{"id":1540,"date":"2025-05-27T20:28:29","date_gmt":"2025-05-27T20:28:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/filmfreeway.com\/articles\/?p=1540"},"modified":"2025-05-27T20:28:30","modified_gmt":"2025-05-27T20:28:30","slug":"film-festival-networking-mistakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfreeway.com\/articles\/film-festival-networking-mistakes\/","title":{"rendered":"Film Festival Faux Pas: Networking Mistakes to Avoid at Your Next Screening"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>With more film festivals than ever before, the opportunities to make meaningful connections are manifold. But that also means more chances to stick your foot in your mouth while trying your darnedest to help yourself out. That\u2019s understandable. At any festival, you\u2019ll be meeting an endless barrage of new people at an exceedingly fast pace. We\u2019ve already covered how to <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfreeway.com\/articles\/how-to-prepare-for-your-films-festival-premiere\/\">prepare for your premiere<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfreeway.com\/articles\/how-to-network-film-festivals\/\">network with ease<\/a>, navigate <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfreeway.com\/articles\/perfecting-the-pitch-how-filmmakers-can-make-the-most-out-of-industry-meetings\/\">industry pitches<\/a>, and even <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfreeway.com\/articles\/general-meeting-advice-writers-filmmakers\/\">rock any general meetings<\/a> that come about afterward.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But possibly even more important than knowing <em>what<\/em> to do is understanding what <em>not<\/em> to do. For the unaware, read on.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Should I tell an executive that I have a feature-length version of my short?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>That depends: Do you? If so, great\u2014go right ahead! But are you assuming that you can quickly churn out a movie just to have something to show? Don\u2019t promise anything that isn\u2019t finished yet.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It can be very tempting to sell a product that doesn\u2019t exist when a legitimate opportunity presents itself, especially when a studio is curious about profiting off of your idea. To that end\u2014<strong>never lie<\/strong>! And further, don\u2019t assume executives aren\u2019t as interested in a film idea as they are in a finished product. In fact, some studios may want to cultivate the script <em>with <\/em>you.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfreeway.com\/articles\/how-to-network-film-festivals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">How to Network at a Film Festival <\/mark><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Should I mention someone I know who works at their company?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>That depends on who that person is and how close you are to them. Do you know someone who works in the mailroom at United Talent Agency? That\u2019s cool, but they probably aren\u2019t going to help you get signed by a senior agent. Is Bob Iger your mom\u2019s friend\u2019s cousin? Yeah\u2026don\u2019t tell them you\u2019re friends with Iger (but maybe see if you can get your mom\u2019s friend\u2019s cousin to grab a coffee).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Perhaps this sounds obvious, but in the moment, it might feel like a good idea to exploit every connection you have, no matter how tenuous. After all, we hear \u201cIt\u2019s who you know\u201d all the time. But the operative word there is \u201cknow.\u201d Never drop a name unless you\u2019re confident that person will vouch for you and your work.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Should I expect the film festival to take care of my marketing needs?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The extent to which a festival promotes your project varies greatly. If the event has tiered categories, it may advertise competition films over non-competition selections, or opening night screenings over those sandwiched between blocks. Other fests have more egalitarian approaches and offer programs with films listed in alphabetical order.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The bottom line is that you (and your producer, if you have one) will always be the main pusher of publicity. Everything other than that is an added bonus. Some festivals do pride themselves on <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfreeway.com\/articles\/best-film-festivals-networking\/\">going the extra mile<\/a>, but don\u2019t assume anything (or worse, get upset).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This applies to Q&As and meetings, too. Even if you\u2019re invited to participate in a post-screening conversation, it\u2019s up to you to <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfreeway.com\/articles\/film-festival-q-a-questions-advice\/\">prepare your talking points<\/a>. And be aggressive about garnering meetings; ask the festival to supply you with a press guide and contact people yourself. Never presume that these things will happen solely on the virtue of your artistry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Remember: Don\u2019t just show up for yourself.\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s easy to get overeager and feel like the only people worth your time at a festival are executives, distributors, and\/or agents (basically, anyone who can elevate your career). But there are scores of like-minded creatives around you, and you never know what could come from every conversation. The aspiring screenwriter you bond with over Nora Ephron movies could one day be staffing their new rom-com series. Go to screenings, watch films, and network with other artists, too. It\u2019s good professionalism and smart foresight.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>And don\u2019t get caught up in the buzz.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019ve worked hard to get here. You\u2019ve scraped and crawled and funded all the way to the finish line. You\u2019ve filmed a badass film on a tight budget (or even no budget). If your work doesn\u2019t get an award, or your screening doesn\u2019t sell a ton of tickets, don\u2019t fret. That doesn\u2019t mean your work is bad or that you won\u2019t garner any attention. Stay proud of what you\u2019ve done, and don\u2019t bail on your art.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Avoid these mistakes while meeting with executives and creatives at your next film festival.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":75,"featured_media":1542,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1540","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Film Festival Networking Mistakes to Avoid | FilmFreeway<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Avoid these mistakes while meeting with executives, reps, and creatives during your next film festival run.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" 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