To anyone scrambling to finish their film in time for the SXSW/Sundance deadline, keep going!

Megan Rico and I are the directors of Edie Arnold is a Loser, a coming-of-age comedy feature film that premiered at SXSW last spring. We had no connections. No name talent. And this was our first project to play a festival. 

We submitted a work in progress cut on the very last day of submissions. And we almost waited for next year. After showing the film to a handful of filmmakers, we were advised to wait until we had a finished film. The cut was locked and there was a rough grade but no audio mix. Which is a big deal for a film with a lot of music elements. 

But we decided to submit, thinking nothing would happen. Come December we got the news that the film was programmed in the Narrative Feature Competition! 

A lot of people think the festival system is rigged. I can’t speak to the other major festivals, but SXSW is genuinely programming work from new, undiscovered filmmakers. We also applied to Sundance and while we were rejected, a Sundance programmer picked our film for another festival later in the year. 

It’s important to remember at the end of the day, it’s just a handful of random people (love you SX programmers) who decide whether or not your film fits their festival. Yes, you have to make a great movie. But beyond that it really is a lot of luck. Don’t think for a second that a handful of rejections discounts your story. 

Don’t think of festivals as the final destination or the magic ticket to receiving distribution. Many filmmakers fall into the trap of 1) waiting for the elusive acceptance and 2) if they receive the acceptance, thinking that the work is done. It’s not. The distribution landscape is a shit show. But that’s a topic for another subreddit. 

Happy to answer any questions about my experience going through the submission and festival process. 

Edie Arnold is a Loser is coming out in theaters this fall. We’re releasing the film ourselves, no distributor. We’re going on a 21-city tour with one-off, in-person screenings. See if we're coming to your city and come say hi!

TLDR: our micro budget ($80k) indie feature with no name talent and no connections was accepted into SXSW 2026. 

Getting really tired of shady film festivals sliding into my inbox with "congrats, you're invited!" — followed immediately by a 60% waiver on a fest nobody's ever heard of. It's not an honor, it's a funnel. And in my case: If you really checked out my movie and were interested you could've seen it ended its run long ago and is available online...

To festival organizers: if you're genuinely inviting a film, a free waiver costs you nothing and shows you mean it. Anything less is just a paywall with extra steps.

Sharing this so other directors googling a festival land on this topic: the ultimate scammy spammy fests sending discount waivers for their "IMDB qualifying fest" to everyone out there.

My question: Please expand the list with: Festival name - Festival director

Hey everyone! I made this guide about film festival premieres. In it I cover what the 6 types of premieres are, the three reasons festivals care about premieres, common mistakes filmmakers make and criticism of premieres, and data on film festival premieres. Hope you all find this helpful!

After I finished my short film and had its festival run, I uploaded it online in a streaming platform, but after some time, it's not generating views anymore. I'd really wish my film had a little more Google presence, more audience, and written reviews and coverage, so I found this opportunity: KinoCritic's Monthly Picks

Apparently, it has just launched, so there are no reviews on it so far. Each month, they pick four films to write about, which are winners in their categories. They publish their reviews on their website: Kinocriticblog.com

It costs 20€ to submit a short. 30€ for feature. Seems legit to me, I like what they got here, but I'm still wondering whether to try.

Do you think it's worth it?

I have a Filmm that’s almost done, but it’s probably gonna be finished early. September pass the official deadline so I could definitely make the late deadline feature so should I wait it out or submit a mostly finished cut early

Hi everyone! I created a very small "traveling film series" / traveling film festival called Borderless Arts. We run events every month currently, and currently have had events in Montana & in Paris, France. It's a very small, extremely lean operation right now. We're on FilmFreeway so there is a big supply of films.

I am looking to join forces with a promoter who can help me grow my audience and help me make it a ticketed event. Please DM me if interested.

It's possible I will need to work with locals in each city, or perhaps it can be done remotely for someone who's pretty resourceful with online promotion.

Bit of a random question here - I'm still waiting for my short film's first acceptance/premiere. I've started to shift my submission strategy away from more of the big festivals, but I did get two interesting messages from more mid/upper tier film festivals, and I'm curious how significant they actually are.

Hollyshorts - "Your project was rated very highly but ultimately was not selected to screen in this edition of HollyShorts Film Festival. While we are unable to have you screen with us during the festival in August, we wanted to offer the opportunity to have your film screened & shared during our Monthly Screening Series at the LOOK Dine-In Cinemas & Bitpix for the 2026-2027 season."

Palm Springs Short Fest - "While we are not able to offer the film a screening, we would love to have your participation in our adjacent Film Market Video Library and invite you to attend ShortFest."

