Unit 4 | Documentary ProductionFestivals & International Market 1 | Shamita Harsh

Unit 4- Festivals & International Market

What is a festival?

Film festivals are events staged by universities, private organizations, local governments, arts associations and/or film societies. They provide an opportunity for unknown filmmakers to get their movies in front of a real live audience and to have their reviewed by professional critics. Filmmakers whose movies get accepted into a festival also get valuable press attention and exposure to prospective agents and buyers, not to mention a sometimes sizeable cash award if they win.

Some festivals are broad in scope -- they welcome a wide range of subject matter and film lengths. But other festivals are far more specialized: They may accept only comedies, only Jewish films or only films made by female directors, for example. Some festivals are specific to one film genre, such as documentaries, or to one length, such as shorts.

What differentiates a from, say, the , is the open submission policy. Most festivals accept submissions from any filmmaker, regardless of his or her past experience or budget. A number of festivals even invite students to enter and may have a special award category for student films.

As technology races forward, film festivals are evolving to keep pace. Many new filmmakers are starting to produce and edit their films on computers rather than on celluloid. And many film buffs are looking to the Internet for the latest independent releases. Following this trend, a number of festivals have expanded into the online arena. and Sundance are just two of the film festivals that have an online branch. Although they may lack the budget of their real-world cousins, online film festivals can reach far larger audiences. In 2003, the Sundance Online Film Festival site hosted more than 600,000 visitors.

Film festivals are the places and events where cinema and the moving image can be elevated and celebrated in all its guises. Film festivals are places of discovery and ritual, where film and cinema can be explored and consumed by audiences of all ages and interests. They are places where new filmmakers can reveal their work to world Unit 4 | Documentary ProductionFestivals & International Market 2 | Shamita Harsh and audiences can discover new talents. Retrospective titles can be honoured and rediscovered. Discussions around movies and film industry can be had and plans for the future can be forged.

Why do we need a film festival?

Film festivals are a vital link in the chain of global film culture. First of all, in the 21st Century we need festival diversity: in my perfect world, all of them should encourage the breadth and variety of views. Cinema is the most democratic art: it uses the most appropriate language for audiences and can be accessible almost everywhere because of the Internet. Film festivals can consolidate and maintain democracy, peace and freedom. For years we have been teaching our audience to talk about difficult topics, and yet the steady growth of viewers continues.

It’s sharing. Thanks to global digitalization film festivals are now an exceptional tool for crossing the communication channels from the most distant places. Film festivals are helping at the frontline of an increasingly polarized world. Speaking multiple languages, they give you the ability to hear a rich diversity of voices from the divided areas. Whatever happens in the farthest place of the world, it occupies the festival screens within the next year. The information you get is much more complex than in TV news and there is a chance to speak to characters or witnesses of the stories directly. Obviously, this contradicts the glamourous festivals of red carpets and dress codes, which are likely to remain in our nostalgic golden past.

Four Reasons to Attend Film Festivals 1. Do a deal The primary reason for submitting your film to a film festival is to have it screened in front of acquisition executives who will ‘discover’ your film and make you an offer on the spot. If you are attending one of the smaller festivals, it is unlikely that this will happen. Film buyers travel through the major and mini-major festivals and would only consider a side trip to your screening at a smaller festival if you carefully planned the publicity surrounding your screening. They might reasonably ask why you had not been accepted into a larger, more convenient festival.

2. Filmmakers attend film festivals to win awards If you read bios of filmmakers, you will often see the phrase ‘an award-winning filmmaker’, but the names of the awards are never mentioned. That is because there are only three awards worth naming on a CV. Unit 4 | Documentary ProductionFestivals & International Market 3 | Shamita Harsh The most prestigious award is the Oscar™. Even a nomination is mentioned on a filmmaker’s CV. The Academy has carefully presented itself to the industry as a credible event, although in recent years it has become known as a marketing contest with the cleverest and most expensive marketing campaigns winning the awards. Following that, the Palme d’Or at is highly esteemed. Its cachet has become established because it is judged by very high profile industry jurors at the most important film festival of the year. The third most sought-after award is the Golden Bear presented at the Film Festival.

Many festivals offer awards to any filmmaker attending their festival as a means of attracting entries. A friend of mine, Dov Simens, had a 20-minute live action short starring William Forsythe. He submitted to the Film Festival knowing that they had a 35mm live action science fiction category and gave out gold, silver and bronze medals. There was one other entrant – Dov won the bronze. A few weeks later he did the same thing at the Film Festival and now calls himself a multiple award-winning filmmaker.

