{"id":11527,"date":"2016-06-13T09:05:12","date_gmt":"2016-06-13T07:05:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ismaelmartin.com\/film-festival-submission-fees\/"},"modified":"2016-06-13T09:05:12","modified_gmt":"2016-06-13T07:05:12","slug":"film-festival-submission-fees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ismaelmartin.com\/en\/film-festival-submission-fees\/","title":{"rendered":"Film Festival Submission Fees"},"content":{"rendered":"

In recent years, submission fees<\/strong> at European festivals have been increasing and have become one of the most significant changes in festival distribution. This is a trend coming from the United States that is timidly being adopted, but in a very heterogeneous manner, depending on the countries and categories of these festivals. <\/p>\n

In the United States, fees are one of the most important sources of funding for film festivals, since in many cases they are non-profit organizations. Charging fees allows them to generate income directly and based on the number of submissions. Prices vary according to the proximity of the submission deadline<\/em>, with several price points: Early deadline<\/strong>, Regular deadline<\/strong>, Late deadline<\/strong>, and in some cases the Extended deadline<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

These prices can increase up to 50% between Early<\/strong> and Late<\/strong>, so it is important to pay close attention to dates and establish a proper festival strategy. We can also find cases of free deadlines or single pricing. <\/p>\n

These payments make distribution in the United States very expensive, since in addition to the usual shipping costs, these fees must be added (although shipping costs are now almost non-existent, or limited to payment for some submission platforms). In some cases, festivals can invite directly and make an exception to the payment, known as a “waiver,” or they can offer discounts. <\/p>\n

The case of the Sundance Festival<\/strong><\/a> can serve as an example; this would be its pricing structure:<\/p>\n

\"Sundance<\/a><\/p>\n

We see how the submission price for a short film doubles to $80 in the Late<\/strong> deadline, being more expensive than submitting a feature film in the Early<\/strong> deadline at $65. Additionally, it should be noted that Sundance<\/strong> usually announces the selection at the end of November, so the chances of selection are reduced. <\/p>\n

A European case, paradigmatic of the recent evolution of fees, is Curtas Vila do Conde<\/strong><\/a>, which has always been free until a few years ago. The structure it applies is very similar to the American one, but with changes in pricing. The “Early deadline”<\/strong> in January is \u20ac7, compared to \u20ac12 in March, at the submission closing. <\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
\nThe payment of fees<\/strong> makes the submission process more expensive, and there are many festivals that are not in favor of applying them. But… Why do they exist?<\/strong> What are the reasons that lead festivals to charge fees?<\/strong> These could be some of the reasons:
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n