level sales festivals
-Regional festivals
There’s a slew of niche festivals like:
-LGBTQA+ festivals
-Black film festivals
-Latino film festivals
-Asian-American film festivals
-Documentary film festivals
-All kinds of human rights film festivals
Unfortunately one of the biggest human rights festivals just shuttered recently but there’s a whole slew of different kinds of film festivals.
Part of it is understanding what your film is and what festivals your film might be appropriate for and aligning those.
Then some films just aren’t festival films. We worked on a film…(Watch the video interview on YouTube here).
BUY THE BOOK – THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX OFFICE: The Ultimate Guide to Film Distribution and Marketing for the Digital Era
About:
Jon Reiss is a critically acclaimed filmmaker, author, and media strategist. His experience releasing his documentary feature, Bomb It, with a hybrid strategy was the inspiration for writing Think Outside the Box Office, the first step-by-step guide for filmmakers to distribute and market their films. He has given workshops and spoken at conferences and festivals throughout the world. Jon has worked with numerous filmmakers, companies and organizations that are looking to connect with audiences and distribute their work in the digital landscape. Jon Reiss invented the concept of the Producer of Marketing and Distribution (PMD) which has become a new crew position in independent film. He has worked with and consulted for Paramount Pictures, Screen Australia, Film Independent, Creative Scotland, The South Australian Film Corporation and numerous film schools and festivals. He the year-round distribution and marketing lab leader at the IFP Filmmaker Labs. Reiss also contributes to Filmmaker Magazine, Huffington Post, Indiewire, Screen Daily, Moviemaker Magazine and other publications. Jon Reiss got his start in filmmaking and distribution at the infamous San Francisco documentary collective Target Video. Reiss not only shot seminal bands such as Black Flag, Iggy Pop, Throbbing Gristle, The Cramps, TSOL but was one of the first – if not the first person to conceptualize and execute video tours throughout Europe, carting 500 lbs of video deck and projector in a VW Bus across 15,000 miles.
CONNECT WITH JON REISS
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