Top 12 Black Film Festivals
Film festival directors create fair and balanced programs for their festivals. Notwithstanding the quality of the films, a festival with all Black films is not necessarily that interesting as a mainstream festival, but opens up the doorway of opportunity for niche market festivals. As a filmmaker, when I set out to identify the top 10 festivals for Black Filmmakers, I was unable to locate any source identifying that list. Through my own experiences living and working in Los Angeles in the Entertainment industry for over 12 years, I was able to create my own list of the top 10 film festivals for Black Filmmakers. Unable to narrow the list down to 10 of equal or greatest importance, my list actually has 12 festivals on it.
1. American Black Film Festival
Becoming a Festival Vendor
If you agree that nothing could be better than being outside, making new friends, and making some money as your own boss then you are ready to become a festival vendor. Becoming a festival vendor can be easy or difficult; it really depends on the festival you want to sell your wares at. Below are some useful tips on how to get your foot in the festival door. There are many different ways to start out as a festival vendor. If you can’t get in the first time around, then check out some of these additional hints to help you figure out a way.
Join Fairs And Festival Events
New York Film and Video Festival – The Only Place Left For Real Independent Filmmakers to Go
If you’ve just overcome the hurdles of making your first independent film, the experience of finding festivals and distribution for your project can be incredibly daunting. The A-List festivals frequented by Hollywood’s Who’s Who are usually the first choices for an independent filmmaker. Unfortunately, they are also the most difficult ones for small independent films to be accepted into because of the high standards and politics that they employ in their selection processes. Most of the films that win awards and screen at the elite festivals are made either by so-called “specialty” divisions of the major studios, i.e. Warner Bros., Disney, 20th Century Fox, etc. or are represented by high power sales agency firms who specialize in getting their projects into said events to facilitate sales on them. Moreover, the major studios themselves are increasingly using film festival premieres to promote their own projects in order to garner positive publicity and platform their theatrical release.
So in the past thirty years, a system that was designed to promote movies produced in opposition to the studios has been almost entirely co-opted by them, leaving the beginners and true independents out in the cold. Every year, 120 films are selected for exhibition at one particular star-studded festival. These films are chosen from more than 8000 dramatic, documentary and short film submissions. However, most indie directors and producers starting out probably aren’t going to have access to a Angelina Jolie or Johnny Depp right off the bat and seeing as how nearly all high-profile festival projects are celebrity-driven, the chances for an intriguing film with a no-name cast becomes even slimmer. Many first time filmmakers are eager to get noticed with their breakout film that was often done on a small budget with savings or mortgaging their house. They find it harder to attract star power and it becomes an impossible task to stand out against the films that have millions invested in them and celebrity attachment.
Festivals of India
India is often referred as the land of the festival. Through out the year various festivals are celebrated all over the country. Different types of people based on the religious, caste and cultural background exist in the country. Though there is so much of diversity, these people live in complete harmonious way. Being a secular country, India offers it’s citizens freedom of practicing any religion and culture unless it creates communal disharmony. Festivals are one occasion which brings best out of Indians. During festivals they forget all enmities and open their arms to every visitors. These festivals are celebrated amidst much fanfare and on most occasion people from different community join each other in their moment of joy.
People in India have lot of respect for each others religion. The active involvement in the celebration of each others festivals bring unity among the general population and has led to the continuity of its secular credential. There are varied reasons for the celebrations of festivals in India. Some of them are celebrated to welcome new season, the rains or the full moon. Others are celebrated on religious occasions, birthday of religious saints, gurus and spiritual leaders. Most of these festivals are commonly celebrated in every part of India though with a different name. The celebrations are in the form of traditional rituals or prayers, seeking blessing, exchanging of friendship, beautifying the house, wearing new clothes, dancing and feasting.