Film Festivals: Get Your Film Screened

When you have made your film the next step is to get it seen. Despite the variety of options for streaming your work online, it is still the hope of most filmmakers to get their work distributed and shown on the ‘big screen’. With digital filmmaking meaning there is a huge amount of content being created film festivals are still the way in which the industry takes note of work. Being screened at a major festival, or winning awards at smaller ones, brings attention audience to your work.

There are around 3,000 film festivals around the world each year and it can be a huge task to plan where to submit your work and what strategy to take in getting it seen.

During this single evening we will address:

• Planning your strategy before you make your film.
• Which festivals are right for my work?
• Submitting your film, Withoutabox, Film Freeway and other options
• Markets and Festivals. What’s the difference?
• The main reasons Festivals reject films, and how to improve your chances
• Cannes Film Festival: How to survive it, and is it worth it?

During the evening we will be joined via Skype by Elliot Grove, director of the Raindance Film Festival in London, Europe’s largest independent film festival where he will be giving his own thoughts on what festivals are looking for and will be able to answer your questions.

About the Instructor – Rory O’Donnell

ELFS Japan creator Rory O’Donnell worked with the Raindance Film Festival in many capacities between 2000 and 2017, including dealing with print traffic, the submissions process and running their training programme for ten years. As a filmmaker his films have screened at many festivals in North America and Europe and he was a regular attendee at the Cannes Film Festival for many years. One of his aims at ELFS Japan has been to encourage filmmakers based in Japan to get their films more seen on the international stage.

About Elliot Grove

Few people know more filmmakers and screenwriters in Europe than Raindance founder Elliot Grove. He’s presided over the launch of some of Britain’s most interesting filmmakers. Edgar Wright was his first intern, Guy Ritchie and Matthew Vaughn met at a Raindance course in the mid 1990’s, David Yates (Harry Potter) Christopher Nolan and Gareth Edwards (Monsters, Star Wars) all launched their careers following film training courses at Raindance. Ken Loach and Mike Leigh are patrons.

Elliot founded Raindance Film Festival in 1993, the  British Independent Film Awards in 1998. He has produced over 700 short films, and 6 feature films. He’s written eight scripts, one of which is currently in pre-production. His first feature film, TABLE 5 was shot on 35mm and completed for a total of £278.38. He teaches writers and producers in the UK, Europe, Japan and America. He has written three books which have become industry standards: RAINDANCE WRITERS’ LAB: WRITE & SELL THE HOT SCREENPLAY(Focal Press 2008), RAINDANCE PRODUCER’S LAB: LO-TO-NO BUDGET FILMMAKING (Focal Press 2004) and 130 PROJECTS TO GET YOU INTO FILMMAKING (Barrons 2009). His first novel THE BANDIT QUEEN is scheduled for publication next year. Open University awarded Elliot an Honourary Doctorate for services to film education in 2009.

Elliot’s Saturday Film School is the most popular film class in Europe, taken by over 17,000 learners since it was launched in March 2011.

His 2014 feature, Deadly Virtues directed by Ate de Jong (Drop Dead Fred) has been released in 8 territories and reached number 12 in the UK.