The Variety Guide to Film Festivals: An Insider's Guide to Film Festivals Around the World

By Steve Gaydos

A guide to the world's film festivals explains how they work, how to compete in them, and whom to contact, and features profiles of the most important festivals.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0399524428
• ISBN13: 9780399524424
• Release Date: October 1998
• Publisher: Perigee Books
• Length: 199 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A brilliant distillation of expert views on key fests

I don't know when this fest guide came out, but it's a revelation. As an indie film producer and festgoer, I've waded through all of the hype and junk on festivals. They fall into two categories; either they're stodgy and dry or they're filled with crap about where to go dancing and/or be seen. Festivals cost a lot of money and time to attend and thank God the experts at Variety have cut through the nonsense and delivered a book that is timely, informed and concise. This festival guide cuts to the chase. Also, having been around the intl. fest scene, I know the names like Peter Cowie, David Stratton, Gerald Pratley, Derek Elley, et al. These people know their fests and they can't be bought off, which I suspect is the case with some of the nonsense I've read in books that supposedly help you "survive" fests.

The most useful guide there is - today.

Steven Gaydos has consolidated the best of all Film Festival Resources for filmmakers seeking to enter or sell their films. The glossary is more complete and easier than web-surfing yourself. Gaydos, Variety, and contributing writers have been most helpful in their effort to review some of the most important festivals - helpful to filmmakers who dream of their film debuting in the rarefied air of the Rocky Mountains for eg - but instead receive all-too-familiar rejections, boasting of how overwhelmed with over a thousand entrants the festival was. This guide helps narrow which festivals may be more receptive and save you $50 or more - The reviews explain that while a festival may seem idyllic, it may in fact leantoward retrospectives with sprinkles of films thathave already won something in other festivals ...vaild in their own right - but maybe not what you want - in other words save your money. (do the math: $50 x 1,000 entrants). This guide gratefully does a fair job of explaining that. Also to Gaydos credit is the organization - by date; what concept! Looking forward to the CD update point-n-click version where my computer beams me to a web page and downloads the entry form. Thanks for writing this helpful guide. Norman and Megan Gerard.