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25 Coolest Film Festivals: 2009
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LAKE PLACID FILM FORUM
LAKE PLACID, NY • www.lakeplacidfilmforum.com • While some moviemakers hit the festival trail with the sole focus of finding publicity, “one of the main attractions of the Forum is the total lack of frantic publicists, hustling photographers and aggressive celebrity addicts,” says artistic director and co-founder Kathleen Carroll. But that doesn’t mean the A-list sightings aren’t aplenty; Martin Scorsese, Jon Favreau and Steve Buscemi have all been guests. “The Forum is a place where people who are passionate about films can meet and learn from each other,” says famed author—and Forum co-founder—Russell Banks.
LOCARNO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
LOCARNO, SWITZERLAND • www.pardo.ch • “Every August around 180,000 cinemagoers, 1,100 journalists and 3,400 industry professionals converge on the small Swiss-Italian town of Locarno, right in the heart of Europe, which becomes the world capital of auteur cinema for 11 days,” says press coordinator Stefanie Kuchler of the 62-year-old event. While other fests boast outdoor events, Locarno’s Piazza Grande hosts audiences of up to 8,000 for a nightfall screening in the heart of the city, Cinema Paradiso-style.
PHOENIX FILM FESTIVAL
PHOENIX, AZ • www.phoenixfilmfestival.com • Director Paul Osborne, whose doc Official Rejection offers a comic take on what indie moviemakers experience on the festival circuit, knows what makes a great fest, and notes that “Far and away, the best we saw was the PFF.” Citing audience turnout, media attention, political fairness and moviemaker treatment as the keys to the fest’s success, Osborne notes that “the festival never takes itself too seriously and its directors are not just available, but actually visible to solve any problems that arise anytime.”
ROGER EBERT’S FILM FESTIVAL
CHAMPAIGN-URBANA, IL • www.ebertfest.com • For more than a decade, Roger Ebert has made an annual event of screening the most overlooked films he’s recently seen, as well as re-released classics, to give them another chance in the spotlight. “Our festival has no prizes, no awards, no deal-making, no submission process,” says festival director Nate Kohn. “It’s purpose is singular: To celebrate 12 films that Roger Ebert feels deserve a second look and further discussion.”
SAN FRANCISCO FROZEN FILM FESTIVA
SAN FRANCISCO, CA • www.frozenfilmfestival.com • It’s not just cool, it’s frozen. Named for Mark Twain’s famous quip that “The coldest winter I ever spent was my summer in San Francisco,” SFFFF takes place in the dead of summer, when the city “is at its most chill,” according to co-director Gabriel Bellman. The fest includes a strong musical component and screens “animation, documentaries, feature films, shorts, music-based films and skate films. We believe we uniquely capture the music-based and diverse nature of San Francisco itself.”
SEBASTOPOL DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL
SEBASTOPOL, CA • www.sebastopolfilmfestival.org • This fest is making a big splash in a town that Tom Waits, Les Claypool and Peter Krause call home. Understanding that few things go better with movies than a bottle of wine—particularly in California’s wine country—the doc fest takes place near one of the area’s biggest coalitions of wineries, Wine Road. “Part of being the coolest is knowing about it when no one else does,” says program director Jason Perdue of the two-year-old event, “and being the one to let everyone else know.”
SIDEWALK MOVING PICTURE FESTIVAL
BIRMINGHAM, AL • www.sidewalkfest.com • “After 10 years, Sidewalk has perfected its own personal trifecta: Hospitality, networking and humility,” says festival coordinator Natalie Hummel. “The festival places a huge emphasis on filmmaker attendance, and not for the sake of name-dropping. It likes to mix filmmakers up in an unusual town with unusual activities, thus forcing guests to break out of their shells and share raw, human experiences, both in theaters and on rooftops.”
SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST
AUSTIN, TX • www.sxsw.com • Originally founded as a music event, this cutting-edge fest added film into the mix 15 years ago in response to the changing nature of the entertainment business. Since then, SXSW has grown into one of the world’s best known media events, introducing audiences to ground-breaking musicians and moviemakers alike. In 2009, this behemoth event screened more than 250 films and boasted more than 7,000 film participants. In addition to being a featured employer on “The Real World,” SXSW has also partnered with Fantastic Fest (also on this list) to double the cool factor.
