How to Get the Most Out of a Film Festival
Former Movie Critic and Author Chris Holland on Attending Film Fests
It is safe to say that Chris Holland has a bit of a ‘thing’ about films and film festivals. A semi-professional film critic for almost a decade at offbeat movie review site stomptokyo.com, he first got involved in film festivals in Austin, Texas. Around five years ago he started working for the festival first as a volunteer in the marketing and programming departments, then as the director of marketing.
Holland continues to be involved with the Austin Film Festival, but is currently the Director of Festival Operations at B-Side Entertainment, an indie film distributor in Austin. He is also the author of Film Festival Secrets, an informative but often humorously written handbook for independent filmmakers on how to get their film accepted at a film festival and how to make the most of the festival once they are there.
Suite101: What do you think film festival attendees could or should do to get the most out of a festival?
Planning in advance is important, but it's important to keep an open mind and to be flexible with your schedule. The best way is to talk to the other moviegoers at the festival. At a film festival it's acceptable and even expected to strike up a conversation with the person standing ahead of you in line, or sitting next to you in a crowded theater.
Finding out what others have seen and liked is the best way to discover those hidden gems at a film festival – something that may not have jumped out at you from the program guide could turn out to be your favorite movie of the year.
Suite101: When you personally go to a festival, is there anything you do (that may be different from above) to get the most out of it?
It really depends on what I'm trying to accomplish at any given festival, but if the idea is to see as many films as possible in the available time, and it usually is, then some advance planning is a good idea. Know where the venues are, the travel time between them and what your dining options are between shows. Often I'll have to choose between a movie and lunch, which is when a protein bar and a bottle of water can really come in handy.
Beyond the biological logistics, I like to scan the program guide for names I recognize – a filmmaker with a new movie I didn't know about or someone I've always wanted to meet speaking on a panel. Half the fun is in seeing the movies, the other half is in meeting the people behind them.
Suite101: Are there any film festival sins you have seen others commit that ruined the experience for them or the other visitors?
There is the usual theater etiquette – not talking during the movie, refraining from getting up in the middle of the show to go to the restroom, that sort of thing – but most of the worst behavior comes during Q&A sessions after the film.
Please don't tell the lead actress that you (or your brother or whomever) wants to date her. Don't bogart the filmmaker's time by asking a two-part question. Any question that takes longer than 15 seconds to ask – or that isn't even a question in the first place but rather a long rambling comment about the film – should be kept to yourself.
I realize that all these ‘don'ts’ make me sound like a film festival curmudgeon, but it's amazing how quickly the joy can be sucked out of a screening by selfish audience members.
'Film Festival Secrets' Author Chris Holland
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