[Frameworks] Re-submitting to Festivals

[Dan Anderson]

With larger festivals like those you mentioned, it might be worthwhile to
submit again. Chances are good you'll get a new reviewer, possibly one that
appreciates "abstract" films a bit more, and there can also be programing
turnover from year-to-year. Keep in mind that acceptance odds are lower the
bigger the festival, and a good programer will focus on the individual
piece & program rather than if the filmmaker has name recognition or has
shown there previously.


It might be worth emailing to see if they show work that’s a couple years
old, and if they would consider waiving the entry fee for re-submitting. If
they care more about good programing than money, they’ll probably say “yes”
or “we’re not interested.” Either way, it could save you a fat check or at
least help it from getting lost in the shuffle.


In general, calling a festival to ask about a programing decision isn't
going to be much help. Whomever answers the phone likely wasn't the person
that reviewed the film, and only a few rare festivals maintain notes that
are easily accessible. It's also generally considered in poor form to put
someone on the spot like that. The best way is to email the "program
director" simply to ask if they maintain a record or could provide
feedback... most often you probably won't get a response, but if they keep
good records it could be most helpful.


As far as length... shortening from 30 to 20 minutes may have a marginal
effect, as long as it doesn't effect the overall quality of the film.
"Flow" is more important than the actual length, unless your film really
gets down-to-the wire in the selection process.



Dan Anderson, filmmaker/programer

cineplosion.blogspot.com

On Mon, Jun 4, 2012 at 12:06 PM, Ken Paul Rosenthal <
kenpaulrosenthal at hotmail.com> wrote:

>  While I'm well aware that re-submitting one particular film to a given
> festival is almost universally prohibited (not to mention a waste of
> money), I've been reading a lot lately on the practicalities of curating a
> shorts program in terms of length. Hence, I'm inspired to reconsider
> something I've long pondered--that my 30 minute film, Crooked Beauty was
> rejected by many 'apparent shoe-in' fests because of it's length. I know
> there are numerous factors that govern acceptance/rejection: from personal
> taste to curatorial theme to nepotism to student pre-jurors pre-empting
> work to the flood of submissions--not to mention whether or not the dvd
> screener played in the juror's computer. I recently shortened my film to 20
> minutes in order to qualify it for two particular festivals whose maximum
> TRT was that length. So all said, I feel moved to re-submit to Sundance,
> Slamdance, SXSW, and the Oberhausen International Shorts Festival. (I
> really really want to re-submit to Ann Arbor, which has screened every film
> I've ever made and rather bizarrely rejected this one--and with no
> explanation whatsoever when I inquired via phone). I've skipped a season
> since entering the first three fests in my list, and wonder if it's worth
> my re-submitting the shortened version, clearly stating the shorter length.
> I've yet to review these festivals' rules and regulations, but am curious
> in general how folks feel about this, and what their experiences have been.
> This note is not about sour grapes, as CB has generally done rather well.
> It's an honest inquiry, so I'd appreciate the responses being respectful
> and practical. Thanks, Ken
>
> www.crookedbeautythefilm.com  (Academic)
> www.crookedbeauty.com  (Public)
> www.kenpaulrosenthal.com
>
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