3. Sit on a panel / do Q&As If award winning is not your thing, then get yourself invited to sit on a panel. Not only will it help you hone your public speaking skills, but you can then claim that you were directly involved with the festival. Alternatively, agree to a post-screening Q&A. Audiences are always keen to ‘meet’ the filmmakers and a personal appearance will help sell tickets.

4. Filmmakers attend film festivals to get reviewed

Film journalists really do not enjoy film festivals. Suppose your first film festival is a small regional film festival, a mom and pop film festival. The local weekly newspaper will have a film journalist who creates the weekly centre spread on movies from the press kits supplied by the major distributors. But with the film festival approaching, s/he will have to watch all the films entered into the festival and write reviews. As a producer, you want a good review, and hope and pray that the pictures you sent to the festival with your press kit are attractive enough to get printed in the newspaper. The film journalist for this small weekly newspaper also has career aspirations. S/he would like to work on one of the daily papers, or get a job reviewing films on a radio or station. Because the newspaper is so small they also have to cover the horse racing, but a festival really gives them some hope of a ticket out of Smallsville. Unit 4 | Documentary ProductionFestivals & International Market 4 | Shamita Harsh Journalists have learned that they should always print a superlative in their review, even if they hate it, because they know you will quote their review out of context. For example: ‘Elliot’s first film is a fine example of how not to make a movie’ becomes ‘Elliot’s first film is a fine example’. When you quote the journalist out of context they then can include your quote in their portfolio. If their quote makes it onto your poster, be certain you include their name and publication and send them a copy!

Inside some documentary film festivals in

Cinema is an integral part of art and culture, and also a medium that reaches out to a vast audience. The ability to communicate a message to the viewer through an audio visual channel makes movies unique among other arts. With time, films have become a lucrative business, and the artistic sentiment has been overshadowed by commercial cinema. But there are still platforms which celebrate the fascinating art form that cinema is and are aptly called film festivals. In order to allow cinema devotees to explore the art of films, and have access to the hidden gems of the art form, we have handpicked a few film festivals from across India. Film Festival (MAMI) Mumbai is the home to the Indian film industry, and hundreds of talented film makers who give their best to create magic on the celluloid. What better place to celebrate cinema in India than the city of dreams itself.

Source: nri tribune Unit 4 | Documentary ProductionFestivals & International Market 5 | Shamita Harsh Organised by the Mumbai Academy of Movie Imaging (MAMI), the festival is held in October-November. It showcases a variety of cinema like independent and art house films, alongside movies from Bollywood and Hollywood.The best of world cinema is brought to Mumbai, in an event where the likes of Aamir Khan and Tarantino find an equal platform.

Mumbai women's international film festival

Women have been an integral part of Indian cinema, be it as actresses enchanting the audience, or film makers known for their handling of human emotion. Strong women have been a part of Indian cinema ever since its inception.

Source: Now Running

The Mumbai Women's International Film Festival celebrates the spirit of women in cinema, by showcasing films made by women. Projects headed by female directors and female technicians are showcased in this festival, which was first held in 2013.

Dharamshala International Film Festival (DIFF) Unit 4 | Documentary ProductionFestivals & International Market 6 | Shamita Harsh Dharamshala is a pristine location in the midst of the Himalayas, which is a visual

treat in itself. But given the number of artists and talented film makers that came out of the region, there were not many opportunities for them to showcase their work.

Source: diff

Long time residents of Dharamshala, Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam realised this and started the White Crane Arts & Media Trust, a non profit initiative to promote contemporary and independent cinema. Later, they initiated the DIFF in 2012 despite the fact that there were no cinema halls in Dharamshala.

Source: diff

Organised every year between the months of October and November, the festival serves as a platforms for Tibetan refugee and expatriate film makers in the area to show their talent, apart from Indians. This year the festival will be held from 5 to 8 November.

Last year, DIFF also launched a Film Fellows programme to nurture young filmmakers from the Himalayan region, which is in its second edition now. The last Unit 4 | Documentary ProductionFestivals & International Market 7 | Shamita Harsh

date to apply for the same is 15 September 2015, and details for application are available on this site.

