Dr. Rebekah Louisa Smith is a film festival strategist who has worked with countless filmmakers through her festival submission strategy business, the Film Festival Doctor, so named because of her PhD in Film & Audience Studies from Aberystwyth University in Wales. She’s also worked as a festival programmer since 2010.

Have you reached a point where you’ve begun submitting your film to festivals but nothing is happening? If lots of rejections are coming in and you’re starting to feel anxious and depressed, you may be wondering what you’re doing wrong.

Here are the 6 most common errors and remedies to fix them.

Reason No. 1 Why Your Movie Got Rejected From Film Festivals: You’re Not Submitting to The Right Types of Film Festivals

Before doing any festival submissions my golden rule is – know your film, know your festivals. The biggest mistake that filmmakers make is submitting their film to festivals that are not the right match for their film. 

So how do you figure out which festivals you should submit your film to?

The first step is to perform in-depth research. Look online at previous festival programmes, make a note of the common themes and types of films which these festivals tend to screen. Review the trailers for these films. How high is the quality and execution of the selected films? What are the common programming topics (for example, do they have a strong focus on LGBTQ or Social Impact)?

Do they show a lot of films that have screened at festivals such as Sundance, Berlinale and Cannes? Do they tend to show a lot of celebrity driven films? Are any of their selections similar to your film? Do they screen good films which feature important stories that are ‘rough around the edges’ or are they looking for films which are of the highest standard of production & feature original storytelling? Ultimately, it all boils down to the key question: would my film belong here? 

Look at the content contained within their programme – what type of genre and narrative themes are they selecting? Also review their mission statements as these are the places where they tell you what types of films they’re looking for.

No. 2: You Have a Poor Sound Mix & Sound Design

It is essential to ensure that your film is professionally made.

Good sound is crucial (other things such as average performances can sometimes be forgiven), however, no one wants to listen to something that sounds terrible. It’s very uncomfortable and disorienting to listen to bad sound. Therefore, it is imperative that your movie sounds good if you want a festival programmer to review it for an extended period.

Sound often tends to be the last part of the process that is either forgotten or not budgeted for. Sometimes filmmakers will take it upon themselves to try and mix the sound for their own film. When they do this, they often do more harm than good to the overall sound quality of the film. If you want your film to be mixed well and sound polished, hire a sound editor/mixer as festival programmers can tell if the sound has not been done properly.

No. 3: You Have No Strategy

Without a clear plan of action, you won’t achieve the results you desire or the recognition your film deserves. 

A robust & strong strategy includes the following key elements:

A streamlined and focused festival strategy includes a detailed list of festivals to submit your film to, ensuring they are the right types of festivals that match the quality level of your film and its target audience. 

A streamlined and focused strategy with a list of sales agents to approach during (or after) your festival journey. Your list should include agents who have experience and a strong track record of selling films of a similar quality to yours. 

A streamlined and focused marketing strategy. When your film gets invited to screen at a festival, it is worth investing money into local advertising. Getting postcards and leaflets printed to promote your screening will help spread the word about your film. 

Advertising in local newspapers and magazines is also helpful. However, before doing this, ask the festivals marketing team which local publications they would suggest you advertise in. Additionally, work closely with the festival to help you advertise your film, as they can support you in achieving the best attendance.

Another great thing to have is a streamlined and focused PR strategy. Hiring a publicist who specializes in film publicity can help you achieve the following when your film is touring the festival circuit –

Get your film reviewed by established critics and coverage in the key industry trade journals.

Stand out and generate a buzz among the hundreds of other selections at a film festival.

Attract a lot of press, industry and audience members to your screenings. 

Also Read: How to Handle Rejection From a Film Festival

Dr. Rebekah Louisa Smith, who offers tips on how to handle rejection from film festivals at The Film Festival Doctor. Photo by VClicks.

No. 4: You Have No Long-Term Planning In Place 

A clear set of achievable goals must be created before any submissions begin, as your goals will help you shape (and design) your festival strategy.

The first thing to do before setting any viable goals is to be tough on yourself and ask – do you have a festival viable product? Is your film strong in terms of the overall production quality, performances and story? Are you an emerging talent offering something new and giving us a new way to talk about a topic? This is often a question which is best answered by your peers and those not attached to your film project.

The first question which you need to ask yourself is: What do you want to achieve from the festival circuit with this film?

Goals such as connecting with more industry professionals, networking, getting lots of press, acquiring sales and distribution leads, achieving successful exposure are all very attainable. 

No. 5: You Have No Budgets Or Cash Flow Planning In Place 

Another common mistake which filmmakers make, which leads to getting rejected from film festivals, is forgetting to put aside money for PR & Marketing.

I recommend that you devise three different types of budgets and raise the funds for them as early as possible.

Budget 1 – Festival Submission Fees – You would be able to complete plenty of submissions with $1,000.00 USD and that could last you around 6 months by using it wisely and submitting to early or regular deadlines.

Budget 2- Deliverables – This budget consists purely of funds to cover the costs of your festival screening exhibition copies and marketing materials (poster, trailer, postcards and business cards). Festivals tend to prefer to screen films off of a DCP (Digital Cinema Package). Prices can vary depending upon the company, therefore, ensure that you shop around and get the best deal possible.

Budget 3 – Travel Budget – Definitely attend festivals for a) networking opportunities, b) feedback on your film, c) collecting any awards that you may win & d) creating content for social media. 

It’s important to remember not to expect the festival to fund your trips as not all festivals will be able to cover your travel and accommodation costs. 

In addition to putting money aside for travel, it is also important to factor in average cost of living for a certain period of time in that city/state or territory including food, drink, taxis, buses, car hire, trams, trains etc.

No. 6: You Are Not Adding Enough Layers to Your Festival Strategy 

The final mistake that leads to getting rejected is submitting to too many ‘general’ film festivals. General means festivals which are not specific to one genre and tend to screen all types of films including features, shorts, documentaries, VR, music video episodic and web series etc. They are also not specific to a certain type of gender, genre, nationality or race etc. – they cover pretty much almost everything which is obviously a very good thing however slots become more limited. 

This is why it is important to add several layers to your strategy and laser focus in on your niches. For example, let’s say that you have a horror short film directed by a indigenous woman. It will therefore be important to submit to a) horror genre film festivals, b) short film festivals that screen horror genre films c) women’s festivals d) indigenous focused film festivals/festivals located in countries with indigenous communities d) a carefully selected number of suitable general festivals that screen horror genre films. Taking this approach will help increase your chances of being selected.

So, there you have it! A well thought out carefully curated festival strategy is a must-have for filmmakers to achieve festival success. 

You can connect with Smith at www.thefilmfestivaldoctor.com.

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