Twenty-Five Film Festivals Worth the Fee

The Best Places for Moviemakers to Submit their Work

Jul 8, 2009
Cecily Layzell

Film Festivals Worth the Fee - Alvimann

In its annual run-down, MovieMaker magazine lists the top 25 North American film festivals it considers to be worth filmmakers' hard-earned money.

Attracting broad audiences and often industry execs, film festivals are one of the most efficient ways of getting a movie screened and, with luck, distributed. But with many festivals charging a submission fee, and with no guarantee that the film submitted will make it to the final selection, it can quickly become a prohibitively expensive business. This is particularly true for new moviemakers who have yet to build a track record.

With the economy in trouble, moviemakers are feeling the pinch particularly acutely. This makes drawing up a shortlist of film festivals to submit to and weighing up the cost of each festival against its possible benefits even harder.

Film Festivals Providing a Return on Investment

But help is at hand. Every year, MovieMaker magazine publishes a list of the 25 film festivals it considers to be worth the submission fee. The 2009 list, which appeared in the publication’s spring issue, steers clear of the big names, which magazine staff reckons moviemakers already know, and instead lists alternative, probably less well-known American and Canadian festivals that are most likely to provide a return on moviemakers’ time and financial investment.

This return could take several forms: a cash prize for movies in competition, the chance to meet top industry execs or networking opportunities for future projects. In addition, festivals regularly hand out awards that do not have cash attached to them. While this might not be ideal – moviemakers have to eat like everyone else – award-winners generally receive more media attention, which, at best, can help to attract future festival audiences and, at worst, can be the beginnings of the moviemaker’s collection of press clippings.

Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee

The film festivals that made it onto MovieMaker’s top 25 list come in all shapes and sizes. International film festivals include Bermuda International Film Festival, Calgary International Film Festival and Syracuse International Film Festival.

Special interest events also feature in the form of Napa Sonoma Wine Country Film Festival, Screamfest Horror Film Festival and Ottawa International Animation Film Festival.

With its eye firmly on the recession, MovieMaker pays particular attention to short film festivals this year. These include Boxur Shorts Film Festival, DC Shorts Film Festival, L.A. Comedy Short Film Festival and Palm Springs ShortFest.

MovieMaker’s complete list of film festivals worth the fee can be found here. Or visit MovieMaker’s website for more information about the magazine or to browse the archives.