Next week, the Festival International de Cinéma de Marseilla begins, taking place from July 11 to 17. It is one of the most prestigious festivals in the world, with one of the most carefully curated programs in the festival circuit.
Marseille is part of a small group of festivals where durations are not as important, accepting all types of films in its competitive section, from feature films and short films to mid-length films. This is a division that is difficult to standardize, as it has different meanings depending on the laws of each country and the regulations of the festivals themselves.
There are other festivals, such as Filmadrid and Lima Independiente, which also accept all types of films, treating them equally in their official sections. Although this year’s competition in Marseille consists only of feature films and mid-length films, short films have also been selected in other editions. In 2016, 3 short films and one 35-minute mid-length film (which could be considered a short film) participated, and in 2015, a 31-minute short also competed.
This festival has become a particularly important event for the distribution strategy of mid-length films, as it also has a world and international premiere requirement (and European, although this year there is only one film in the official section).
These are the four mid-length films premiering this year in Marseille, in its official competition:
- Braguino, Clément Cogitore, France, 49 min.
- Cartucho, Andrés Cháves Sánchez, Colombia, 55 min.
- Never-ending conversation. Mamleyev, Valentina Antonova & Dmitry Mamuliy, Russia, 52 min.
- Playing Men, Matjaz Ivanisin, Slovenia and Croatia, 60 min (could be considered a mid-length film).
In the first film competition, most of the selected mid-length films also have a duration of 60 minutes:
- 1048 lunes, Charlotte Serrand, France, 60 min.
- Warless Day, Hamed Mohammadi, Germany, 60 min.
- Cartucho, Andrés Cháves Sánchez, Colombia, 55 min. (competing in two sections)
Mid-length films have a complicated distribution, yet there are more festivals than might initially seem. It should be noted that there are very few specialized festivals. The French festival of Brive and the Spanish La cabina, in Valencia, are the only two festivals that only accept mid-length films (films from 30 to 60 minutes).
To prepare a mid-length film distribution strategy, the regulations of all festivals must be thoroughly reviewed. Some festivals dedicated to feature films may accept them, such as the Seville Festival, which accepts films from 50 minutes for the Resistencias section. There are other short film festivals that accept films up to 40 and 45 minutes, and with sections where they can extend the duration, such as Clermont-Ferrand, which accepts French shorts up to 59 minutes and international shorts up to 40 min.
As we can see, opportunities for mid-length films are found in various types of festivals:
- Specialized festivals, Brive and La cabina.
- Those festivals that have no duration limit, such as FID Marseille, Filmadrid or Lima Independiente.
- Those with specific sections like Rotterdam and Amsterdam for documentaries.
- Broadly defined short film festivals that accept films up to 60 minutes. Such as Alcine in Spain, which already has its call open until September 1, NexT in Romania, which took place last June, and Vila do Conde in Portugal, which will take place in mid-July, and which this year has a mid-length film in its official section, À Discrétion, by Cedric Venail, France, with a duration of 50 min.
- Sections in feature and short film festivals with broader durations, such as Seville, Clermont-Ferrand, Locarno (also for shorts up to 40 minutes), and many others.
The festival regulations must be thoroughly reviewed before starting to distribute a mid-length film. We must be very aware that sometimes it will be a short film, other times a feature film, and on very few occasions a mid-length film in itself.
Do you have experience in mid-length film distribution? I would love to hear your comments.