So far, I have talked a lot about the expenses derived from festival distribution: fees, shipping copies, subtitles, DCP, platform costs, travel, etc.
But there is also income you can obtain during this process.
Yes, indeed, there are also sources of income during distribution, and they are different from the sales you generate once you have finished the circuit.
It should be noted that this income is closely related to the success of the short, although it is not actually necessary for it to be a huge hit and selected for hundreds of festivals.
#1 Festival awards
This is the first income you can achieve, and if it performs well, it could be the highest you get throughout its entire run.
The award amounts can vary greatly, from €7,000 to €100 or €150; these differences do not usually correspond to the festival category, as festivals that are smaller in principle can have higher amounts than the most important ones.
Furthermore, the amounts have dropped significantly in recent years; I remember when I started in distribution, there were some with a first prize of €10,000, and €6,000 was very common. Now, the most common first prize is €1,000 or €2,000.
#2 Selection fees
Although it happens in few festivals, you can get your first income just by being selected for a festival.
Some festivals have implemented a payment just for being selected in competition, which means starting to earn income without needing to win an award. In Spain, the most representative festival of this trend has been Aguilar de Campoo.
Selection fees are more common in countries like Canada and France, and are closely related to screening fees.
#3 Screening fees
Very similar to the previous one, it usually occurs when a short film is not selected for competition and therefore is not eligible for an award.
In these cases, a payment is offered for the screening, which can vary depending on the number of showings. Screenings can also arise outside the festival sphere, related to the theme or the success it is having.
These screenings can take place in different settings, such as cultural centers, museums, cultural institutions, etc., and often the payment includes the director’s attendance to present the short film.
Some producers set a prior fee for these cases, which they offer to festivals or institutions that program shorts without awards or initially planned payments.
A standard fee ranges between €50 or €60, but some more successful shorts can reach a screening fee of €90 or €100. It should be noted that the average price for a feature film for this same concept is around €300.
#4 Sales to TV stations and platforms
Although this section would initially be in a phase after festivals, as I mentioned in this post about short film sales, in this case we are talking about sales that arise during the distribution dynamics themselves at festivals.
Sometimes they are linked to awards that involve the sale of rights, but other times interest may arise from TV stations or platforms based on success and participation in certain festivals.
A very clear example is Clermont-Ferrand, where selection can lead to interest from TV stations, both Spanish and French, and result in a sale.
It can also happen in smaller festivals with local or regional TV stations, although it is more complicated and I see it less and less.
Let’s do a quick calculation
Let’s look at the case of a short film in distribution with a normal selection performance; it’s not doing badly, but it’s not selected for more than fifty or a hundred festivals either.
In principle, it could win a couple of awards of a low amount—let’s say two prizes of €150, which isn’t much—totaling €300.
Since it has a good track record, three festivals have requested it for screenings, and it has also been selected for a festival with a €100 selection fee. It would therefore be €50 x 3 plus €100, totaling €250 for this concept.
Therefore, without generating any sales, we would have about €550, which you can multiply or subtract depending on the success it achieves.
Although the goal of moving your short is not to make a profit or recoup production costs, it is not bad to generate some income to help you at least cover the expenses you incur during distribution.