1.
My festival goal for The Wizard’s Shadow is to provide opportunities for my film to
reach individuals who might not otherwise get a chance to see it. Ideally, I
would hope that people who enjoyed the film would tell their friends about it,
and that festival exposure might lead to future opportunities to collaborate
with filmmakers around the world. My personal priorities when devising a
festival strategy are to focus upon festivals that I feel my film stands a good
chance of getting into, as well as one or two “long shots” which, if my film
were to be accepted into, would generate some prestige which could help my film
reach an even wider audience or gain some critical acclaim. While not the deciding factor, festivals
located across the country provide travel and networking opportunities for a
filmmaker, so I would hope to be able to travel wherever my film gets accepted.
Of the “Good Fit” festivals, I would definitely travel to them if my film were
accepted—several of these festivals are in places where I have family or
friends, while other festivals are in places that would be out of the way
enough that lodging should not be prohibitively expensive.
2.
I will first list the festivals for which I feel
my film is a good fit, followed by “long shots” or “prestige” festivals. I
definitely plan to submit my film to the good fit festivals and will probably
submit it to the prestige festivals as well. Please note that all deadlines
listed are current or from the most recent information available (2013-2014
festival cycle) and do not necessarily reflect the deadlines that will be in
effect when I apply (2014-2015 festival cycle). I used the early bird deadlines
since those all had the cheapest entry fees.
“Good Fit” Festivals
Daytona Beach Film Festival
Festival
Directors: Michael Becker and Stephanie Mason-Teague
Years
Running: 10
Entry
Deadline: June 30th
Entry
Fee: $20
Feature
Length: Not specified
Premiere
Status: Not required
Production
Dates: Not specified
Applicable
Category: Florida features
Submission
Materials Needed: EPK, screener (hard-copy DVD or through Withoutabox)
Reasoning:
The Wizard’s Shadow would be a good
fit for this festival because this particular festival has a category that is just for feature films made in Florida. The Wizard’s Shadow was filmed in
Central Florida, is about Central Florida history (Harry Wise) and features
interview subjects from the Central Florida region, including Daytona Beach
filmmaker/magical Gary Lester. Also, I
have family and friends throughout Central Florida, so I am guaranteed a free
place to stay if my film is accepted to this festival!
Coney Island Film Festival
Festival
Director: Not specified
Years
Running: Not specified
Entry
Deadline: February 22nd
Entry Fee: $25
Feature Length: >=40 minutes
Premiere Status: Not required
Production Dates: Not specified
Applicable Category: Feature documentary
Submission Materials Needed: DVD
Reasoning: The Wizard’s Shadow would be a good fit for this festival because this festival has a built-in kitsch factor—festival proceeds benefit historic preservation efforts for Coney Island (a good cause), and festival events include sideshow, vaudeville, and burlesque acts. Since The Wizard’s Shadow is about a vaudeville-type magician, it is likely to speak to the Coney Island crowd. Also, I have family and friends in Brooklyn, so I am guaranteed a free place to stay if my film is accepted to this festival!
Entry Fee: $25
Feature Length: >=40 minutes
Premiere Status: Not required
Production Dates: Not specified
Applicable Category: Feature documentary
Submission Materials Needed: DVD
Reasoning: The Wizard’s Shadow would be a good fit for this festival because this festival has a built-in kitsch factor—festival proceeds benefit historic preservation efforts for Coney Island (a good cause), and festival events include sideshow, vaudeville, and burlesque acts. Since The Wizard’s Shadow is about a vaudeville-type magician, it is likely to speak to the Coney Island crowd. Also, I have family and friends in Brooklyn, so I am guaranteed a free place to stay if my film is accepted to this festival!
Marfa Film Festival
http://www.marfafilmfestival.org/
Festival Director: Not specified
Years Running: 7
Entry Deadline: February 15th
Entry Fee: $50
Feature Length: >=60 minutes
Premiere Status: Not required
Production Dates: Not specified
Applicable Category: Feature documentary
Submission Materials Needed: Screener (DVD hard-copy or through Withoutabox)
Reasoning: The Marfa Film Festival would provide a unique opportunity for The Wizard’s Shadow—this particular festival is non-competitive and takes place outdoors in Marfa, Texas, a remote town an hour away from the Texas-Mexico border. If you have heard of Marfa before, it’s probably because of the “Marfa lights”—mysterious lights that some attribute to UFO activity. The unique location, non-competitive atmosphere, and possibility to witness unusual phenomenon all make this festival a good venue for The Wizard’s Shadow—a film which features “master of the weird” Charlie Carlson, no stranger to unusual phenomena! Also, I live in Texas, so even though this festival is a day’s drive away, I wouldn’t have to worry about airfare.
http://www.marfafilmfestival.org/
Festival Director: Not specified
Years Running: 7
Entry Deadline: February 15th
Entry Fee: $50
Feature Length: >=60 minutes
Premiere Status: Not required
Production Dates: Not specified
Applicable Category: Feature documentary
Submission Materials Needed: Screener (DVD hard-copy or through Withoutabox)
Reasoning: The Marfa Film Festival would provide a unique opportunity for The Wizard’s Shadow—this particular festival is non-competitive and takes place outdoors in Marfa, Texas, a remote town an hour away from the Texas-Mexico border. If you have heard of Marfa before, it’s probably because of the “Marfa lights”—mysterious lights that some attribute to UFO activity. The unique location, non-competitive atmosphere, and possibility to witness unusual phenomenon all make this festival a good venue for The Wizard’s Shadow—a film which features “master of the weird” Charlie Carlson, no stranger to unusual phenomena! Also, I live in Texas, so even though this festival is a day’s drive away, I wouldn’t have to worry about airfare.
