Film festivals have always felt a little out of my reach because I never really considered my work to be “festival material”. I think this was more a point of self-criticality as opposed to not understanding that there is no such thing as “festival material” really, but in my mind there are certain types of film that fare better at these events because they have a heart to them, and the successful films at festivals have a strong sense of identity as well as being competently animated by a large teams or incredibly talented individuals. I suppose this probably stems from a selection bias; only seeing the successful films, and the ones that aren’t as popular (not necessarily a result of them being less entertaining) don’t gain as much traction.
MACA has exposed me to so many more films than I would’ve seen of my own volition, and the variety of work out there is far wider than I had anticipated. Comparing my work against others has always been difficult for me because I so easily see the flaws in my own work and often see it for what it isn’t, as opposed to what it is, making showcasing my work a tricky hurdle for me post-release.
A few months back I submitted Open Mike Nite (our group LIAF project) to Annecy 2023. My initial intent was to not bother because I figured it didn’t have a chance at such a high profile festival, but on the last day of submissions I was convinced that it was worth trying, even if I still didn’t believe it was in for a chance. I’m trying to take a most positive stance on my work, and telling myself it’s worth trying because I (and others I’m working with) have put in so much effort.
I wasn’t surprised when OMN wasn’t selected – I honestly wasn’t expecting it to be at all, but I think the experience was worth a shot. The hardest part really was making the film, and providing there’s no fee for entry then submitting a film to a festival isn’t as intimidating as I thought it’d be. It’s definitely given me a little more confidence that regardless of the result of my entry, whether I’m nominated for an award or simply just able to have my film screened at all, it’s probably worth a little effort.
I’ve been looking for smaller festivals to submit to on Film Freeway, local to London right now (because I can’t really afford to travel just yet but hopefully in a few months time that can change). Categories for super short films (running time <1 minute) are primarily my target right now, but once my grad film is finished I’ll be looking at categories that allow for longer submissions. I’ve already looked into LIAF because it’s close and having briefly met the people that run it while working on our stings, they seem like a pleasure to work with. I wont be submitting just yet but I’m hoping to submit for their late deadline (post June 1st – it costs a little more for entry but gives me time to actually complete my grad film).
I did look into a festival that ran from my old university where I sat my BA in Canterbury. Anifest was one of the few festivals in the area at the time and unfortunately it doesn’t look like it’s been running for the last year and there doesn’t seem to be any information about whether it’ll be back this year or not, which is a huge shame if it’s no longer running! I’m going to keep an eye on their socials and see what happens because it’d be a treat to revisit the festival there after so many years.