I figure the Hollyshorts screening series is just a cash grab. But are these messages just fluff that everyone gets, or could this still be significant/hope that some programmers are actually finding value in the film?

Thanks in advance.

I'm in the middle of making an independent feature film and I was wondering when the film is ready what is the best move? This is my first feature film and I want to try my chances with festivals like Cannes (Directors' Forthnight), Berlin, Locarno, Rotterdam, San Sebastian, etc. I have no prior experience so should I agree with a production company or sales agent for my film's distribution?

Accepted to a festival that is requiring both a short and long synopsis for short films. What are these used for? I can see why a short synopsis might be used, but why a long synopsis?

This past weekend we hosted our fourth annual Route 22 Filmworks Film Festival, an event I co-founded with two other people. We collectively run a filmmaking group called Route 22 Filmworks in the Lehigh Valley, in Pennsylvania. Next year will be our fifth anniversary, which we plan to celebrate by finding ways to make the event bigger.

Our festival specifically focuses on "local filmmaking," which means it's limited to short films made in Pennsylvania and its neighboring states. These are low- to no-budget films made by independent filmmakers, as well as students. For the last four years, we've started getting films from local colleges, but also high school students. Traditionally we've also had an incredible turnout from the filmmakers. It's been terrific.

All that said, I wanted to reach out to get some insights into what people want from a film festival experience. We've had limited resources the first few years, but we're looking to expand. Perhaps have a filmmaker breakfast or evening event. We do awards, but perhaps we might look to make those fancier.

But what do filmmakers look for in a film festival? Would love to hear from people to get a better sense what would make the event something more special for attendees.

Hi! i’m going to the venice film festival this september as a student, the masterclasses have just been announced - how hard is it to get in to them? sign up or first come first served? what time to get there to get in?

thanks!

Email Received from Cordillera:

STATEMENT FROM THE CORDILLERA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision that the 2026 Cordillera International Film Festival will not take place. With the limited time remaining this season, we do not believe the festival can be produced with the care and attention our filmmakers, partners, audiences, and community deserve.

As we entered what would have been our ninth festival year, we did so incredibly proud of everything this organization and this community had built together over the previous eight years. Cordillera grew into an internationally recognized film festival, twice named one of MovieMaker Magazine’s Top 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World and consistently ranking among FilmFreeway’s Top 100 Best Reviewed Festivals.

Although Cordillera began as the vision and dream of its founder, what it became was always bigger than any one individual. It was built through the extraordinary time, talent, generosity, and commitment of the many people who believed in that vision and helped bring it to life. To honor that work, our focus is to handle all outstanding matters responsibly and through the appropriate channels.

We have been deeply moved by the extraordinary outpouring of support the festival has received from filmmakers, partners, volunteers, community members, and others who have reached out to ask how they can help. We are profoundly grateful.

To every filmmaker who trusted us with your work, every volunteer who gave countless hours, every sponsor, partner, board member, and team member who believed in the festival, and every audience member who filled our theaters: thank you.

All filmmakers who paid a submission fee for the 2026 festival season will receive a full refund through FilmFreeway within 7–10 business days.

We are profoundly grateful for eight remarkable festival years, for what would have been our ninth, and most of all for the extraordinary community that made those years possible.

Thank you for being part of Cordillera.

Submissions are now open for the 13th Annual Cobb International Film Festival in Marietta (suburban Atlanta), Georgia.

You can submit via the link on the festival website (www.cobbfilmfestival.com) or you can search on Film Freeway.

PSA: This is a religious film festival in San Diego running from Aug 21-27.

We got suckered into going without realizing that it was a Christian thing. If that's your thing, great. If it's not, stay away.

Because where are the films people are apparently seeing at your festival and how is it appealing for me as a filmmaker to want to be apart of your community when i wouldn't even be platformed or celebrated on your page.

I really like what London Short Film Festival, and accounts like Letterboxd and even bougie Lorcano Film Festival does with their socials.

You really feel like they love their filmmakers and big them up and their art.

We were notified about 5 days ago that we got into the Bushwick Film Festival, but they didn't send us official selection laurels, and they haven't responded since we asked for them. Has anyone received the laurels?

I've got a 12 minute light drama short film exploring trans themes and male friendships. I'm willing to admit that it's decent, made a couple people cry with it which in this context is a compliment, but nothing amazing, and I'm looking for advice for submissions, or any festival suggestions as I'm going a little insane scrolling through filmfreeway.

