I have a short film that is a pretty intense rape scene of a male college student by his female preofessor. There is no nudity but the scene could still make people uncomfortable. 1 in 17 college males are the victims of some sort of unwanted sexual contact, including rape. So I wanted to make a short film about it. but what sort of film festival might this kind of film might most likely be appropiate for?
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Most film festivals (all I know of) are open to all audience levels - including kids. Your film sounds more like it would be "R" rated and thus a little less appealing to a large number of festivals. That doesn't mean that there are no festivals available to you but do the due diligence first before you start spending money.
It's excellent you're doing this. I am aware of the statistic but usually people don't believe it. Submit to all the festivals at once to view using https://www.withoutabox.com and interested parties will contact you. Try that first, then contact me I'll break down the step by step process for you.
Good advice - not. Submit it to all the festivals at once and immediately go broke.
You can read - not. IT'S FREE, FREE, to upload your film - You control who can view your film and if they're interested then you decide which ones and how many depending on your budget obviously. Duh!
Uploading your film is free but few/if any festivals actively search for submissions and those that do still require an entry fee - with no acceptance guarantee. Duh!
Doug, you send the link for free it doesn't cost anything. You don't have to pay a fee to send a link. Only pay if you decide the festivals correct for your film. Got it?
Yeah, I got it - you pay to enter your film, period. The part I don't understand is the part about festivals tolling for films to enter. Festivals generally troll for dollars. Oh by the way - I've been a festival manager/director and film reviewer/judge for several film festivals in several states during the past decade or so.
So you know how it goes which is why I personally follow a different paradigm. Self distribution. The big ones like Sundance are way too political for me. Only reason I ever submit to a festival now is to get viewed and reviewed, I collect reviews for my presskit that's all. I make more money selling all the windows myself.
Doug Nelson yes, I am trying to do my due diligence. That is why I am looking for suggestions about any specific films that might be good for this. I have had it suggested that feminists films will be a good place to start.
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Evie. May I suggest Film Festival Secrets by Christopher Holland. It's a worthwhile investment. He includes a no fee list of festivals and has a lot of useful info. Helps you target the right festival for your film: https://www.amazon.com/Film-Festival-Secrets-Independent-Filmmakers-eboo...
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Eve: I have the same problem with many of my screenplays, they're dark, edgy, controversial, disturbing, but hey I write from a place of pain, personal experiences and is my voice. You have some great advice here. I only know of lbgt festivals from a director friend of mine and they really don't have any issues with censorship. Good luck. Let us know how it goes.
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Eve - I suggest you seek out the festivals that allow for you to shine the brightest, especially ones that champion female voices. It also depends on the artistic merit of the project. I can only assume there is so much more going for your film than one controversial scene, if so, and you've pushed creative boundaries in other ways too, it should stick out to festival screeners looking for interesting work. But again, female centric would defiantly be a pocket to hit. Here's a list of the top women driven film festivals. Hopefully something on this list inspires you. Best of luck too! https://www.raindance.org/top-womens-film-festivals/
It absolutely has a lot to do with the artisticI merit. I was a producer and wrier on this but I didn't direct. I think it is going to be a descent short. I have tried to decide if it is better than the film I directed myself last year. It was in a couple festivals. Now real major ones. My hope is that every movie I do improves a little bit each time. There are things we probably could have done better, as with any film. :) I appreciate the links provided and will definilty keep you updated!