Patrick managed to get his last film Handshake into what seems like a record number of festivals for an independent filmmaker — more than 100. © Patrick Smith/Blend Films 2005.

SK: Is it worth it? I mean all those hours of work completing the submission forms, and then the costs on top? What about investing the energy, time and money in your next film instead?

SB: Hmm… not right away. If you don’t have a genius one film that everybody wants then the festival game is something that you have to think as long term. You accumulate a wealth of people knowing your name and your work and then all of sudden a festival invites you to do a retrospective and they pay your way to some exotic unforgettable country. Yes, I did spend $700 this year at the post office, but I did get to go to Brazil for free and it was amazing!

As to balancing investment in festivals versus funding my next film, in the phase when I submit to festivals I don’t work on a new film. At one point I do stop submitting and start working on a new film, so that keeps everything in balance. I think...

SK: Are there festivals you really had hoped to get into and didn’t make the cut? How do you deal with the intense disappointment when that happens?

Dentist is Baumane’s latest work. Last year she submitted it to about 65 festivals and was accepted into 55. 

PS: It sucks to get rejected by Sundance, but it’s also a bit expected. That can be said for Cannes, Berlin, Toronto, Apen, Telluride… You just have to make the best film you can, and you can’t let yourself get too disappointed. People have distinct tastes, some people will love something that another group will hate.

SB: Another rule of mine that I forgot to mention is never submit to a festival that has rejected you in a past, with the exception of course Sundance, Annecy, etc. — the mega festivals. If a festival has rejected you once it means they don’t like your style or whatever and most likely they are going to reject your future films. Why waste your time, money and, most importantly, hope?

As to your question about dealing with the intense disappointment of rejection, hmm… I always wanted to get into Annecy, but learned to accept not being accepted. My films did get shown there — in special programs like “Erotic Animation” and Avoid Eye Contact, but that’s all. Am I going to kill myself over that? No.

You get used to rejection, its part of your occupation. If your skin is too soft, you can’t be in the business.

I’ve been on the other side too. When I programmed for a festival, I got a hate email from one of rejected filmmakers. He wrote, “Don’t you know how much work and money I have invested in the film! How dare you reject my film — it was accepted there and there — so it must be good!” His film indeed wasn’t all that bad. It’s just that I had a specific desire for the program and a certain criteria. His film just wasn’t fitting the program.

A filmmaker learns to get used to rejection: its part of the occupation.

But I knew what he felt and now I know what programmers feel when they get hate emails from rejected filmmakers.

It isn’t easy for either of us. All we can do is to do the best we can and move on.

A lot of what will determine which festivals reply with a positive invitation is the type of film that you submit. American festivals seem to seek and screen very narrative films, ones that have a clear story in the Aristolian sense — a beginning, middle and end. More experimental or artistic films such as non-figurative films or films that focus more on technique seem to do better in European international animation, documentary and short films festivals which look at artistic and innovative criteria.

In Part 2 of this article I’ll address more practical issues. The chore of submitting can be daunting, so I’ll present valuable rules for submitting to festivals, recommendations to make the process more efficient and provide a number of important resources. There will be lists of our favorite festivals including specialty festivals, digital online submission engines, and much more. Catch you then.

Sharon Katz is an independent animator who lives and works in Ottawa. Her recently released animated short film, Slide, is now traveling more than she is.