You are a new filmmaker to this business! Excellent! Who knows how far you can go! First off, don’t listen to the Nay-Sayers! Do what your heart tells you! Plan well. In Japan we have an old saying, “80% of success is in good planning!”
So you’ve finished your first movie! Hooray! Congratulations! What’s your plan to get people to see your movie?
So you want to submit your film to a film festival? Of course! Well, for first time filmmakers, and even second or third time filmmakers, there is only one film festival in the entire world that is worth your hard earned cash and the effort it takes to get Selected and that is Raindance.
Why? Because Raindance is the top of the hill for indie filmmakers. Many famous filmmakers got their start at Raindance! Raindance will not only get you a world-famous festival screening, but industry people, publicists, movie company people, film financiers and just everyone in the industry comes to Raindance. It is rated in the Top 10 of all film festivals but is by far #1 for indies films.
Raindance really is the only indies film festival that matters.
I know because my very first feature was selected at Raindance and I had submitted to many famous festivals but only Raindance selected my film! And, through that, I have met many industry people and I asked the difficult questions that need to be asked.
I run a film festival in Japan (JIFF – Japan Indies Film Festival) and I also served as a Jury member for Raindance for a few years. I am the only person from Japan who has ever served on the Jury at Raindance. It was such an honor.
Sure, you could also submit to Cannes, Telluride, Sundance, but they have been screening big budget monsters. So, maybe your uncle is a high up executive there, OK. Then maybe try that too. But for a fair shake at a big festival, Raindance is by far your best bet.
Getting chosen at Raindance is difficult as they get well over 10,000 ~ 20,000 submissions per year!
Through running a festival in Japan, I get to see all sorts of films with laurels of festivals I have never heard of. A dozen or more laurels from tiny festivals that I have never ever heard of, and I work in this industry!
Winning laurels is nice, but filmmaking insiders know the handful of festivals that really matter and Raindance is one of them. Most of these festivals mean nothing. Raindance has been around for more than 31 years and getting selected is almost an impossible feat to accomplish.
So, hate to keep beating a dead horse, but in your first year, you definitely must submit to Raindance. It is the world standard festival for indie filmmakers.
So, you go to FilmFreeway and submit your film and wait. And you wait….
But! I am here today to tell you an “Out-of-the-Box” way to get great promotion and have a huge audience see your movie! And perhaps influence the film selection team at Raindance, and it won’t cost you a penny!
I know, if you’ve read up to here, then you must be a self motivated go-getter!
I have worked for and with many festivals in Japan for nearly ten years, I have seen everything! But there is something I realized a few years ago, sadly, there are some festivals on FilmFreeway that remind me of the old saying, “Let the buyer beware”- and there are festivals like JIFF who are trying to be honest & fair (but it will require at least ten years to even begin to get credibility – I’ll probably be dead by then) so that leaves the last man standing: Raindance.
But wait! Did you know that there are lots of festivals running all the time but they are not on FilmFreeway? There are. They are running all the time and they don’t use FilmFreeway. So how to find them? I just completed my latest movie. Of course, I submitted to Raindance. Will I get selected? Who knows?
But I used my head while considering my Yoko’s Grapefruit film and found world famous Beatles Festivals! I wrote to them and they accepted my movie! And I don’t have to spend any money getting screened at these festivals!
My movie Grapefruit. Starring Natsuki Belleza and Hiroshi Matsumoto! Directed by Mike Rogers.
Think of it from the festival’s point of view: They want happy customers, right? If they rent a movie to screen at their festival, they have to pay a lot of money in Rental fees. I sent them my movie and offered it to them for free and they said, “YES!”
I got big famous Beatles festivals and do you think that impresses the Raindance Selection Team? Of course it does!
But wait! Think about it! What kind of Festivals are there? You made a SuperHero movie? Write to a comic convention and ask them if they’d like to screen your movie!
You made a documentary about Sushi or Mexican food? How about screening at a Food Fair? Etc, etc…
Is there a parade near you? How about asking a bar owner near the parade to screen your film? Why wouldn’t they say,“Sure!”
And it will not cost anything for your film to screen at one of these festivals or events. No submission fees, no fees for DCP! Nothing! The festivals will most likely handle that for you!
Here is a listing of all festivals in New York. I can’t even count them all,
They are not film festivals listed on FilmFreeway! But, they want happy visitors! Maybe they have a room where people are watching films already? Maybe they have a room where people can sit and have a coffee? Why wouldn’t they love your movie and screen it? All you gotta do is find them and simply ask!
For a new filmmaker, Raindance is the top of the mountain. There is no doubting that. Go for that. Visualize getting there. But also up your film’s value by screening at these other festivals! Think out of the box!
Good luck and good hunting. There are festivals, big parties, even some concerts and festivals, that might screen your movie… All you gotta do is ask.
And the best part of asking? It doesn’t cost anything!
I have another super great idea on how to get selected, I will tell you that in my next article!
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