Sidewalk Film Festival
Birmingham, Alabama / August 25-27, 2017 / sidewalkfest.com / V
This three-day festival packs a wallop, with an absurd number of parties (11 in 2016) squeezed into one weekend (not to mention 15 bands performing live, too). It’s hard not to befriend your peers with that kind of nonstop mingling—especially over such activities as screen printing souvenir T-shirts or gorging on a midnight Mexican breakfast buffet. Even better is the fact that those peers are behind the circuit’s best films, like Little Sister and Donald Cried in 2016.
Slamdance Film Festival
Park City, Utah / January 18-25, 2018 / slamdance.com / A, V, S
Slamdance gets thousands of submissions each year from moviemakers vying for a piece of that Park City pie, but if you’re a first-time feature director (whose budget is under $1 million), there’s probably no better way to burst onto the scene. Multiple films from this January’s edition have received distribution offers, and the festival’s partnership with ArcLight Cinemas offers alumni films theatrical screenings throughout the year. Plus, attend the Slamdance Polytechnic Program events during the fest for lessons focused on technology and DIY craft.
Stony Brook Film Festival
Stony Brook, New York / July 20-29, 2017 / stonybrookfilmfestival.com
With only about 40 films playing SBFF it’s definitely a quality-not-quantity situation. The fest, presented by Island Federal Credit Union, spans 10 days, which results in a relaxing pace. “Every film we show is a priority,” says Marketing and PR Director Julie Rulon Greene. “We show one film at a time, all on our 1,000-seat Main Stage theater, on a 40-foot screen.” That’s right: You’ll get the same treatment A Man Called Ove director Hannes Holm and No Pay, Nudity star Nathan Lane did last year.
Tacoma Film Festival
Tacoma, Washington / October 5-12, 2017 / tacomafilmfestival.com / V
An arts haven in Southern Washington’s Puget Sound area, Tacoma is home to a blossoming creative scene that swells come October with visiting artists—like Filmmaker Magazine’s annual class of 25 New Faces of Independent Film. (Pro tip: That’s who you should be networking with.) TFF offers cash prizes up to $5,000 for award-winners. Also up for grabs: Valuable feedback from submissions judges upon request, and, once you’re an alumnus, unlimited fee waivers for future editions.
Tallgrass Film Festival
Wichita, Kansas / October 18-22, 2017 / tallgrassfilm.org
A Tallgrass tradition: the Stubbornly Independent Award, which gives one selected film (made for under $500,000 and lacking distribution) a grand gala night screening and $5,000 in cash, amongst other prizes. New this year: DoXX, a program for female-directed documentaries. Between the old and the unprecedented are a wealth of things done right, like educational opportunities (workshops and town hall discussions) that are free to the public, and have an entrepreneurship theme this year.
Twister Alley International Film Festival
Woodward, Oklahoma / April 27-29, 2017 / twisteralleyfilmfestival.com / S
This young festival in Northwest Oklahoma (it turns three this April) is well on its way to becoming a regional gem, so get in while you can, we say. The line-up last year included Oscar-nominated shorts “We Can’t Live Without Cosmos” and “Everything Will Be Okay.” All screenings take place at the vintage 500-seat Woodward Arts Theatre, making for some concentrated networking. Alumni praise the staff’s effective communication and attention to detail.
Vancouver International Film Festival
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada / September 28 – October 13, 2017 / viff.org
Like any festival worth its salt, VIFF employs what it calls a “film plus” model—the “plus” referring to extracurriculars like last year’s inaugural Sustainable Production Forum, exploring all facets of green moviemaking (with a keynote address by The X-Files creator Chris Carter). As for the “film” part, the festival reports high levels of viewer engagement; no surprise, with its marketing department deploying an arsenal of special interest contact lists for laser-precise audience targeting.
Victoria Film Festival
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada / February 2-11, 2018 / victoriafilmfestival.com / V
Another British Columbia stunner, Victoria Film Festival is intent on moviemakers getting to know each other. Every party is preceded by a filmmaker happy hour to facilitate bonding; VFF’s director also invites small groups of moviemakers to lunch or dinner throughout the festival. As for the audiences, they get to participate in film discussion groups with the fest’s head programmer over drinks. A recent development is VFF’s newfound focus on technology and new media, with presentations exploring interactive and immersive storytelling.
Washington West Film Festival
Washington, D.C. / October 25-30, 2017 / wwfilmfest.com
Screen your film at WWFF, do a good deed. The festival donates 100 percent of its net box-office proceeds to charities fighting malnutrition, disease and lack of education for children. “Our festival president was told by big name festivals that this business model was festival suicide,” says Director of Programming Ariel Lee, “but here we are, seven years later, and growing!” If that’s not enough of a draw, we hear that the fest also puts on a filmmaker-only oral storytelling event—with whiskey involved.
Woods Hole Film Festival
Woods Hole, Massachusetts / July 29 – August 5, 2017 / woodsholefilmfestival.org / S
The scientific community of Woods Hole often gets involved in this 26-year-old festival, joining panel discussions for science-centered films, for example. Add that to the home stay program for visiting moviemakers, the village’s walkable nature, and the gatherings organized in local restaurants and residences, and no wonder this Cape Cod fest is known for its intimate, friendly atmosphere. Most of the titles in the line-up come from submissions, and written feedback can be requested from programmers.
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