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Film Festivals 101
How to, where to, when to, and why to attend some of the world's best film festivals.

By Jessica Letkemann

Film festivals can be a great tool for any moviemaker. They are one of the few places where films made by independent directors, screenwriters, and animators can be seen by an influential audience of critics, theater programmers, distribution execs, and movie lovers. There are literally thousands of film festivals in the world right now. Here is an overview of five well-known fests and how to participate in each, plus links to information on several other important festivals worldwide.

Sundance  |  Cannes  |  New York  |  Toronto  |  Venice
Plus: Telluride  |  Tribeca  |  Berlin| SXSW  |  Montreal

Cannes Film Festival
When and Where: Mid-May in Cannes, France. The 2006 festival is May 17th - 28th. The 2007 festival is May 16th - 27th.
History and Focus: Now in it's 60th year, Cannes is a major player in international film festivals. Film professionals from just about everywhere gather each May to sample what many consider to be some of the best unreleased films made in the previous year. As will all film festivals, filmmakers, the press, and execs gather there to network, discuss film, and vie for distribution.
How to Submit a Film: Films must have been made in the 12 months preceding the festival, can’t have been available online, and can’t have been distributed outside of their native country. Shorts must be shorter than 15 minutes, and features must be at least 60 minutes. The submission portion of Cannes's website has all the forms and details necessary. It is free to submit a short. The cost for submitting a feature ranges from 25 Euros to 300 Euros depending on format. The submission deadline for the 2006 festival is March 15, 2006.
Contact: www.festival-cannes.org This website has information on both attending the festival and submitting films.
Click here to read Premiere.com's coverage of a past Cannes festival.

The New York Film Festival
When and Where: Late September in New York City.
History and Focus: 2006 will mark the 44th annual New York Film Festival. A presentation of the Film Society of Lincoln Center, the festival is widely respected and well attended, and a relatively small number of films — usually around 35 — are shown each year.
How to Submit a Film: Visit the NYFF website in the coming months for details on submission. The deadline is usually in July, but contact them directly for exact dates as they are announced.
Contact: www.filmlinc.com/nyff/nyff.htm. This website, which is updated each year as the festival approaches, has information on both attending the festival and submitting films.
Click here to read Premiere.com's coverage of the 2005 New York Film Festival.

Toronto International Film Festival
When and Where: September in Toronto, Canada
History and Focus: Launched in 1976, Toronto has grown into one of the biggest, most prestigious film festivals with over 250,000 films vying to be chosen as official festival selections in all categories including features, shorts, and docs.
How to Submit a Film: Toronto has a series of format and documentation requirements. See their website for details. The submission deadline is generally in June. Entry fees vary by length of film, and country of origin, but are all under $100. For a look at submission details for last year’s festival, see the 2005 Entry Form.
Contact: General information about the festival and it's history: http://www.tiffg.ca/content/divisions/tiff.asp The website for each year's festival launches at the following address a few months before the festival begins: www.bell.ca/filmfest This website will have information on both attending and submitting films as the date of the festival approaches.
Click here to read Premiere.com's coverage of the 2005 Toronto film festival.

Venice International Film Festival
When and Where: Late August or early September in Venice, Italy
History and Focus: Venice, which began in 1932, is the oldest of the festivals that are still around today. In an effort to tightly focus their presentation, the Venice fest usually includes only about 80 selections. Films screened at Venice come from many, many genres including independents, animation, documentaries, shorts, and experimental films.
How to Submit a Film: Rules for submission can be obtained by emailing the festival. Historically, the deadline for submission is in June, and entry fees range from free to 50 Euros depending on your film's length. Shorts must be under 30 minutes, features must be more than 60 minutes. Films must have been made in the 12 months prior to the festival, they can’t have been shown on the web or outside of their native country. Additionally, films must not have been shown at any other international film festival. Visit the fest's website for details on this year's festival as they are announced.
Contact: www.labiennale.org/en/cinema. This website, which is updated each year as the festival approaches, has information on both attending the festival and submitting films.
Click here to read Premiere.com's coverage of a past Venice festival.

More Festivals
Click on the names of the film festivals below to visit their official websites.

Telluride Film Festival
Telluride, Colorado. September 1-4, 2006. 33rd Annual.

Tribeca Film Festival
New York, NY. April 25 - May 7, 2006. 13th Annual.

Berlin International Film Festival
Berlin, Germany. February 9-19, 2006. 56th Annual.

SXSW (South By Southwest) Film Festival
Austin, Texas. March 10-18, 2006. 13th Annual.

Montreal World Film Festival
Montreal, Canada. August 24 - September 4, 2006. Founded in 1977.