Film Festivals and YOUR Film

Two years ago, HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD was one of the four opening night films at the Sundance Film Festival.

I talked the programmers Hussain Currinmbhoy and John Nein at the reception afterwards about the number of documentary features that had been entered that year. The figure I wrote in my notebook later that evening was "approx. 3,000".

As I write this I am wondering if that number is correct.

Added to this are all the feature docs that were not submitted to Sundance that are made produced over a twelve-month period, that are either entered into other film festivals or not entered in any at all. What would that be?

5,000 per annum?

Now I suspect, but do not know, that a good proportion are TV docs passing themselves off a cinema films. So, let’s be conservative and say that there are 2,500 genuine new documentaries seeking a cinema outing every year.

In the UK cinema arena, even in a good week the market can only take two, at a stretch three. That is just 150 in one calendar year.

Therefore, that means 2,350 don't get seen in UK cinemas (based upon my conservative figures).

Even though I am only really distributing films I am involved in making (ZERO DAYS was an exception) I am offered so many docs every year. So many of these come to me 4-6-8 and sometimes 12 months after they have debuted in some festival. It's too late by then, much too late.

When I was young the perceived wisdom was to finish your film, open it in a festival or market and then the sales agents and distributors would come running. 35 years ago, that did work. Would it now? I doubt it.

With HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD the production company board members, of which I was one, decided that it was imperative that we had a sales agent on board before its world première, which we did. At Sundance, Netflix made an offer. This proved to be the right decision. 

The advice I would give now to feature documentary filmmakers is to try to have either a sales agent on board or a domestic distributor as part of your team before it screens anywhere.

The other advice I offer for what it is worth is to really look at your documentary hard, long and truthfully. Compare it to everything out there and honestly ask yourself “does it really have a chance in Sundance or Berlin or Cannes”.

So many films aim too high. This is not a bad thing; we should all do this in life but the disappointment can be crushing. Enter the film into other festivals as well.

I saw a UK feature doc three years ago that was produced for £10,000. It was good, but also average. The subject matter had been covered before, and far better. The filmmakers entered it into Sundance as this was their dream. They had to wait eight months before the rejection came. They had hyped themselves, and everyone else up that it would get in. They had never attended before so did not know how hugely competitive it is. The film never stood a chance. I and many others tried to tell them but they were so convinced it would be selected.

When it was rejected they were so deflated. They had turned down other film festivals along the way, who had approached them (it was an LBGT film) which they did not think good enough. But these festivals are excellent events. Because the director thought them “minor” festivals he dismissed them. Big mistake.

Yes, it would be nice to go on a date with Ryan Gosling or George Clooney or Emma Stone or Julia Roberts but it isn’t going to happen. Get real.

ZERO DAYS is directed by one of the world’s top documentary directors, an Oscar winner to boot. The film has been shortlisted for the 2017 Oscars for feature documentary yet it came to me for UK cinema distribution. I was the last on the list as every other UK distributor had turned it down. I was an afterthought. Up until then, for eighteen years I had only distributed British & Irish films. I broke my rule because it is that good.

Keep this in mind when you are in post-production of your own feature doc or any film for that matter. It is a very crowded market out there and not only do you have to make your film the best it can be, you need to put as much effort into your sales, festival and distribution strategy as you have done with your production. This costs you nothing. It involves lots of research and talking to lots of others- filmmakers, sales agents, distributors and above all the people who work at film festivals.

Remember you only get one chance to get it right. Changing your plan three months after its debut is far, far too late.  

(Sorry about the spacing. On the template it is fine but when I post it corrupts a bit).