Dark Carnival Film Festival
http://www.darkcarnivalfilmfest.com/
Festival Director: David E.W. Pruett
Years Running: 7
Entry Deadline: Not specified
Entry Fee: $35
Feature Length: >= 36 minutes
Premiere Status: Not required
Production Dates: After January 2010
Applicable Category: Documentary
Submission Materials Needed: DVD
Reasoning: The Wizard’s Shadow would be a good fit for Dark Carnival Film Festival because this particular festival plays in a different historic venue every year—past venues have included drive-in theaters and old movie theaters. Since Harry Wise was an entertainer from a bygone area, his story ought to be told in some of these historic places. Also, this festival takes place in Columbus, Indiana, a Midwestern town about 2 hours west of Cincinnati—even though The Wizard’s Shadow is about a man from Central Florida, I think that his story would play well with the Midwestern crowd, especially since I am originally from greater Cincinnati. Harry spent some time in Indiana when he was touring with the circus, and I know that he was fascinated by the covered bridges that pepper the landscape in that part of the country.
http://www.darkcarnivalfilmfest.com/
Festival Director: David E.W. Pruett
Years Running: 7
Entry Deadline: Not specified
Entry Fee: $35
Feature Length: >= 36 minutes
Premiere Status: Not required
Production Dates: After January 2010
Applicable Category: Documentary
Submission Materials Needed: DVD
Reasoning: The Wizard’s Shadow would be a good fit for Dark Carnival Film Festival because this particular festival plays in a different historic venue every year—past venues have included drive-in theaters and old movie theaters. Since Harry Wise was an entertainer from a bygone area, his story ought to be told in some of these historic places. Also, this festival takes place in Columbus, Indiana, a Midwestern town about 2 hours west of Cincinnati—even though The Wizard’s Shadow is about a man from Central Florida, I think that his story would play well with the Midwestern crowd, especially since I am originally from greater Cincinnati. Harry spent some time in Indiana when he was touring with the circus, and I know that he was fascinated by the covered bridges that pepper the landscape in that part of the country.
Prestige Festivals
Big Sky Documentary Film Festival
http://www.bigskyfilmfest.org/
Festival Director: Travis Morss
Years Running: 11
Entry Deadline: September 9th
Entry Fee: $45
Feature Length: >=50 minutes
Premiere Status: Yes (within Montana)
Production Dates: Not specified
Applicable Category: Feature documentary
Submission Materials Needed: DVD
Reasoning: In addition to being a prestige festival, the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival boasts of being the largest “exclusively documentary festival in the American West.” If my film were accepted at this festival, it would definitely generate publicity. However, I recognize that the chances of my film being accepted into this festival are slim—previous selections include documentaries dealing with gentrification in South Africa, the Occupy Wall Street Movement, and a portrait of a man caring for orphans in India who have HIV. While I would certainly be honored if my film were to join the ranks of those films, it is unlikely that my film would, since it doesn’t deal with global or political concerns.
http://www.bigskyfilmfest.org/
Festival Director: Travis Morss
Years Running: 11
Entry Deadline: September 9th
Entry Fee: $45
Feature Length: >=50 minutes
Premiere Status: Yes (within Montana)
Production Dates: Not specified
Applicable Category: Feature documentary
Submission Materials Needed: DVD
Reasoning: In addition to being a prestige festival, the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival boasts of being the largest “exclusively documentary festival in the American West.” If my film were accepted at this festival, it would definitely generate publicity. However, I recognize that the chances of my film being accepted into this festival are slim—previous selections include documentaries dealing with gentrification in South Africa, the Occupy Wall Street Movement, and a portrait of a man caring for orphans in India who have HIV. While I would certainly be honored if my film were to join the ranks of those films, it is unlikely that my film would, since it doesn’t deal with global or political concerns.
Full Frame Documentary Film Festival
http://www.fullframefest.org/
Festival Director: Sadie Tillery
Years Running: 17
Entry Deadline: October 15th
Entry Fee: $40
Feature Length: >=41 minutes
Premiere Status: Not required but prefer films not previously screened in North Carolina
Production Dates: After January 1, 2012
Applicable Category: Feature documentary
Submission Materials Needed: DVD
Reasoning: In addition to being a prestige festival, the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival offers cash prizes and is located near Duke University, thus providing networking opportunities with Duke’s Center for Documentary Studies. If my film were accepted at this festival, it would definitely generate publicity. It would be a tremendous honor to be accepted at this festival—previous year’s selections include an experimental documentary about an abandoned state hospital and a documentary about a blues musician who wrote for Elvis Presley—these inclusions are in addition to selected documentaries about political and socio-economic issues, so it is possible that my documentary might stand a chance of being accepted into this festival!
http://www.fullframefest.org/
Festival Director: Sadie Tillery
Years Running: 17
Entry Deadline: October 15th
Entry Fee: $40
Feature Length: >=41 minutes
Premiere Status: Not required but prefer films not previously screened in North Carolina
Production Dates: After January 1, 2012
Applicable Category: Feature documentary
Submission Materials Needed: DVD
Reasoning: In addition to being a prestige festival, the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival offers cash prizes and is located near Duke University, thus providing networking opportunities with Duke’s Center for Documentary Studies. If my film were accepted at this festival, it would definitely generate publicity. It would be a tremendous honor to be accepted at this festival—previous year’s selections include an experimental documentary about an abandoned state hospital and a documentary about a blues musician who wrote for Elvis Presley—these inclusions are in addition to selected documentaries about political and socio-economic issues, so it is possible that my documentary might stand a chance of being accepted into this festival!
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