{"id":11756,"date":"2017-03-28T12:44:55","date_gmt":"2017-03-28T10:44:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ismaelmartin.com\/the-situation-of-submission-platforms-after-uptofests-closure\/"},"modified":"2017-03-28T12:44:55","modified_gmt":"2017-03-28T10:44:55","slug":"the-situation-of-submission-platforms-after-uptofests-closure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ismaelmartin.com\/en\/the-situation-of-submission-platforms-after-uptofests-closure\/","title":{"rendered":"The situation of submission platforms after Uptofest\u2019s closure"},"content":{"rendered":"

At the beginning of this year, 2017, we learned about the first casualty in the overcrowded<\/em> submission-platform market. As of February 1, Uptofest<\/strong> has ceased operations. <\/p>\n

According to the platform, it has merged with Festhome<\/strong>, where the festivals that previously belonged to Uptofest<\/strong> are now open. This platform has been the first to close after the boom we have experienced in recent years. It was founded at the beginning of 2013, becoming the third to appear on the Spanish market, after Movibeta<\/strong> and Festhome<\/strong>, obtaining the Grants for the modernisation and innovation of cultural and creative industries through digital and technological projects<\/em> from the Ministry of Culture via Cultural Industries in 2014 and 2015, for a total value of \u20ac50,000. <\/p>\n

During the 4 years it was operating, it came to have more than 300 festivals at the same time, including some of the most important Spanish festivals, and in recent years it had begun an international campaign.<\/p>\n

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

The closure of Uptofest<\/strong> consolidates Festhome<\/strong> in the national market alongside Movibeta<\/strong>. The Clickforfestival<\/strong> platform remains, but with less relevant festivals than its competitors, and Film-Salad<\/strong>, the Spanish free alternative, is still in beta. <\/p>\n

It must be acknowledged that Festhome<\/strong> has managed to position itself very well internationally and stand up to Filmfreeway<\/strong>. The rest of the European platforms have not been able to maintain the same growth rate, remaining at the same festival figures for years. The case of Reelport<\/strong> is particularly curious. It was one of the first platforms in Europe, creating the pricing model that the rest of the projects have followed<\/a>, but it has not managed to grow in its own market, remaining stagnant all these years and taking no less than 12 years to update its website. <\/p>\n

To better understand all the platforms that remain active<\/strong>, I have updated the post I published in November 2013, at the height of the platform boom, which has become one of the most visited on the blog: Short film distribution platforms<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The situation of submission platforms<\/strong><\/h2>\n

To analyse the situation of the platforms<\/strong>, I have tried to compile the number of festivals on each of them. While FilmFreeway<\/strong> and Festhome<\/strong> clearly publish the number of festivals on their websites, in the other cases it is more complicated. I have based it on the festivals they have open and therefore these are estimated figures. In the case of Withoutabox<\/strong>, for example, I think it is a very low figure, which only refers to the festivals that are currently open on the platform and that you can see on its website<\/a>: <\/p>\n