International Film Festival of India,

Goa is one of the most popular destination for tourists from across India but in the month of November, it also attracts a lot of cinema lovers from across the world. The Indian International Film Festival is the most prestigious and oldest film festival of our country.

Source: Deccan Chronicle Unit 4 | Documentary ProductionFestivals & International Market 8 | Shamita Harsh The first IFFI was held in 1925 in Delhi, and since 2004 Goa has been hosting the cinematic extravaganza. Submissions from international film makers and Indian film makers, which range from mainstream to arthouse cinema, are screened in the event over a period of ten days.

Bring Your Own Film Festival,

Puri in Orissa is known for it's spectacular beaches and the local culture. But come February and the beach turns into a carnival celebrating the spirit of film making. The BYOFF is a one of a kind Indian film festival, where anyone can showcase their work.

Source: Bhubaneshwar Buzz

There is no need to go through tedious registration processes or stick to protocol, BYOFF is truly an festival that gives film makers freedom from deadlines. Screens are installed across the beach and screenings begin after sundown, continuing till late night.

A flea market is also set up along with low budget accommodation at walking distance. Unit 4 | Documentary ProductionFestivals & International Market 9 | Shamita Harsh Wandering Women: the feminist docu film festival of India, Mumbai

Feminism as an idea has always been surfacing in India, every time a debate on the position of women in our society takes shape. In the past few years feminism has been widely acknowledged and with it many misconceptions have been associated with the ideas as well.

Source: Timeout Mumbai

The world of feminist documentaries, unravels a medium which puts forth the idea in a powerful and effective manner. To allow more people to explore this world, Godrej and Culture lab came together to launch the Wandering Women feminist docu film festival, on the day India won its freedom.

The two day event screened documentaries about different women from Pink Sari Vigilantes to daring women journalists in UP and a female truck driver, who portray the concept of desi feminism. Unit 4 | Documentary ProductionFestivals & International Market 10 | Shamita Harsh Kashish: Mumbai International Queer Film Festival

The LGBTQ community in India faces a lot of struggles in daily life, facing a lack of acceptance in society, and discrimination. Unfortunately in India they face more obstructions after same sex relationships were criminalised.

Source: Kashish

But since the last six years, the Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film Festival has been held with a lot of enthusiasm. The festival is the only LGBT festival having approval of the I&B; Ministry and has 7500 footfalls in a five day event.

Driven by the belief that cinema is a powerful medium to push for social change, Mumbai's most important festival showcases films that have LGBT rights and equality as their theme. The aim is to inform the masses about LGBT issues and advocate their position in the society.

Jagran Film Festival, across cities

One of the main objectives of organising film festivals is to provide an opportunity for cinema to reach a wider audience. The Jagran Group realised this and started the Jagran Film Festival, which is held across 16 towns, since the last six years.

Source: Jagran Film Festival Unit 4 | Documentary ProductionFestivals & International Market 11 | Shamita Harsh

The Jagran Festival celebrates the happiness of the human spirit, which is considered close to the Jagran Philosophy. Movies from mainstream Bollywood, to lesser known hidden gems are provided a platform to reach 50000 people. The media coverage by the Jagran group ensures that the festival is witnessed by 50 million viewers.

Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, Mumbai

The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival in Mumbai is one of the most well known and prestigious events held in the city, which also signifies the spirit if Mumbai. Apart from installations by local artists and live performances, the art of cinema is also on full display. Unit 4 | Documentary ProductionFestivals & International Market 12 | Shamita Harsh

Held for a time period of nine days in the month of February, across numerous venues in the southern part of Mumbai, the Kala Ghoda arts festival screens Bollywood films, regional cinema, international cinema and documentaries.

With films being screened all day at multiple locations, this festival is not only a treat for a cinema enthusiast, but also has a dazzling display of performing arts and theatre on offer.

Vatavaran Environment and wildlife film festival,

The Vatavara Film Festival found it's basis in the doctrine of environmental protection, and has been serving the cause of nature and wildlife preservation since 2002. This year the festival will be held in Delhi from 9th to 13th October.

Source: delhievents.com

The films screened at the festival that create an impact regarding the subject of nature and wildlife protection. From documentaries about ecological challenges, to snippets Unit 4 | Documentary ProductionFestivals & International Market 13 | Shamita Harsh about the beauty and diversity of our planet, Vatavaran is a catalyst to bring about change into people's attitude towards nature.

Here’s a in India https://www.festivalfocus.org/breakdown/160/India/