Hi Cecilia, I hear what you are saying about admin costs. I have, in the past, helped to run a small film festival and had managed Canyon Cinema for 32 years. I do know well about admin costs. I know staff members should be paid a reasonable salary and what they are worth. Film Festivals receive numerous grants, however that may now be changing, they receive revenue thru advertising so much that many have to make a trailer listing all their sponsors not to mention ticket sales, donations of screening spaces, etc. Despite the increased number of entries, most film festivals continue to offer the same amount of screenings as they did in the past when entries were not so voluminous. For example Ann Arbor receives thousands of entries yet their festival has not expanded accordingly to accommodate the increase of entries. This appears to be true for many festivals. I would love to see the budgets of the festivals.
Remember the Festivals depend upon filmmakers entering their work. If no filmmakers entered a festival then there would be no festival. The purpose of the festival is to present the filmmaker's work. Without the work the Festivals would not exist. D On Thu, Aug 28, 2025 at 7:53 AM Sandy McLennan <[email protected]> wrote: > Andre, > That's not helpful. What are your experiences? What are your suggestions? > Sandy > > On Wed, Aug 27, 2025 at 11:41 PM Cecilia Araneda < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> When I entered into filmmaking, I used to mail VHS preview copies of my >> works to film festivals (including VHS copies of film prints) and then if >> selected, I would have to ship out either a BetaSP or print copy of my work >> on my own dime. >> >> I remember in the late aughts sweating as one of my films set for a >> prestigious European premiere encountered the issue of all planes being >> re-directed due to that European volcano affecting the Atlantic ocean, only >> to then ultimately being incorrectly rerouted by FedEx to some tiny island >> in the Pacific ocean. I then had to quickly pay for a new Beta SP copy of >> my film and have it re-shipped. >> >> I don’t know that it’s more expensive now in the era where platforms like >> Film Freeway tempt film festivals to mine for submissions fees to make up >> an important percentage of their revenue streams. Before, I would pay an >> exorbitant amount of money to postal services and shippers and to just have >> physical preview and screening copies made. And so before, I also had to >> budget my submissions because there was just only so much I could spend on >> making physical copies and shipping. And when I had to ship a 35 mm short >> film internationally - that was certainly exceptionally financially >> painful. >> >> Times have changed, but distributing films continues to be as expensive >> as it was in the past. >> >> There was the belief in the past that moving to mostly digital would make >> things cheaper for filmmakers - but global economic and geo-political >> factors jump-in in ways many filmmakers cannot anticipate. In this era with >> skyrocketing inflation, festivals have to budget for the impact that the >> inflation affects everything that makes them sustainable - wages, facility >> rentals, equipment, international shipping in the era of outrageous >> tariffs, etc. And then whatever is going on in the USA, which is utterly >> perplexing to behold from the outside. Even festivals that are >> predominantly funded by sources other than submission fees - either by >> private foundations or government agencies - are not seeing their grant >> funding keep up with inflation. >> >> If you suspect that your films have not been viewed by a festival, then >> you shouldn’t continue submitting to them. Consider submitting to different >> festivals if your works are continually not being selected by your usual >> go-to’s. Maybe it’s the case that the usual festivals you are submitting to >> aren’t necessarily the best fits for your works, and it might be time to >> test out different pastures. >> >> As to your comment: *"it appears that many of the Festivals have just >> become pyramid schemes whose only purpose is to pay for administrative >> costs and the return to the filmmakers financially is minimal”* — I >> wouldn’t so quickly discount what is included in “administrative costs,” >> as these include fees and salaries to hard working staff, who are often >> working for token wages. I’ve often thought the sector should unionize >> somehow, because I know so many cultural workers are not paid remotely >> enough - not even living wages. >> >> And then there are also the costs of facility rental, equipment >> management, logistics, and promotion. Festivals need to spend a >> proportionally high amount on promotion in comparison to artist run centre >> type screenings, as you need to have some kind of audience. And then there >> are fees that need to be spent to just be eligible for permanent / >> operating grant funding, outside of project fund there and there that is to >> random to make a festival work - and this requires a ton of foundational >> bookkeeping and financial management work to prove to the private and >> public funders that your organization maintain professional financial >> management practices and has 3rd party financial oversight (prepping for >> audit, and then going through audit). Just keeping receipts and making >> payments within a reasonable window of time is a huge administrative >> production that is necessary to a film festival organization existing. >> >> I have seen film organizations run like well-oiled machines due to >> exceptional bookkeeping practices; and conversely seen others struggle to >> near-death because of a dire lack of attention to administrative work - and >> I can assure you the latter absolutely does not benefit any filmmaker >> whatsoever. Diminishing the value and impact of administrative work as >> somehow being less important labour within arts organization than >> filmmaking, is not a great solidarity position. >> >> Best of luck on placing your works! >> >> Cecilia Araneda >> >> ceciliaaraneda.ca >> >> >> >> >> On Aug 26, 2025, at 8:27 PM, Sandy McLennan <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> This is an oft-seen reply: “too many submissions”. What to do? Will >> festivals cut off the number? They can’t possibly watch all submissions. >> Will a deadline be reliably administered? Here seems like a good forum for >> such a discussion, if only from the submitters side (best if festival reps >> would comment, too). >> >> Hats off to Celluloid Now (Chicago), for example, who limit in one manner >> by requiring proof that a submitter already has a physical film ready to >> screen (although maybe they get “too many” also). I realize this is not a >> solution, just an example I happen to know of. >> >> At the very least, whether you paid (and that certainly adds up, even if >> low amounts per) a submission fee or not, we wish for our work to be seen >> and considered. Can’t tell if this always happens. >> >> Sandy >> >> On Tue, Aug 26, 2025 at 12:34 PM Dominic Angerame < >> [email protected]> wrote: >> >>> Over the past three years I have created a large volume of work and have >>> been spending a major fortune entering various film festivals around the >>> world, both large and small. Unfortunately the rejection notices amount to >>> more than 200. What I am told constantly is that the volume of work entered >>> had been incredibly large and many films had to be turned down. What I >>> figured out is that the average chance of being shown at a film festival is >>> about 5%. One major festival I know about had thousands of films entered. >>> Yet the amount of films that were shown were less than 1% of the entries. >>> With entry fees averaging about $30-$40 per film it appears that many of >>> the Festivals have just become pyramid schemes whose only purpose is to pay >>> for administrative costs and the return to the filmmakers financially is >>> minimal. >>> >>> I have better chances of winning money on a scratch off lottery ticket >>> than to get accepted into a film festival. The only power filmmakers have >>> is to boycott those festivals that charge such high entry fees. There is no >>> need for them and no pay back for the filmmakers. >>> >>> Now the only festivals I entered offer no entry fees or those less than >>> $15. When asked to enter film festivals charging more than this fee, I send >>> the film festival a rejection letter. It may not have much effect however >>> it feels great to reject a film festival than receiving a rejection from >>> them. >>> >>> Thanks for reading this. >>> >>> Dominic >>> -- >>> Frameworks mailing list >>> [email protected] >>> >>> https://mail.film-gallery.org/mailman/listinfo/frameworks_film-gallery.org >>> >> -- >> Frameworks mailing list >> [email protected] >> https://mail.film-gallery.org/mailman/listinfo/frameworks_film-gallery.org >> >> >> -- >> Frameworks mailing list >> [email protected] >> https://mail.film-gallery.org/mailman/listinfo/frameworks_film-gallery.org >> > -- > Frameworks mailing list > [email protected] > https://mail.film-gallery.org/mailman/listinfo/frameworks_film-gallery.org >
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