Saturday, July 30, 2011

Allie's Festival Picks - Part 2

Part two of my previous festival submission post. These are the ambitious picks:

Festival de Cannes, May 2012


We have fellow Ithaca Class of 2011 grad Brad Collins to thank for the inspiration to submit Jemila’s Tale to the Cannes Shorts Corner. His thesis film, Love Potion, was accepted in the festival held in Cannes, France in May 2011 in the short films corner. We’re submitting to the 2012 festival in the same category.

"Organized by the Festival de Cannes, the Short Film Corner is the essential rendez-vous for filmmakers. Since 2004, short film producers and directors have chosen the Short Film Corner as the place to present their films, make meetings reality and take decisive steps for their future careers."

"The Short Film Corner hands you an annual, tailor-made program of industry meets, workshops and conferences that deal with strategic issues. You will benefit from all the advantages of being a Festival de Cannes accredited attendee, from being able to access the Marché du Film exhibitors or those in the Village International. You will also be able to network with all the biggest industry players: institutions, financiers and the most important international reps in the film business.

Your film will benefit from a prime viewing position within the Short Film Corner, and you will be able to take advantage by meeting professionals. Our daily meeting, facilitated by prestigious speakers, workshops and themed conferences will ensure you to get a greater knowledge and improved professional potential. Each day you will get the opportunity to participate to a wide range of events not to be missed as workshops, round tables, happy hours, etc.

Your participation the Short Film Corner will increase the chances of seeing your film selected by international festivals, as well as revealing your talent to potential partners and diffusers.
When you take part in the Short Film Corner, you get to benefit from a tool that is specifically designed to build bridges between the worlds of short and feature films."



Slamdance, January 2012


Because, why not? Slamdance is about celebrating being a filmmaker. Even the festival tagline is “For Filmmakers, By Filmmakers.” We’re filmmakers who made a small film about big ideas that celebrates the creation of story and life. So why not?

The submission process for festivals was about creating a balance between my hopes and dreams and a realistic view of where Jemila’s Tale fits into the wide world of filmmaking. Between big ticket submissions to festivals like Slamdance and Cannes, and some smaller specialty festivals like Kids First! I hope we’ve found our place.
And now we wait!

We’ll let you know when we get the good news!
Allie

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Allie's Festival Picks - Part 1

If you’ve ever done a basic internet search for film festivals, you can imagine how daunting the task of choosing just a handful can seem.  Of course, there are tools available to make the selection easier.  Websites like WithOutABox.com allow filmmakers to create online press kits and tailor searches to find festivals with specific traits.  Even then, the volume of festivals out there can be overwhelming.  To narrow it down, I did a little more research into each festival and selected the few that make the most sense for Jemila’s Tale.  I’ve selected a few smaller fests, a few that are of medium size, and one really big one – the “shorts corner” at Cannes. 

In planning my portion of the festival submissions, I’ve focused mainly on niche festivals that highlight films for youth audiences as well as a few that are close to where I grew up – Ohio. 

Here’s a little bit about my first two festival submissions:

Cleveland International Film Festival, March 22 – April 1, 2012.

“For the past 35 years, the CIFF has been the premier film event in Ohio. Today the CIFF presents contemporary international and American Independent filmmaking, with more than 150 features and 130 short subjects from approximately 60 countries.”


My home state!  We’ve entered Jemila’s Tale in the shorts category.

Kids First! Film Festival
“Now in its twelfth year, the KIDS FIRST! Film Festival is a showcase for children's films, TV shows and DVDs from major studios and independent filmmakers. The festival partners with more than 150 venues worldwide who host more than 10,000 screenings of KIDS FIRST! films year-round to an audience of more than one million.
Youth are given a true voice - as curators, as audience members, as film critics, as volunteer staff and as filmmakers showing their work. Almost one-third of the films accepted every year are from student filmmakers.
All films screened during the year are considered for the KIDS FIRST! Best Awards, given once a year. Our Awards Celebration is held in either Los Angeles or Santa Fe, NM, our national headquarters.”

How great is a film festival featuring children’s films with input from kids?  Jemila’s Tale is a twist on a fairytale from a child’s perspective. With Cynthia B. as the star, how could we go wrong with this pick?  

Stay tuned for more of my festival picks! I’ll make another post with a few more of my festival selections soon!

Peace,
Allie