Case Study: Navigating the Film Festival Circuit

Case Study: Navigating the Film Festival Circuit with H. Nelson Tracey

 

Introduction

Film festivals are often the gateway to an indie filmmaker’s success – at least, that’s the dream. But the reality is that submitting to festivals, especially the A-list ones like Sundance, SXSW, Berlin, and Cannes, is a long shot. As H. Nelson Tracey, director of Breakup Season, will tell you, getting into these festivals is akin to winning the lottery. After all, the odds of making it are slim, and the process is more competitive than most realize.

Having participated in over 50 film festivals, including 39 in 2024 with Breakup Season, Nelson knows firsthand that the journey is far from linear. While submitting to Sundance is a worthy goal, the process of planning for your film’s festival run should start much earlier – and it needs to go beyond just targeting the top-tier festivals.

In this guide, Nelson offers a behind-the-scenes look at submitting to the festival circuit, from navigating rejection to finding the right festivals for your film’s launch. He’ll share insights not only about the importance of making a solid plan while you’re still finishing your movie, but also how to build a festival strategy that supports your long-term goals, even if you don’t land the “big one.” With practical advice and real-world examples, you’ll learn how to approach your film festival journey with a realistic mindset, and perhaps more importantly, how to create a plan that goes beyond just “getting into Sundance.”

This is the second of three case studies, which break down the process of developing, producing, and releasing an independent feature in the modern landscape. 

Written by H. Nelson Tracey. Presented by Oregon Film.

Part 1: Submitting to the A-List Festivals

 

There are a handful of film festivals that are truly life changing film festivals if you’re accepted. If you’re reading this, you probably know them by name: Sundance, SXSW, Berlin, Cannes, Toronto, Vence. Maybe one or two others depending on who you ask. Then there’s everyone else. 

 

The probability for getting into Sundance is lower than getting into Harvard University. The raw acceptance rate is less than 1%. That doesn’t even factor in that many of the films at these festivals are curated and so the blind submission rate is even slimmer than 1%. Curated selections get a bad rap, but it’s an inevitable part of the process. It’s a longer conversation, but not one worth focusing on too much here. The bottom line here is, this is one of the most competitive points of entry in the world.

 

But should that stop you from submitting?

 

Here’s a joke about the lottery that’s worth starting with:

 

Every day, a man prays to God, saying, “Please God, let me win the lottery today.” And every day he loses. Every day he prays again, “Please God, let me win the lottery today.” Finally, one day, God replies, “Help me out a little here: if you want to win the lottery, can you at least buy a lottery ticket?”

 

These festivals have established themselves as the highest tier of independent film for a reason: they really do impact the success of a film in a major way. The odds of getting in feel a bit like buying a lottery ticket, but the potential upside is so high, it’d be foolish to outright ignore it. Therefore, it’s encouraged to apply to these festivals with any indie feature, accept the cost of submission fees, and proceed with little expectation – except a bit of hope.

 

Every year there are a few success stories of indie features that break through without any backing or industry representation. It can and does happen. But it’s very important at the outset to accept the odds as quite slim, and have a legitimate contingency plan in the likely event you are not accepted. In the same way that any college counselor would warn against saying “Harvard or Bust,” you the filmmaker need to be prepared for what comes next. The rest of this guide is for thinking about that in a concrete way, and what film festivals can do for your film.

 

Part 2: We didn’t get into Sundance. Now what? 

 

“Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else.” – Furry Logic

 

It can be a sobering wake-up call to get rejected from a major festival, especially after putting so much effort into your film. But the reality is, thousands of indie filmmakers face this each year. Only a handful land the top-tier festivals. So, what comes next?

 

 

Finding Your World Premiere (Elsewhere)

Once you’ve been rejected, it’s time to think about the launch for your film. Your World Premiere is critical – it’s your film’s first impression, and the pressure to get it right is real. Choose carefully, as the right festival can significantly impact your film’s trajectory. Consider what will work best for your film, from location to audience, and set clear priorities. Then review festivals and pick the best fit.

 

World Premiere Examples and Criteria:

 

Breakup Season

My debut feature, Breakup Season, was rejected from 11 top-tier festivals before we got our first acceptance. Initially, we aimed for bigger festivals but ended up with Desertscape Film Festival in Utah. I found Desertscape via Reddit. It looked like a great festival, but I had not considered it as our World Premiere, I had already submitted to it thinking it would be a good 2nd or 3rd festival on our tour stop, in the spring. But all the ones I thought would be good world premieres were now off the table. In the discussions with our core team, we saw the potential and went for it.  Here’s why:

 

Geographic Location

Located in St. George Utah, Desertscape was a place that we knew we could actually bring a crowd. This may be the most important thing to consider for your World Premiere. By the time you land, a lot of people will want to see it. And you want them there for your first. Your cast. Your key crew. Your family and friends.

