How To Let Cinema Change Your Life, Pt 2
The conversation with Hussain Currimbhoy, the Artistic Director Of HotDocs Film Festival continues!
Last week, Hussain and I dug in to how we both grew committed to a life in cinema, where inspiration bloomed for each of us, and how the whole of it continues to evolve — and off we go in that direction from there today, with Hussain taking the lead this time.
Hussain : How have you seen the festival landscape evolve over the years?
Ted: It depends on what years you are talking about. Hal Hartley’s The Unbelievable Truth played festivals in 1989 I believe. In those days, films arrived without. Without sales agents, without publicists, without lawyers, without knowing what they needed to use the festival to launch. But it still worked. And films could pop out of numerous festivals.But there weren’t so many. Now filmmakers HAVE TO arrive prepared generally, with an army intact. And there’s a festival hierarchy. So many everywhere and it matters a great deal where you play and when you play. Buyers evaluate not the movie, but its trajectory. We’ve allowed it to become a campaign and everything needs a reset. I think there is a tremendous amount of potential in the festival set up to better prepare filmmakers for all that can come. We are still in a rudimentary mindset where artists focus almost exclusively on getting the work done. We need to not only strategize the launch but also the maintenance, How do you prepare to travel your film for over a year? It’s like a rock band who cut an album; we have to take our work on the road. But we can’t believe magic happens (even if occasionally it does!). We have to use the festival tours to build the alliances that get our work and others to resonate.
Ted: Let me ask you a question in a similar vein. What do filmmakers most misunderstand about festivals?
Hussain: Filmmakers, for the most part, know how to hustle and I love em for it. I love festivals, especially regional festivals because they feel so algorithm-less. But I also value festivals with a market attached. For me a film festival is best when it helps to position your film in the best way for a potential release, and helps you get your next film made. Keep that in mind when entering film festivals. It is always great for the filmmaker when a festival has our friends from the industry attending. And even better when the festival helps you connect with buyers, especially if you are an emerging filmmaker.
Ted: Hell, yeah!
Hussain: I would say what filmmakers need to focus on is that once your film is selected to a festival, no matter how big or small the fest is, you have to gather a good marketing strategy and get on the ground and support your screening. Posters, cool or unique promotional materials, a good website, help with social media, these are the elemental pieces of promoting your film at a festival that filmmakers need to keep some funds in reserve for when they are planning their release. Getting your team together to help with that in a systematic way is crucial. Having a publicist is an expense but it is more often than not a great way to secure coverage and get the themes (and the filmmaker themselves) in the spotlight during a festival.
Ted: Good advice!
Hussain: Sundance has been such fun, I have been seeing some brilliant films. Some of the best in a long time. Seeing filmmakers try to manage the press and all the attention is inspiring, but I also feel for them! Can you give me an example of a time when you saw a filmmaker make the most out of their festival experience?
Ted: I think it is all changing, because the nature of film releases are changing, but to maximize the festival experience it is still the same process. You have to know your goals. Unfortunately, I suspect most don’t dig in deep enough into the assessment of the goals, particularly now that many filmmakers arrive at festivals with a busload of various advisors and supporters. Most filmmakers are already thinking about their next movie by the time they’ve finished this one. I think we need to give our films far more support than we used to now,if we want them to both break through and then have a sustainable life and enter the conversation. I think we all need to accept that each film needs at least a year of support after it’s debut. And you need to plan those in about four month increments. So when you premiere you should
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