Event | Film Festival Strategies: What They Are and Why You Need One

Event | Film Festival Strategies: What They Are and Why You Need One

On September 20, learn from Kathy Brew, guest curator of The Museum of Modern Art’s “Doc Fortnight” Festival.

Film festivals are more than just opportunities to screen a film. They launch a film into theaters and other platforms, attract interest from distributors, provide important publicity, and constitute the primary way some films will be seen in front of a live audience. Deciding what you hope to get from your festival experience, choosing festivals that will best suit your film and your expectations (bigger is not always better), thinking of ways to attract the interest of programmers at your desired festivals, and making good use of the festivals that you get into are important elements of a festival strategy.

Program Title: Film Festival Strategies: What They Are and Why You Need One
Date and Time: Thursday, September 20, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Location: NYFA, 20 Jay Street, Suite 740, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Cost: $15 for NYFA-affiliated artists (Fiscally Sponsored, NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellows, Immigrant Artist Mentoring Program Artists) and $20 for the general public
Register: RSVP here for Eventbrite tickets

About Kathy Brew
Kathy Brew has been guest curator of the “Doc Fortnight: MoMA’s International Festival of Nonfiction Film and Media” since 2017. She was co-director of the Margaret Mead Film and Video Festival; curatorial consultant to the Reframe Collection, Tribeca Film Institute; programmer at Lincoln Center’s Scanners Festival (formerly the New York Video Festival); and series curatorial consultant, Reel New York, the WNET series for independent filmmakers. She is also a filmmaker whose award-winning documentary and experimental films have been shown in festivals, theaters, and online platforms.

Getting to NYFA
Closest Subway to 20 Jay Street:
* F to York Street station
Next Closest Subway:
* A to High Street/Brooklyn Bridge station

Event Accessibility
New York Foundation for the Arts is committed to making events held at the NYFA office at 20 Jay Street in Brooklyn accessible. If you are mobility-impaired and need help getting to NYFA’s office for events held on premises, we are pleased to offer complimentary car service from the wheelchair accessible Jay Street-MetroTech subway station courtesy of transportation sponsor Legends Limousine. Please email [email protected] or call 212.366.6900 ext. 243 between 9:30 AM – 5:30 PM at least three business days in advance of the event to coordinate. The elevator access point for pickup is at 370 Jay Street, on the NE corner of Jay and Willoughby Streets.

Are you an artist or new organization, and interested in increasing your fundraising opportunities through NYFA Fiscal Sponsorship? No-fee applications are accepted on a quarterly basis and the next deadline to apply is September 30. Click here to learn more about the program and to apply. 

Are you a filmmaker interested in finding, growing, and engaging with your audience? Click here for insights from three early-career filmmakers on audience-building. Sign up for our free bi-weekly newsletter, NYFA News, for the latest updates and news about Sponsored Projects and Emerging Organizations.

Image: The Saxophonist (Fiscally Sponsored through NYFA) rehearsal with Beavin Lawrence, Nadya Encarnacion, and writer/director André Joseph, 2017, Photo Credit: Magnus Productions 

Amy Aronoff
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