Entering Film Festivals
Entering film festivals is the best way to have your work seen allover the world, It can be daunting because there are
thousands to choose from and many are expensive to enter. Fortunately the best animation festivals do not have entry
fees. I feel that it is unfair for the filmmakers to provide the content for a film festival and also be asked to provide funding
for the festival. My favorite website for entering film festivals is Film Freeway. You can set parameters when searching for
film festivals, so choose Open Only, Film Festivals, Animation and more. Also set the slider to the amount you are willing to
spend on entry fees (me: $0 to 10) and set the "Years Running" slider to 3 years because it takes a few years for a festival to
get organized and find an audience.
Fave festivals that show animated films:
Anibar International Animation Festival (Kosovo)
ANIFEST (Czech Republic)
Animac (Lleida, Spain)
Animafest Zagreb World Festival of Animated Film (Croatia)
Annecy International Animation Festival (France)
ASIFA Animation Festivals (several in USA)
Cannes Film Festival (France, pronounced "can", as in tin can)
CFC Worldwide Short Film Festival (Canada)
Chilemonos Animation Festival (Santiago, Chile)
Cinanima Animation Festival (Portugal)
Fantoche Intl. Animation Film Festival (Baden, Switzerland)
interfilm Short Film Festival Berlin (Germany)
Melbourne International Animation Festival (Australia)
Pixelatl Festival (Guadalajara, Mexico)
Ottawa International Animation Festival (Ottawa, Canada)
Seoul Intl. Cartoon and Animation Festival (Republic of Korea)
Sundance Film Festival (USA) Big fun but stiff entry fees and difficult to get into.)
Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (Germany)
Telluride Film Festival (Telluride, Colorado, USA)
Tricky Women Animation Festival (Vienna, Austria)
Walla Walla Movie Crush (Walla Walla, WA)
We Like 'Em Short Film Festival (Baker City, OR)
16mm filmstrip of frames
from"Voices" (1985).
Photo by Mark Toscano.
Here are ideas to get you started by Joanna Priestley
1) Spend time deciding what to do and how to do it. The most important part of a film is the idea. Take time to develop your ideas and to write and rewrite the script (if you are using one). You may be working with this idea for a few years and you do not want to get bored with it. I worked on my first film, The Rubber Stamp Film, for five years.
2) Work with what you know best. One of my favorite animated films, The Back Brace (by Andy and Carolyn London), is a first film about a trauma in Andy's childhood. What do you know really well? What are you passionate about? This can make the difference between an ordinary film and a unique and fascinating film. I chose to make an experimental film with rubber stamps on index cards because I had a novelty rubber stamp company and a huge collection of rubber stamps. I also knew many people in the business and was able to borrow lots of stamps to keep the process interesting.
Want to Make a Short Film?
Joanna shooting The Rubber Stamp Film (1982). Photo: R. Dennis Wiancko.
3) Stop talking about it and start working. Even if you can only work on your project for a few hours a week, keep at it
you will eventually have a film. If you cannot find the time to work on a film, stop thinking about filmmaking and try some-
thing else.
4) Keep it short and simple. Under three minutes is brilliant. A one minute is a delight to make and does not cost very
much. There are many festivals that show only films that are a minute (or less) long. Shorter films fare better at film festivals. Medium length films (15 to 40 minutes) do not fit easily into festivals and are difficult to distribute. Films for children can
also be difficult to distribute and are often shown only in matinee festival programs.
5) Make a storyboard of your film. A storyboard is a simple set of drawings that illustrate key moments and shots in your
film. Keep it SIMPLE. Use stick figures. Do your best to show camera angles. Draw images on index cards or on your computer and put up your storyboard up on a wall next to your desk. Add or remove images as you make changes. Making a story-
board is the best way to organize your thoughts. This is a very important way to get started. It will make your project better
and it will save time.
Once you have a storyboard, pick two people whose taste you admire and talk them through it. You will get new ideas from
this. Write everything down! For my last two films, I've hired a storyboard artist (thank you Dan Schaeffer). It jump started
my work and I got a boatload of new ideas, especially for the transitions from scene to scene. I have seen very smart students
ask other students to do a storyboard for their film.
6) Ask for help. Online searches and animation books can answer technical questions, but asking for help from filmmakers
and film industry professionals in your area will make you a part of the filmmaking community. You will find out how kind
and generous people can be. Jim Blashfield gave me my first animation stand (see photo above) and Joan Gratz loaned me
a 35mm flatbed editing machine for many years.
7) Work with whatever money and resources you have. Borrow equipment. Ask sound studios and post production houses for reduced fees, evening rates, student rates or free time. You might become a lifelong customer! Do not be shy about this. Many people fund their first film by asking their parents, relatives or family friends for money or by using crowdfunding sites.