How To Make Money & Impact by prioritizing Private Screenings during your Festival Window
Our ongoing explorations of NonDē Distribution Tactics, and this time as part of INVISIBLE NATION Distribution Case Study (Part 8)
It’s curious that timing is such that this post “fell” when 99% of the filmmakers who had hoped to be invited to attend Sundance’s final year in Park City, were told they were not wanted.
Presumably, they all put some thought on to where they would like to premiere their film and why. And let’s admit it, even if it wasn’t Sundance you were trying for, and it may not have been this year, that “they” is also “you”.
And you’ve approached the next handful or two of film festivals you are screening in the same way, right? You’ve given it serious thought and taken action on what you can accomplish when you are screening at each location.
Or maybe you are just going by the calendar year, rolling from one to another, provided they would have you. That’s perfectly valid. Take what you can get when you can get it and all that. Most of us can’t truly dictate what the roll out of our movies will be, especially when we are not partially puppeted by a corporate hand simultaneously — for the reason so many opt to surrender control is that their muscles are far larger than ours. We can push, sure, but they have the pull.
It’s understandable why many filmmakers are starting to muse whether the whole festival game is even worth playing. It’s expensive. It doesn’t lead to sales anymore. You can’t even get reviews. Everyone seems to be getting paid but you who and your supplying the movies. So why bother?
It’s worth noting how you get a certain lift from when your film is playing the festivals though, and how you can use that to your advantage. If you read Penny Lane’s post this past weekend, you know why it still matters (and how it feels). People know what a festival like Sundance means. It will help you get meetings and maybe some funding. It will help your profile in this overly competitive world.
But there’s more. Or at least there could be more. Let’s take a step back and look at the big picture again…
We’ve gone forty years though neglecting to develop the necessary revenue streams needed to make non-corporate cinema sustainable. Or rather so-called Indie Film has. Lucky for you, friend, that you are arriving at the time of NonDē Uprising. Things are going to get better because we are going to build it so together. In fact, it’s already happening.
Playing a local festival puts you in the cultural conversations for that community… and even beyond. You are now in a special group, and that notoriety can open some doors for you – yet we’ve not trained our filmmakers to even consider this. We need to right this right away. Let’s examine what you can plan even before your film has been invited.
It’s worth looking into who are the cultural leaders in the region your film is playing. What are the local universities and colleges? Do they have specific programs related to your subject strand, and would those departments perhaps be interested in having you come speak?
