As the festival market becomes more crowded by the year, getting your film into any reputable fest can be a tall order. Even the so-called smaller festivals are inundated with submissions; this year’s HollyShorts Film Festival in Los Angeles received an estimated 6,000 entries for around 400 slots—and even that’s a higher rate of acceptance than most of the bigger, more prestigious events. (2024, for instance, was a banner year for the Tribeca Film Festival, which received 13,000 submissions.)
Numbers like this can be overwhelming for filmmakers looking to pierce through the bubble without a direct line to a festival organizer or programmer. And though any festival actually worth its salt is committed to watching every submission that comes through its doors, a solid marketing plan can help bolster your chances.
“I always watch every film, regardless of its source,” an anonymous lead programmer at the New York Film Festival tells FilmFreeway, “but I will say that if your film also has a strong hook, I’d be more likely to recommend it for the next stage of our evaluation process. I want to know why this film should premiere here, why it was made now, in this context. We see a lot of films of exceptional quality, but the films that make it to the festival share a self-awareness of their relevance.”
Indeed, marketing isn’t only about having an eye-catching poster or a robust log line—it’s about how you intend to sell your film in both literal and narrative ways. Is your film politically or socially prescient? Is the demographic makeup of the artistic team representative of a more diverse audience? Are you using unusual materials or equipment? Are you a first-time filmmaker from an underrepresented population? All of these considerations should be front of mind when crafting your marketing plan, as these can sometimes pinpoint the most marketable aspects of your project.
Take, for instance, Sean Baker’s 2015 breakout film “Tangerine,” which was especially tantalizing to Sundance Film Festival programmers because of how it broke convention. As the first movie shown at a professional film festival that was shot entirely on iPhones, “Tangerine” was also made in collaboration with real-life Black trans sex workers in Los Angeles—all of which became core aspects of its publicity campaign.
Don’t overlook your images and log lines
You might want to assume that your film can speak entirely for itself, without setting aside finances or time to create an image and a log line that really sells what you’re trying to do. But Beth Barrett, artistic director for the Seattle International Film Festival, suggests that filmmakers need to pay more attention to this often overlooked aspect of the process. “Once the film is completed, or while in production, start working on the log lines,” she recommends, as “these are first and foremost a sales tool—you want to make people want to watch your film.” Ben Thompson, vice president of shorts programming for the Tribeca Film Festival, agrees and goes further: “The log line is your most important marketing tool. First of all, it’s free! Secondly, I’m more likely to pull your film out of the inbox and into my watchlist if it has a log line that really catches my eye.”
Likewise, an eye-catching poster helps to signify a strong film and set the tone for your audience. “Most programmers, and honestly most audiences, are going to choose their films based on the key art and log line, so make them pop,” Barrett advises.
Ask yourself: Why now?
Many film festivals see themselves as reflections of the world; even genre-specific festivals present themselves as States of the Union on the film market. Perhaps your film is reflective of changes in access to women’s health care. Though an experienced festival programmer may recognize this simply by watching your project, it will be helpful to spell this out in your submission.
Highlighting the timeliness of your film can be essential. Despite being made by a then-unknown John Singleton with his first feature out of USC, “Boyz n the Hood” premiered at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival in the “Un Certain Regard” section, which highlights new and emerging directors. The film’s release, which came right on the heels of the police assault on Rodney King in Los Angeles, set it on a direct path to the Academy Awards, and Singleton became the youngest and the first Black nominee for best director.
Your greatest marketing tool is you
Part of how people connect to a project is through an understanding of its authorship. First-time filmmaker Celine Song’s “Past Lives,” which went on to be nominated for best picture at the 2024 Academy Awards, resonated in large part because of the knowledge that the film was autobiographical. Ask yourself: What makes your project unique?
“[We] want to make sure that the variety of work that [we’re] presenting is from all sizes of film infrastructure and community representation from around the world,” Toronto International Film Festival Short Cuts lead programmer Jason Anderson told Movies Move Us. “It’s got to be the strongest work that’s going to connect with the most people.”
Similarly, Nichole Young, lead shorts programmer at AFI Fest, stresses that she loves learning about who’s behind the scenes: “I want to know all about them and their passion for storytelling and their perspective/conception of their film.” Pointing out that oftentimes a film needs more context to be understood, she tells FilmFreeway that “creating these films is a deeply personal, fervent endeavor that I cherish connecting with,” and that it may be necessary for a filmmaker to explain an underlying message in the submission comments.
Put yourself in the shoes of a programming team like the one at South by Southwest, which saw over 8,000 films this year, and think about what would make someone see your project as a priority among many. Your uniqueness is your marketing plan: Exploit it.
