FestForge

How do you get a short film into a BIFA-qualifying festival? Kino London Short Film Festival’s Festival Director, Dustin Curtis Murphy, and Senior Programmer, Gillian Harker, join Brendan Cleaves and Johnny Vivash to discuss what makes a submission stand out, Kino’s budget-based categories, transparency, accreditation, programmer feedback and common festival-submission mistakes. CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction 01:00 Meet Dustin Curtis Murphy and Gillian Harker 02:46 Kino London and the filmmaking journey 07:10 Kino’s budget-based category system 11:31 Does budget disclosure change filmmaking? 18:52 Transparency around film budgets 22:28 Guaranteed feedback for filmmakers 26:52 The challenge of giving useful feedback 31:18 Kino’s pre-selection process 40:17 Transparency and filmmaker trust 48:51 The BIFA-qualifying process 50:06 Film festival accreditation 53:10 The challenges of accreditation 54:15 How accreditation affects programming 57:28 Kino’s talent-focused approach 01:03:26 Industry sessions and workshops 01:16:41 Toxicity in the film industry 01:19:27 Carving your own path 01:26:26 The illusion of authority 01:31:04 Common festival-submission mistakes 01:33:43 Challenging the status quo Listen to the FestForge Podcast: https://festforge.art/podcast-links KINO LONDON SHORT FILM FESTIVAL Website: https://www.kinoshortfilm.com/klsff Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kinolondon/ GUESTS Dustin Curtis Murphy: http://www.instagram.com/dcmfilmmaker Gillian Harker: https://www.instagram.com/gillian.harker/ HOSTS Brendan Cleaves: https://www.instagram.com/brendancleaves/ Johnny Vivash: https://www.instagram.com/johnnyvivash/ FESTFORGE https://www.festforge.art/ https://www.youtube.com/@FestForge Subscribe for candid conversations about short films, festival submissions and the reality of the festival circuit.

The conversation delves into discussion about the festival strategy, the impact of festival selections, the premiere strategy, and the festival experience, highlighting the importance of festival relationships and the value of festival laurels. The conversation covers the filmmaker's experience with festival opportunities, the Oscars, and the impact of winning awards. It also delves into the challenges of networking at festivals, the differences between European and American festivals, and the significance of casting in filmmaking. The conversation delves into the passion for filmmaking, the engagement with material, and the career benefits. It also explores the journey of a film, the festival circuit, financial rewards, and distribution platforms. Additionally, it discusses the craft of filmmaking, life experiences, handling rejection, and festival survival. Takeaways Importance of festival relationships and laurels Festival opportunities open doors for filmmakers Networking at festivals can be challenging European and American festivals have different dynamics Casting is crucial for the success of a film Passion drives actors and filmmakers Engaging with material is crucial for career benefits Chapters 00:00 Navigating Film Funding 03:09 The Festival Strategy 09:32 The Impact of Festival Selections 18:07 The Premiere Strategy 23:44 The Festival Experience 29:58 Festival Opportunities and the Oscars 32:27 Festival Experience and Networking 39:32 European vs. American Festivals 53:14 Casting and Filmmaking Challenges 01:00:41 The Passion for Acting and Filmmaking 01:01:30 Engaging with Material and Career Benefits 01:03:18 The Journey of a Film and Festival Circuit 01:05:27 Financial Rewards and Distribution Platforms 01:11:24 Craft of Filmmaking and Life Experiences 01:21:12 Handling Rejection and Festival Survival Looking for the right festival strategy for your film? FestForge creates bespoke festival strategies and provides professional film hosting, helping you target the right festivals, avoid wasted submission fees and get more from your festival run. Build your custom strategy today at festforge.art . http://www.festforge.art FestForge links https://www.instagram.com/festforge.art/ https://www.instagram.com/brendancleaves/ https://www.instagram.com/johnnyvivash/ Ben's links https://www.instagram.com/ben_s_hyland/ https://www.benshyland.com

The first episode of the Festival Podcast features an interview with Marko Men, the head programmer of the Grossman Fantastic Film Online Festival. The conversation covers the festival's history, unique aspects, film selection process, guest experiences, and survival guide for filmmakers. It also delves into the positioning of the festival in the context of the film festival circuit and its community-building activities. The conversation covers insights from Marco Metzen, the film 'The Ones Who Grieve', the affliction of the Black Veil, the Tesla Tower and electricity, revisited zombie and new wave zombie, period setting and cinematography, the filmmaking journey, handling rejection, festival advice, and the Grossman Fantastic Film and Wine Festival experience. Takeaways Grossman Festival's unique combination of film and wine sets it apart Community and networking play a significant role at Grossman Festival Insights into the filmmaking journey Importance of perseverance and festival experience Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Grossman Festival 00:46 History of Grossman Festival 01:17 Influence of Karl Brosman and Fritz Lang 03:06 Positioning of Grossman Festival 04:02 Unique Aspects of Grossman Festival 05:29 Community and Networking at Grossman Festival 06:53 Guests and Personal Experiences 08:02 Securing Guests for the Festival 09:45 Film Selection Process 11:42 Film Programming and Scheduling 24:16 Film Premieres and Selection Criteria 25:13 Events and Activities at Grossman Festival 27:33 Survival Guide for Filmmakers at Grossman 28:32 Introduction to the Festival 29:26 Insights from Marco Metzen 31:48 Quarks and His Film 32:32 The Ones Who Grieve 33:25 The Black Veil Affliction 34:18 The Tesla Tower and Electricity 35:08 Revisited Zombie and New Wave Zombie 35:28 Period Setting and Cinematography 37:19 Pandemonium and Filmmaking Journey 47:28 Handling Rejection and Festival Advice 53:14 Grossman Fantastic Film and Wine Festival Experience http://www.festforge.art

The Fest Forge Podcast is introduced by Brendan Cleaves and Johnny Vivash, who aim to provide insights and knowledge about the film festival experience. They discuss the purpose of the podcast, insider knowledge of festivals, the festival experience, the filmmaking journey, the Fest Forge platform, and the filmmaker's festival journey. Takeaways Insights into the film festival experience Understanding the importance of the festival journey for filmmakers Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Fest Forward Podcast 00:33 The Purpose of the Podcast 01:18 Insider Knowledge of Festivals 02:26 The Festival Experience 03:38 The Filmmaking Journey 04:43 Fest Forge Platform 06:06 Filmmaker's Festival Journey www.festforge.art https://www.instagram.com/festforge.art

The conversation introduces the Festival Podcast and discusses the experience of film festivals, navigating the festival circuit, the journey of a film, FestForge, and following the journey of a film. It emphasizes the importance of insider knowledge and festival strategy for filmmakers. Takeaways Insider knowledge of film festivals Importance of festival strategy Chapters 00:00 Introduction to the Festival Podcast 02:22 The Experience of Film Festivals 04:31 Navigating the Festival Circuit 06:15 The Journey of a Film 06:50 FestForge: A Platform for Filmmakers 08:13 Following the Journey of a Film