How to Start Your Own Film Festival

Being featured in the Sundance film festival is a great honor. Yet, only a handful of good films and good film writers are featured there each year. Where does that leave the rest of the good films and the good writers? If you said nowhere, you don’t have much of an imagination. Each year, film creators are creating their own festivals. This gives their films, the actors, the writers and the rest of the people who helped to create the film much needed exposure. Plus, it gives the public a chance to see that some of the best may still be unknown. If you want to create your own film festival, try these steps.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Advertising
• Place to hold festival
• Money
• Friends to help
• Films to exhibit
• Website for further advertising
• Good clothes to wear during the festival

1. You must have some films to show. This means you must get the attention of other film creators. To get this attention, you must first come up with a name of the festival. How can you advertise it without a name? You could name it after your city, after yourself or anything else. Just make sure the name has a good ring to it, so people will actually remember it.
2. Parking lot www.sxc.hu photographer: hbrinkman Decide on where to host this event. You may have to rent a place. This may also mean you have to raise some money. You may even want to talk to a real estate agent to see if a local business that is inhabited would be willing to rent to you for a short-term basis. Once you have the place picked out and the money to rent it (if necessary) you must decide on a date.
3. Gather some friends to help you plan the event. You will need help with everything from possibly getting some food vendors to helping to oversee the showings of each film.
4. Spread the word. This means telling everyone you know, advertising by passing out flyers and possibly setting up a website about the event. Be sure to include all the necessary information.
5. If you can, try to get some celebrities to attend your event. Even local celebrities are better than nothing.
6. On the day of the event, dress in your best clothes. You want to look the part of film producer, film writer or other key role. Smile and enjoy your day.

Tips & Warnings

• Be sure to plan the event weeks in advance.
• Be sure to get people to help you.
• Have plenty of time for planning and expect to encounter some problems.