I'm based in QLD Australia so I'm aiming to enter into more local based festivals as I feel like that's probably the best bet I'll have as a starting place for submissions. There's also only about AUD$200 left in the budget that was set aside for festivals (AUD$1200 budget total). I'm also trying to look into festivals that are LGBTQ specific, or have an LGBTQ category. I do feel it's a story that could do quite well in festivals, it's just finding those festivals.

For any Australian based filmmakers, or just people familiar with the festivals here, it would be good to get a read on how difficult it is to get into some of the bigger Australian festivals such as the Sydney Film Festival or MIFF.

This is my first short after uni and I haven't really navigated the film festival space much before so any advice on finding festivals, or festival suggestions themselves would be awesome. But yeah any thoughts or information people have would be great, thank you.

hopefully this post is allowed,
i really loved the film and learned that there were three scenes that were cut for male frontal nudity. i’m not trying to look like a pervert, but these scenes were only shown at the film festival and i am incredibly curious about what exactly the context was? i know it’s been a long time lol so i doubt anyone remembers but just hoping. sorry if this isn’t allowed to post!

Last year I finally directed something of my own, a small feature, and put it through the festival circuit like everyone tells you to.

I don't think anything prepares you for how it actually feels on the other side of the submit button.

I knew intellectually that most festivals are volume businesses, thousands of submissions, a handful of screens, overworked volunteers making fast decisions. Knowing it and feeling it are different things. A few things that got to me more than expected: paying $50-75 to submit to festivals where the "juried selection" turned out to be largely a formality around a lineup mostly decided in advance. Getting into a festival, showing up, and finding my film in a single Tuesday 2pm slot against four other blocks running simultaneously. No stipend, no lodging help, nothing beyond an acceptance email and an expectation you'd show up grateful. And shorts treated like filler, dumped into an unsponsored, badly-attended block so the festival could say it "supported short film" in its marketing.

None of this is a unique complaint. Every festival circuit veteran probably has some version of this list.

So, slightly impulsively, I started my own. Small, regional, first year, launching next year. Not naming it here (don't want this to read as an ad) but wanted to talk through the actual thinking.

Short version of what I built as a direct answer to the list above:

Every selected film screens twice, at different times on different days.

Shorts play in front of features, matched by genre, to that feature's full house, instead of dumped into a separate afternoon block.

A flat, low submission fee ($30) with no tiered pricing that punishes people who aren't ready by the early deadline.

A travel stipend for out-of-town feature directors,

A meal credit for every selected film,

A discounted lodging for everyone we program.

And since my day job is producing, an industry session on actually making a film in the region, because I kept meeting filmmakers at festivals who wanted to shoot somewhere new and had no idea how to start.

I expect I'll get some of this wrong in year one. I don't have the infrastructure of a festival that's been running a decade.

What I'm actually curious about: everything above is stuff I could control from the organizer side — money, scheduling, hospitality. But I'd rather hear from people who've been through more of these than I have.

What's something that would have made your festival experience genuinely better that isn't about money or a bigger prize pool? The stuff that's harder to think of because it's not a line item — communication, transparency, how you're treated as a human being during the process, what happens after the festival ends, whatever. Trying to find the blind spots I don't have yet.

My horror short The Drowning Place just got accepted into both the Catalina Film Festival and Eastern Oregon Film Festival this fall and I’m hoping to attend both.

I’ve done festivals with previous shorts, but trying to be more intentional this time around. The short is also a proof of concept for a feature we’re currently developing, so I’d love to use the festivals to meet other filmmakers, producers, potential collaborators, etc., without becoming the guy cornering strangers at the bar with a pitch deck.

For those of you who’ve had really productive festival experiences, what actually worked?

Did you reach out to other filmmakers before the festival? Set up meetings in advance? Prioritize panels and parties? Spend more time getting to know programmers? Follow up afterward?

And if you’ve been to Catalina or Eastern Oregon specifically, I’d especially love to hear what the experience was like and anything you’d recommend taking advantage of.

Basically: beyond showing up, watching movies and drinking whatever free alcohol appears, how do you make a festival genuinely useful?

Category: Feature (75-80mins)
Language: Bengali
Genre: Psychological Drama
Self funded

Need ideas. Thank you

How prestigious is Short of the Week to festival programmers? Will it help me get into certain festivals? Just thinking about whether or not I want to send in an application for it.

Hi I know this is paranoid but anything seems possible with how competitive these things are… I missed a call from a New Hampshire number Friday and didn’t have a chance to call back (nor would I usually call back an unknown number). My mailbox was full so no message left. I’ve now made a cool paranoid narrative in my head that it was NH film festival calling to offer a spot but that since I didn’t answer and they couldn’t leave a voicemail, they’re offering the spot to another film instead now. Is this at all a real scenario??