Breakup Season was shot in Eastern Oregon. Its core team of director, producers, and cast were all based in Los Angeles. And the director’s family lived in Denver Colorado. If you were to draw a triangle between these 3 locations, St. George would be right in the middle! Because it was driving distance from Los Angeles, a direct flight from Denver, and a relatively short travel distance from Oregon, we could bring a lot of people at relatively low cost. Once we told everyone, more people wanted to come too. In total, 49 people traveled from out of town to be at the world premiere! “If you build it, they will come.” 

 

Festival Buy-In

With your world premiere, you benefit immensely the more the festival buys into your film. This is a very important partnership, and in the ideal situation, you find a festival that is actively excited about securing and promoting your World Premiere. If you start to get the feeling that they aren’t seeing this as anything but a normal screening, you may want to consider changing course. Ideally, you can feel the enthusiasm a festival has for your movie – it’s a special thing to be the first audience to show something! 

The other thing about festival buy-in, is what are they doing for you? You are providing them with a headliner film (if it’s a world premiere, it had better be a headliner for that festival). Are they doing social media blasts? Providing some form of travel/lodging support? You can see how invested a festival is in your premiere based on how much they’re going to do for it. This is also a case of one size does not fit all, but the more they can do for you, the more you can do for them. This is a real partnership and it’s worth treating it like that.

 

Placement and Venue

A World Premiere should not be on a weekday at 9am. It should be a prime time slot, which looks different for every festival. Be it a Friday at 7pm or a Sunday at 4pm, talk to the festival as early as you can about when would be the optimal time to screen. And it should be at a venue that matches what you expect in terms of turnout. Sometimes that means the biggest screen of them all. Other times that means packing in a smaller theater. Ideally, the festival will have a gauge on their audience turnout based on past events in the same time slot / venue. Both of you have the same goal: to have a well attended event. Work together to make that happen.

 

There are many festivals which play well over 200 movies. This is awesome for filmmakers to meet tons of people and see tons of movies. But it can sometimes mean that a world premiere title feels a bit like an orphan. If you’re having your film kickstart at a festival with a large quantity of titles, be extra sure that it’s going to be properly staffed and taken care of. It likely will be fine, but is worth actively considering.

 

In terms of a venue, even if you’ve never been to the festival before, there are a few things you can do to see if it passes the smell test. Does the theater have DCP capability? This is not a dealbreaker but immediately indicates a better quality projection will happen (and fewer chances of technical difficulties). If they can’t play DCPs, can they test the projection ahead of time as well as with you once you arrive? There are many great venues without this technology that will be stunning, but it does require extra cross-checking to ensure the least amount of challenges. Technical details aside, what’s the atmosphere of the theater? Is it a nice venue? For your other festivals you can be a little more flexible, but for the world premiere, you probably want a place you feel excited to be screening in. Perhaps it’s a cool historic theater, or a stunning big screen, or it’s in a great neighborhood. It’s worth looking into this and asking the festival about the space so that you can be best prepared for it.

 

Photos and Publicity

Pics or it didn’t happen. In the social media era, this has never been more true. You’re going to reach (hopefully) a couple hundred people attending your world premiere. You’re going to reach an infinite more number who are going to see pictures of the event! And the pictures live in perpetuity – you will need them indefinitely for press and publicity purposes. It is vital that wherever you make your world premiere, there is photography infrastructure of some kind. No, this should not be your parents taking pictures on their iPhone (they’ll do that anyway but don’t make that your plan). Ideally, the festival should have a step and repeat setup as well as a designated event photographer.

 

This was an area where Desertscape punched far above their weight. Despite being a smaller festival their quality of photography (thanks Torsten!) was second to none on the circuit. This was huge for our cast and crew. None of our photos were as important as the ones at our world premiere. I would consider this vital regardless of where you end up.

 

The film festival absolutely should have a designated photographer for your world premiere, no matter the size. If they do not, it’s seriously worth finding a local professional photographer and asking the festival to cover this expense (or at the very least, split it). Do not arrive without a plan in place. This doesn’t matter for your later festivals nearly as much but is as important as anything for this world premiere. 

 

Press Opportunities

It is of equal importance on your part and the festival’s part to generate some publicity and press for your event. Hopefully, the festival already knows this, and has a handful of outlets they’re in contact with about either writing a premiere announcement or covering the event by attending. Make sure you discuss both with them. Ideally, a festival can set aside a few tickets for members of the press (as long as they actually show up!) and if they don’t, you may want to look for some local or regional outlets to cover the event. Local news want stories, they’ll be thrilled you’ve given them one. You don’t necessarily need a publicist, you just need to set aside some time to do some outreach. Only upsides here.

