Last weekend, the Short Film Week and the Distribution Meeting concluded, which took place in a great atmosphere and from which we learned a lot. Now it’s time to get back to work and start preparing the short film distribution strategy, especially at an international level.
When we start planning the calendar, one of our first references is A-list festivals. These festivals are also the most complicated, and we need to evaluate them carefully, depending on the type of short film we have.
This June and July, there are no less than four open calls at the same time, where short films can be submitted:
#1 Locarno
The Locarno International Film Festival closes submissions in one month, on June 2. The short film section has a maximum duration of 40 minutes, only for world and international premieres. This section focuses on young filmmakers who have not yet directed a feature film.
This is the first festival to be held, from August 2 to 12. The submission fee is 50 Swiss francs, which at the current exchange rate would be approximately €46.
#2 Montreal
In the case of the Montreal World Film Festival, the short film competition has a maximum duration of 15 minutes, prioritizing world premieres, although international premieres are also accepted. It also has a non-competitive section that accepts short films up to 35 minutes.
This festival experienced many organizational problems last year, both financial and with staff, and screening venues. We hope these issues have been resolved for this new edition. It should be noted that it has been losing some international impact in recent years.
The submission deadline is shortly after Locarno’s, on June 9, and it takes place from August 24 to September 4. Submissions are made through the Withoutabox platform, with a fee for short and medium-length films of 60 Canadian dollars, which is just over €40 at the current exchange rate.
#3 Venice
The Venice Biennale also has an upcoming submission deadline, on June 16. In this case, it requires a world premiere, so if the short film has already premiered in its country of origin, you cannot participate.
The maximum duration is 20 minutes, and it is held almost at the same time as Montreal, from August 30 to September 9. It has a fee of €60, and submissions can be made through its own platform.
#4 Warsaw
The last A-list festival with a section dedicated to short films. The Warsaw International Film Festival has a first deadline on July 15, with a fee of €5, accepting all genres up to 40 minutes.
It takes place from October 13 to 22, and submissions can be made through Withoutabox and its own platform.
Starting to prepare the short film distribution strategy
This is a good time to try to prepare the short film distribution strategy for these festivals, as all of them have open submissions almost simultaneously, and the events are held, at the latest, in October. This means it is also possible to submit to other festivals, so as not to miss those held especially in the last quarter of the year.
If your short film is still awaiting its national premiere, it is advisable to hold onto it to have more options, but if not, you can maintain parallel distribution in your country of origin, as long as you do not participate in an international section, as this could be detrimental in these festivals.
Please note that all these festivals have an international premiere requirement, except for Venice, which is world premiere only.
The case of San Sebastián
Finally, we must mention the San Sebastián International Film Festival. Although it does not have a short film section, last year some shorts were selected in the Zabaltegi-Tabakalera section, as films of any duration can be submitted. Although it has a fee of €70, Spanish films are exempt from this payment.
To participate in this section, films must be premieres in Spain and must not have been publicly screened in our country. It must also be acknowledged that the impact on the short film distribution strategy in San Sebastián is limited, so we need to carefully assess the advisability of reserving the Spanish premiere for this section.
The festival takes place from September 22 to 30, and the submission deadline is August 1.
Let’s summarize by deadline
- Locarno – June 2 – €46
- Montreal – June 9 – €40
- Venice – June 16 – €60
- Warsaw – July 15 – €5
The budget to pay the submission fees for these four A-list festivals would be approximately €151.
If you are considering these festivals, I wish you the best of luck; it is truly very difficult to get into these competitive sections, but of course, do not stop trying.