Understanding the Film Festival Selection Process

What does it take for your documentary feature or short to be accepted into a film festival? What are festival programmers really looking for? What things will hurt your chances of getting in and what things will help? Take a peek into the sometimes mysterious process of how films get selected so that you can navigate your festival strategy strengthened with vital insider knowledge. Led by veteran documentary film festival programmer Andrea Passafiume (AFI DOCS, Tribeca Film Festival, DOC NYC), this workshop will cover a broad range of topics ranging from the submission process all the way through to how to maximize your film festival experience if your documentary gets accepted. Participants will also have the opportunity to ask questions and engage in topical discussions.

While Docs In Progress programs are intended primarily for documentary filmmakers, much of what is being discussed will be relevant for fiction filmmakers as well.

*PLEASE NOTE: This workshop does NOT cover dealmaking or film sales.