Before you do, you’ll want to make sure you have all the information about your movie clear and easy to access. Ideally: a website, a social media channel, and a designated email contact. 

This is good practice for any festival showing, but vital for your world premiere.

 

Festival Atmosphere

The last thing that’s worth addressing here is hard to quantify but important to address. What is the vibe of the festival? Based on past year’s titles, does your film feel like a tonal fit? If your film is a slasher thriller, you’re going to have a better time with a festival whose audience likes those kinds of movies. If your film is a family drama, launching at a prestige genre festival may actually be to your detriment as it will not be what the crowd receives. This is something to keep in mind as you submit to festivals (more on this in a moment) to help you maximize your submission fee budget. But then also, for your World Premiere, you really want to land somewhere it’s going to feel like a home run.

 

My suggestion for World Premieres is to make a list in calendar year order of where you’d like to premiere. It may end up being that your premiere is at your 6th or 7th choice, and that is okay. This is what we call the “if/then” chart, and it will help you determine where you ultimately land.

 

2 Additional World Premiere Examples

 

In addition to Breakup Season, I’ve recently worked as a Festival Consultant for two additional feature films, each with unique premiere experiences that highlight how every film has a different need for its World Premiere:

 

The Pantone Guy – World Premiere: Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival (January 2025)

For this documentary about Larry Herbert, the 96-year-old inventor of the Pantone Color Matching System, it was of utmost importance for Larry to be present at the premiere. Given his advanced age, we sought a festival near his home in Palm Beach that would celebrate his story. The Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival, which typically focuses on Jewish-themed films, was a perfect fit: Larry’s Jewish identity wasn’t the main focus but certainly plays a role in the entire film. After contacting the festival directly, they embraced the idea of hosting our World Premiere in Larry’s hometown. The venue, the Jewish Community Center, had exceptional projection quality, even without a DCP. Larry’s family, including all four children and many grandchildren, attended, making it a special and intimate event. At the time of writing, this film has since been accepted into ten additional festivals, and this was the ideal launch for this title.

 

American Comic – World Premiere: Dances With Films (June 2025)

American Comic is a microbudget mockumentary with a biting satire about the grim state of stand-up comedians in the US in the current landscape. This is a classic example of a film that needed a great place to launch that fit the film well. After being rejected from bigger festivals, we created an “if/then” list of festivals that suited the film. Dances With Films in Los Angeles was a perfect match. The festival is well-known for championing truly independent and microbudget films like this one, and the L.A. location allowed key production members to attend with ease. And with a strong focus on World Premieres, DWF provided the right atmosphere for American Comic to make its mark. The LA location allowed key production members to attend with ease. It also made it easy for the filmmakers to pack the house since many of their friends/family lived nearby, allowing for the electric atmosphere every filmmaker dreams of for their World Premiere. At the time of writing, this film’s festival journey is only just getting started.

 

Every film is unique, and your World Premiere should reflect that. If you need help choosing the right festival for your film, I’m available for consultations. You may contact me via my website (https://www.hnelsontracey.com/#contact), mentioning this article.

Once your premiere is done, get ready for the festival tour. Like a traveling musician, the more effort you put in, the more you’ll get out of it. Here’s what comes next:

 

Part 3: Running the Festival Gauntlet

The biggest lesson from the festival circuit: success is achieved on your own terms. You made your movie independently, now you have to release it independently. Film festivals are tools to help you do that, but it’s your responsibility to maximize what the circuit can offer.

Once your world premiere is done, remember that every festival will provide something unique. The goal is not to get the same experience at every stop, but by the end of the journey, you should have a mix of valuable experiences.

Here’s my checklist of what to look for when submitting to festivals:

 

Local Audiences

Ultimately, the most important metric of a festival in my eyes is, can they fill a room? A great film festival can provide my film with a venue and audiences that are built-in, instead of just my friends and family. Therefore it’s become my biggest metric for if a festival is worthwhile. A successful film festival can sell out screenings and pack the house for your show.

 

Travel Support 

Pretty Self Explanatory – if a festival supplies travel assistance, it instantly becomes more appealing and plausible to attend. This can actually be better for non-World Premiere festivals as usually the travel support is limited to 1 or 2 people per film. 

 

Lodging Support

In the same ilk, lodging support doesn’t have to be luxurious, but it can save filmmakers a lot on their tour. I’ve also had incredible experiences with festivals that provide a homestay program – staying with locals has proven to be very enjoyable for me and often is nicer than what a hotel could provide.