SUNSCREEN FILM FESTIVAL
ST. PETERSBURG, FL • www.sunscreenfilmfestival.com • Plenty of fests offer workshops, and most have a well-known guest or two. But a fest that has celebrities teaching the workshops? “From actor Patrick Wilson teaching an actors’ workshop to Oscar-nominated screenwriter Timothy Sexton (Children of Men) and Steven de Souza (Die Hard) teaching screenwriting, Sunscreen gives filmmakers more than just a festival,” says executive director Tony Armer.
TRAIL DANCE FILM FESTIVAL
DUNCAN, OK • www.traildancefilmfestival.com • “Strange” and “cool” aren’t always interchangeable terms. But when TDFF president Anthony Foreman asks, “Where else can you walk right in the middle of a wild west shootout, have a world famous trick-roper twirl a lasso over your head, dance to live rock ‘n’ roll music with a wild west town backdrop and see some of the finest independent films ever produced right in the same facility?” this is clearly one place where the two words converge.
UNITED FILM FESTIVALS
VARIOUS LOCATIONS • www.theunitedfest.com • With events in New York, Los Angeles, Tulsa, San Francisco, Chicago and London, this is one appropriately-named fest. “Rapidly growing in size and scope, and building on a solid festival history, the United Film Festivals showcase top-notch, award-winning narratives, documentaries and short films in six thriving cities across the U.S. and Europe,” says founder Jason Connell. This growing reputation has attracted the attention of well-known indies like Henry Jaglom, who showcased Hollywood Dreams in New York, and Matthew Modine, who premiered Cowboy in Los Angeles.
“WHAT THE HELL DID I JUST WATCH?” COMEDY FESTIVAL
SEATTLE, WA • www.whatthehelldidijustwatch.com • The name alone might be enough to land the event on this list. But this fest, which is dedicated to “bringing the funniest videos we can find to the masses,” according to organizer Kanton Budge, has a lot more to offer, including low submission fees, an intimacy that makes the fest “a great testing bed for filmmakers to showcase their work and see how an audience responds” and free beer! “We’re sponsored by the local brewing company, Mac and Jacks. They provide us with a few kegs every year, and we give out a free beer with every ticket purchase.”
WOODS HOLE FILM FESTIVAL
WOODS HOLE, MA • www.woodsholefilmfestival.org • “The Woods Hole Film Festival is a filmmaker’s festival,” says executive director Judy Laster. “More than just a screening showcase, WHFF has an expansive outreach through our ongoing efforts to help filmmakers get screening opportunities after the festival and through our partnerships with global media organizations.” This includes year-round events on Cape Cod, including programs such as Dinner & A Movie and Filmmaker in the Schools. “Set in the scientific, seaside, summer village of Woods Hole,” Laster says that “a small film can have a worldwide experience.” MM
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HAVE A TIP ON ANOTHER COOL FEST THAT ISN’T INCLUDED IN THIS LIST? E-MAIL YOUR PICK TO FESTS@MOVIEMAKER.COM.
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COMMENTS | POST A COMMENT 
- Comment by Linda Ray on 8/01/09 at 4:35 pm
What about a mention of the Sydney and Melbourne Film Festivals,
this coming Saturday Night the Melbourne Film Festival (one of the oldest in the world!) finishes with a screening of ‘Bran Nue Dae’, NOT TO BE MISSED, another great film from director Rachel Perkins (Radiance).- Comment by chris koruga on 8/04/09 at 10:15 am
Any Asian Film Festivals?
- Comment by Jacob Rodrinas on 8/11/09 at 11:00 pm
Disappointed.
- Comment by max moore on 8/12/09 at 10:26 am
What about the Tiburon International FF that shows independent films from every corner of the world that we don’t see anywhere else?
- Comment by george kachadorian on 8/17/09 at 10:15 pm
great article-- i can personally attest to the phoenix and woods hole film fests-- totally awesome people putting on great films punctuated by excellent mixers. and i’m not just saying that because SHOOTING BEAUTY won top honors at both fests…
- Comment by Jan on 8/20/09 at 8:55 pm
Great Indie short & feature narrative films from all parts of the world at Big Island Film Festival - such fun!
