Every year thousands of filmmakers raise money, hire a cast and crew, go into production and come out with an awesome film slated for the festivals. This makes sense. Getting your fully finished film screened at film festivals is an awesome way to test audience reaction while building camaraderie with other filmmakers.
When it comes to film festivals, your first challenge is deciding where to go. For example, if your film is accepted to a major festival, you might also get the opportunity to get your work evaluated by film distributors and sales agents. Or if you choose to go to a regional festival, you might get free beer and win an award.
How To Deal With Film Festival Rejection Without Crying
Once you decide on your festivals, the next challenge is forking over the application fees and hopefully getting accepted to the festival. This is where things get iffy. Competition is fierce and a lot of filmmakers end up with at least a few rejection letters.
All of us get rejected from time to time… It even happens to seasoned filmmakers. There is always a market for your movie. When I started out, video on demand was nonexistent. People argued the value of shooting in digital VS film and High definition. And all of that is (thankfully) history.
If you find yourself with a bunch of film festival rejection letters, fear not. These days, it doesn't matter if some unpaid, overworked and underfed festival intern (or acquisition executive) doesn't like your film. These days you have a wonderful thing called Amazon, which allows filmmakers to sell work on demand, straight to the consumer.
They offer some pretty neat services for getting your movie into the global marketplace, including streaming downloads, rentals, some incorporation of TiVo and the option to sell a physical DVD through Amazon. Remember. Never ask permission to be successful! And if you'd like more training, check out Filmmaking Stuff HQ.