 

Awards

Let’s be clear: nobody makes movies for the awards. But while awards rarely lead to anything major on their own, they validate your hard work. I appreciate festivals that give out multiple awards, including for acting or technical elements like editing and cinematography. It’s also especially meaningful when your cast is recognized. Take a look at a festival’s previous year awards to get a sense of the films they recognize and the types of awards they hand out. I was always more keen to submit to festivals which gave out acting awards and other specific awards.

 

Cash Prizes

Festivals with cash prizes are a worthwhile bet, especially for features. Prize money over time can help offset your submission fees and helped Breakup Season cover subsequent festival travel costs.

 

Parties

Everyone loves a good party! Not every festival is good for parties, but the ones that can throw a good party always goes a long way in my book. 

 

Non-Film Events

Ironically, some of my favorite memories at festivals have been activities completely unrelated to film but which came about from being at a festival. Riding a steam train at the Durango Film Festival. Horseback riding at the Sedona Film Festival. Axe throwing at the Eastern Oregon Film Festival. Game night at the Waco Film Festival. It’s always a plus if a festival has events that mix it up and give unique flavor and character to that particular fest. I always look for festivals with something a little extra in the mix. 

 

Programming From Submissions

Always review a festival’s past programming before submitting. Many quality festivals don’t accept films from submissions but instead seek out titles from bigger festivals or films with recognizable talent. If a highly regarded festival has few reviews on FilmFreeway, it likely selects few films through open submissions. Save your money for festivals with ample reviews (the Top 100 best-reviewed is a great resource) and whose past programs feature films similar in scope to yours.

 

Quality of Programming and Curation

Some festivals play everything submitted, while others only showcase films that have A-list talent. Review past programming and aim for a festival in the middle, where your film stands among equals but is also surrounded by notable titles. This can help elevate your film’s prestige, and you can gauge this by looking at past submissions.

 

Festivals Beget Festivals

A jaded filmmaker might question if attending a festival is worth it, but in my experience, those who attend one festival often attend many. Programmers are always looking for quality films for their own festivals. By showing up, you’ll be surprised how it leads to more opportunities. Throughout my tour, I’ve met festival programmers who recommended other festivals I later played at, which makes the experience even more worthwhile.

 

Critic Reviews / Rotten Tomatoes

While it may not seem important during the festival process, critical coverage is vital when releasing a film. Audiences rely on reviews to gauge whether a movie is worth their time, and every film needs strong pull quotes for press. Festivals that ensure reviews for features, particularly those that secure a Rotten Tomatoes review, are invaluable. With 10 reviews needed for a Rotten Tomatoes rating, this can be crucial for your film’s online visibility. Finishing the festival tour with certified reviews gives you a head start for press and publicity upon release.

 

Other Press Coverage / Opps

Festivals that provide press opportunities – interviews, profiles, or stories – are valuable. Look for festivals that offer red carpet events, media coverage, or press partnerships that help promote your film long after the festival is over.

 

Social Media Presence

A festival’s engagement on social media is a good indicator of how much effort they’ll put into promoting your film. Festivals that actively share content and repost what filmmakers share often have a stronger community.

 

Big Ideas Festivals

Great festivals evolve and embrace new ideas. A creative environment fosters innovation, and I’m drawn to festivals that offer something fresh for both filmmakers and audiences. I especially value festivals with initiatives like residencies, grants, labs, competitions, and incentives – programs that encourage filmmakers to continue developing their craft beyond the festival itself.

 

Word of Mouth

The best way to determine if a festival is worth it is by asking past attendees. Reach out to friends who’ve attended and ask which festivals they liked or didn’t, and which ones treated their films well. Cold-email filmmakers with similar films who’ve completed their festival tours for detailed, firsthand insights. You’ll get more specific advice from your filmmaking community than from online reviews.

 

TO RECAP

No festival will offer everything on this list, but by the end of your tour, you should have a healthy combination of these components. When deciding where to submit, use this checklist to evaluate each festival and make informed decisions about where to place your submission fees.

WHAT CAME NEXT?

Stay tuned for future case studies on strategies for THEATRICAL DISTRIBUTION. Check out Nelson’s previous case study on INDIE FILMMAKING IN OREGON.

STILL HAVE QUESTIONS?

Nelson is available to help you and your film navigate your own festival journey. You may contact him via his website (https://www.hnelsontracey.com/#contact), mention this article, and he’ll get back to you with additional ways to help on your own festival journey.

Essential Festival Resources:

• FilmFreeway 100 Best Reviewed Festivals
• MovieMaker Magazine’s 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee 2025
• MovieMaker Magazine’s Coolest Film Festivals 2024
• FilmFreeway 20 Great Film Festivals for First Time Moviemakers
• Stephen Follows: How to Prepare for Any Film Festival
• Reddit r/FilmFestivals
• Breakup Season’s Film Festival List