Remember I said, plan out your goals for your film ahead of time? I really can't stress this point enough as there are so many levels to getting your film out into the world. Having a plan you can point to and check off to get it out there will help immensely.
First off, do you you really need to show the film at festivals?
I don't know and have been thinking about this a lot these days. If your film doesn't get into the first tier festivals (the ones where deals are made ie: Sundance, Toronto, Tribeca, etc. and for docs, Hot Docs, IDFA, FullFrame, SilverDocs, and now TrueFalse and Big Sky), then is it worth it for you and the film to have your film show at the many, many other festivals around the world. Probably, as it's always worth it to get the film seen by folks (that's always my primary goal for my work). But is it worth it for you to fly yourself out to those festivals as well? Probably not.
Festivals are expensive. They usually charge an entrance fee which can be as little as $20-25 or as much as $100. It's important to figure out a budget for festivals and do you have money to send yourself, plane tickets, lodging, food etc.
I know festivals seem glamorous and you'd of course would want to go so you can watch the film with an audience, get accolades, meet and network with other filmmakers, and perhaps meet prospective funders. In my experience, however, the only thing going to a festival gets you is the opportunity to watch your film with an audience, the opportunity to watch a lot of films you wouldn't normally get to see, and more debt. For me, all of these opportunities have a negative taint. Watching my films with an audience is akin to me having a MRI or something to that effect (perhaps I might be calmer during a medical procedure actually). I get super sensitive to the sound and picture, are they working correctly, does it sound/look terrible, who is talking in the theater, who gets up and leaves, and how many people do, every little tiny imperfection shows itself to me and I tend to cringe and/or have an anxiety attack. Personally, I think the best cause of action for me is to leave the theater and then come back when the screening is finished. As for watching movies, I like watching films one at a time and then taking a day or two to process what I've seen. It's challenging for me to watch lots of movies back to back; I can't focus on what I've seen and end up just feeling exhausted. And of course, I've already discussed how I feel about constant pitching of myself, so festivals, or at least the ones my current film has gotten into, haven't really been my cup of tea.
That said, there is a special kind of festival that has a definite focus on the filmmakers attending and make a concerted effort to provide networking, dining, and educational opportunities for the filmmakers. They actually provide incentives for filmmakers to attend. Not all festivals do this. In fact, I think it's a rare festival that provides networking, educational, and pitching opportunities for filmmakers. The first festival my current film was in was this type of "filmmaker" festival and I really got a lot out of it and enjoyed it, met and networked with other interesting colleagues (we had common interests as opposed to the usual "what can we get from each other" vibe) and got some great advice and pep talks from the festival's key note celebrity director, with whom all the attending filmmakers got to have a small, intimate breakfast. This festival also helped market and advertise my film to the press which was huge (at all other festivals, I was responsible for doing all of my own marketing and PR; a heck of a lot of work, let me tell me you). Providing all of these incentives make the filmmakers attending the festival feel special which is really nice and rare for a filmmaker who has put their heart and soul (and most of their own money and time) into their projects. It definitely means a lot.
Most festivals and festival organizers have a lot on their plates (just like the indie filmmakers themselves). As such, they are strapped for cash and time especially when their focus is really about building an audience and "getting butts in seats". At these festivals, the ones that are really for the audiences, there really isn't much for the filmmaker to do. The festival programmers are happy if you do decide to attend because a filmmaker in attendance in the program always gets more people into the theater but usually that's it. You can always ask the festival for a stipend or to pay your travel and lodging costs while you are there but they usually won't do it because like I said before, the festivals are as cash strapped as we are as filmmakers. My point here is that there really isn't that much reason to travel out of state to attend any of these festivals unless you are driving and have a place to stay that you don't have to pay for, and are very self motivated and an amazing shmoozer (or you just really want to see the city the festival is in; I have done this but then again, I am a travel junkie.) There just isn't enough value add for the filmmaker; festivals usually provide you, as a filmmaker with nothing except passes to the festival itself (which is enough for some) and you are responsible for paying for all of your food, lodging, travel, PR for the film, etc. and usually don't even get to do a Q and A about the film or if you do, a very short one.
Now I think the only reason I will attend festivals (again, provided that they aren't first tier which I will go to in a heartbeat) is the interchange with the audience. I do really enjoy talking with the audiences and doing question and answer sessions (provided that they are time monitored; a Q and A that goes on too long is not a good thing for anyone. Awkward.) The Q and A and the interaction with audiences is truly all I care about when I screen my work. It's extremely gratifying to hear what other people think about your work and have meaningful discussions about it. This, in my opinion, is why I make docs, to shed light on people's lives and in doing so, validate and give meaning to many's experiences.
I think this audience interchange can exist on it's own, not in the context of a festival. A filmmaker can create this on their own via social media. They can target their film's niche and show the film online or in a public setting and then do a virtual Q and Q, a Skype one, or one in person. Yet again, however, this requires a great deal of work for the filmmaker. A filmmaker must build it's audience and then organize the screenings (I've done a couple DIY screenings at houses which were inspiring and energizing creatively and intellectually but only broke even financially) and then create the digital platform to do the question and answer. Sounds simple enough but truly requires about a month or more of work per screening. The question is, as a filmmaker, how do you want to spend your time?
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