HOW I'M PREPARING TO PITCH MY FILM AT A FILM FESTIVAL
My process for preparing, and what you should look for in festivals if you plan on doing this in the future
Next week, I’m attending a film festival not because I have a film in it, but to pitch a few projects I’m working on.
To be honest, it’s pretty nerve-wracking. While I’ve attended festivals before and met with broadcasters/platforms, that was for a finished film, not something that is still in the early stages.
So why am I going, what am I doing to prepare, and what am I hoping to learn and/or get out of the experience? Let’s Jump into it!
Why I'm Going
There’s something about meeting people in person that can’t be replicated through an email or Zoom call. Even after we’ve all become accustomed to it after the pandemic, meeting in person, in my mind, hasn’t been replaced.
The festival I’m attending (RIDM in Montreal) has a program for filmmakers to have speed-dating-style meetings with funders, broadcasters, distributors, streamers, co-production partners, and festivals. I chose this festival specifically because of this program. It’s much easier to schedule the meetings through the festival platform than to receive a list of delegates and email them all individually. Plus, this gives you a chance to physically get in front of people who might be too busy to reach by email under normal circumstances.
Another reason I’m going is to network with other filmmakers. I love chatting with others about their projects and growing my industry connections this way.
There are also several workshops taking place at the festival, so I hope to have many learning experiences while I’m there.
Lastly, what’s the point of attending a festival if I don’t go see any films? Festivals are a great place to see films you otherwise would have difficulty finding in the future, as many films don’t find distribution. At RIDM this year, I’m particularly interested in watching Union and No Other Land (and of course, I’ll let you know what I think of the films if you’re signed up to my newsletter!) I’ll try to catch another two or so films at the festival, which I’ve yet to determine.
How I'm Preparing
The first step is researching the funders and what they’re looking for.
There’s little point in meeting with a distributor that’s only looking for finished films when mine are in development or production.
I did, however, put out a few requests to broadcasters that i don’t have projects for (but have loose ideas), just as a meet and greet. I told them it was a lower-priority meeting, but if they have some time, it would be great to meet briefly. These broadcasters are potential partners for future projects I’m interested in doing, and I work in a location where they have a strong presence, so I would love to connect with them. We’ll see if they have time for a meeting
The meetings are short and sweet, so I’ve prepared an abbreviated version of my pitch deck for them. It has the title page, logline, short synopsis, artistic vision, artist statement, key creative bios, project stage, and production plan.
I’ve also put together a teaser for the films to share. I’ve kept them short (1:00-1:15 minutes) as there’s not a lot of time.
I won’t give them a copy of the pitch deck, as it will likely not make it far. I will print out some postcards with a link to my deck and the teaser on my website so they can access it in the future if they’d like (and I hope they do!)
From what I’ve heard, I’ll typically have 7-10 minutes to talk about my project, and then there’ll be 5-8 minutes for the person across from me to ask questions and provide their opinion. So, I have to have my verbal pitch well prepared before the event. I plan on spending at least a day rehearsing my pitch. I might annoy my neighbours on my flight to Montreal with my practicing! OK, just kidding I’ll prepare before that.
What I'm Expecting
I know it’s extremely unlikely, if not impossible, to get a yes on the spot. Most funders go through a process to determine what projects they’ll take on, especially ones still in the early stages.
I do hope to provide a good and clear introduction to my films and have the answers to any questions that the broadcasters or funders may have.
Most importantly, I’m treating this as a learning experience so I can grow my confidence in pitching.
Should you consider this route?
The answer to this question is not so straightforward. If you want to break into “the industry,” then absolutely attending festivals to meet partners is a great place to be. Beyond finding broadcasters or streamers for your project, festivals are also a good place to meet producers who may be interested in taking on your project or partnering with you. They’re also a great place to meet DPs, editors, and others who are interested in collaborating.
If you’re only doing corporate/commercial projects, branded content-style films or doing your own thing apart from “the industry,” then festivals may not be as useful for you.
Which festivals should you attend?
There are typically four types of festivals: ones that cater to audiences, ones that cater to filmmakers, ones that have a dual purpose of audience and filmmakers, and ones that exist just to steal your money (I’m being a bit facetious, but the majority of festivals out there will do very little to help your career or your film).
I’d recommend attending festivals that cater to filmmakers in some way. You find which festivals do by looking at their websites and seeing if they have an industry component. Then, look at their past year’s programming and see if they bring in the types of partners you want to work with for meetings. Not every festival that has an industry component provides these opportunities, some just hold workshops (and parties!)
Start with festivals in your local area, then branch out from there.
Some of the more prominent festivals that have established industry programs and opportunities to meet with decision-makers Include IDFA, DOC NYC, Hot Docs (although their program for 2025 is up in the air) CPH:DOX and Big Sky Documentary Film Festival.
Of course, you should also consider the big 5 festivals (TIFF, Cannes, Sundance, Berlinale and Venice), They can be good, but very expensive, places to go. Berlinale and Cannes in particular, have markets (EFM and Marché du Film) that host very organized events attended by nearly every decision-maker in the industry, both fiction and nonfiction. American Film Market, Reelscreen Summit, MIPCOM and Banff World Media Festival provide similar opportunities.
How can you afford to attend these events?
Look for grants that provide the opportunity to attend markets, or build it into your project budget if you’ve already received some financing for the film. I’m applying to the Canada Council of the Arts for this event, but you can also look to national, state, provincial, or city-wide film commissions or arts funders and see if they provide grants to attend markets for meetings or workshops.
I hope this article gives you a bit of insight into my process for preparing for my first in-person pitch sessions. In the next article, I’ll let you know how it goes and what I learned!