- Comment by Steve Langston on 8/29/09 at 2:47 am
the St. Louis international film festival can’t make it to the top 25?
- Comment by Steve Langston on 8/29/09 at 2:48 am
http://www.imdb.com/Sections/Awards/St._Louis_International_Film_Festival/
- Comment by Joe Wilson on 9/02/09 at 10:08 am
Do any of these festivals charge filmmakers to attend the awards show?
In July, the AOF festival charged filmmakers $150 to attend the awards show and you included the AOF in the “top 25 film fests worth the entry fee” article.
Does Moviemaker magazine ask film fests if they charge filmmakers to attend the awards show?
Is “cool” your way of taking the economy out of your evaluation of film festivals?
http://www.moviemaker.com/festivals/article/25_film_festivals_worth_the_entry_fee_2009_20090414/
- Comment by max Maxwell on 9/12/09 at 3:42 pm
And don’t miss LA’s “La Femme” Film Festival!! Oct 15-19! It is all about women filmmakers...and it is stunning!!!!!!!!
- Comment by Michael Arnold on 10/03/09 at 10:40 am
This is a good list
but all of them are in America
what about the great Asian and European Indie Film Festivals ?- Comment by Yash Mishra on 10/15/09 at 3:30 am
Notice to all aspiring film-makers out there! If you have made a film which you think should be showcased on a wider audience and International platform, then Sixteen:Nine International Film Festival, India is the place to be.
Sixteen:Nine is a student’s film festival organized yearly by the students of Usha Pravin Gandhi College of Management, Mumbai.
So come! Showcase your talent! Send in your entries to http://www.16isto9.com, or contact me at my email id -
Cheers!- Comment by Lady_Godard on 6/14/10 at 8:30 pm
What about: Annecy (France), Hiroshima (Japan), Anima Mundi (Brazil) and many more etceteras…
Moreover, in the case of these three, you don’t have to pay any entry fee to participate in the competition.
- Comment by Antalya Tasarım on 8/29/10 at 4:23 am
I think you must look “Altın Portakal Festivals” in Antalya too.
- Comment by tommy96 on 12/03/10 at 12:06 am
While I’m loathe to disagree with my friend and colleague Thom Powers, I must say that my impression of the responses I received was not the anyone had an axe to grind but wished to share information on their experiences to help others. I would love to say that I think the environment exists for filmmakers to feel free to express negative or contradictory opinions publicly, but I think that a great number of filmmakers feel constrained in this regard, fearing that offering a negative reaction might blacklist them from future festivals. I may not agree with this perspective, but I don’t think that it’s necessarily unfair to offer individuals and opportunity to express their feelings in an anonymous way.
Tommy
Asst Manager Finance
HP0-S25 | 650-251
Yatra NEws
USA Office- Comment by RICHARD on 3/05/11 at 5:22 pm
Can’t list all the film festivals, I fully understand that, however there is one that truly stands out to be as good as the best, and that is the Paso Robles Digital Film Festival now going into it’s forth year here on the central coast of California.
Do a google search prdff.com and take a look at all it has to offer.
Produced by:Benford Standley, who is the eternal visionary realized that the future of movie making would be turning to utilize the digital age and all it’s technology and produced the world’s first digital film festival, along with show casing the advent of 3-D and in 2008, Mr. Standley’s dream became a reality.
There is just too much to list here, so treat yourself and take a look at the future that is now.- Comment by thiruppathy on 3/06/11 at 9:33 pm
St. Louis international film festival is looking amazing!
kitchen garden- Comment by Rodney - Custom Home Building on 3/08/11 at 2:40 pm
I love the Big Island Film Festival. It’s really cool and a ton of fun. Thanks for the list.
- Comment by Easter Island Tours on 3/25/11 at 7:14 am
I totaly agreed with this list!!!
Una muy buena lista de los festivales, personalmente e asistido a un par de ellos!!
Saludos desde Isla de Pascua
- Comment by travel chile on 3/25/11 at 7:17 am
Great list!!! my personal favorite is the ENVIRONMENTAL FILM FESTIVAL
- Comment by Tours en Chile on 11/28/11 at 3:55 pm
CONEY ISLAND FILM FESTIVAL totally
This story was published in the Summer 2009 MovieMaker Magazine. The headline was:
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