Film Festivals

Before gay started to move into the mainstream, there were the film festivals. In fact, festival audiences are sometimes the only audience to ever see a gay film. This is not a sign that the movie is bad, or that there is homophobia (although both could be true). It's a sign of whether a distributor feels that they will make money. At bottom, the industry is about money. Hence, why Brokeback Mountain took years finding the crucial stars and director who would convince the money to greenlight the film. Hence, why the The Mayor of Castro Steet, a biopic about Harvey Milk, hasn't been made yet despite the documentary on the same subject winning an Oscar. A festival maybe the first place we discover new gay or gay-related films like Fat Girls, Trembling Before G-d, Tarnation, Small Town Gay Bar, Quinceanera or Beautiful Thing. Or, we discover new filmmakers such as Jonathan Caouette. With the advent of digital filmmaking, there is quite a lot of gay filmmaking out there. With them has come a proliferation of festivals as well. In fact, because there are so many festivals, there are even sites dedicated to help one navigate the daunting process of figuring out which festival is right for your film such as Withoutabox. The challenge for filmmakers is perseverance, and this is doubly true for minority, women and gay filmmakers. Even if your film is brilliant it may get lost in the mix or the programmer (more likely a young staffer or worse an intern) may just not like gay films (the "ew, guys are doing it, and when do I get to be famous" factor). For the gay filmmaker, in this maze of tastes, timing and money, a festival can be the necessary boost to keep you going even if you aren't exactly making the bucks to support yourself and more than likely you are going broke or are broke. It's the persistence of vision part of the deal that filmmakers signing up must accept. Getting an invite to a festival can mean that your own version of Sally Field winning an Oscar- the audience likes my film, they really like it. Emotional boosters are key. They aren't everything. One guy who I talked to last year had gotten into Sundance or Slamdance (can't remember which) and he pointed out that it was great, but the same people who were nice to him now that he had gotten into a major festival were not returning his calls a week before they found out about his getting into the festival. The real boost for him was to know that he had gotten into a festival at all, and that as he said, "I don't feel like a fraud." It's important to reemphasize that all kinds of wonderful movies get rejected even at festivals. Gay is not the only reason. For example, City of God, so the story goes, was not accepted into Sundance. If even the grandmaster of all American festivals can get it wrong about a film, then certainly, tastes are truly subjective. This seems to be a week of list for me, so I decided to look at some of the festivals, gay or general, that are places you can go to jump start your career, if you goal is to be behind or in front of the camera, rather than in the audience. This list should be looked upon with a grain of salt. Expecting to know which festival will have the right contact that will prove vital to your career is like expecting to know how to be in the right place at the right time. You can work it, but it's ultimately in the hands of a higher authority than you. This list is not exhaustive. If you really want to see a some what exhaustive list of gay festivals check out PlanetOut's list. Also, you should not assume that you would not get into a festival just because it doesn't just cater to a gay audience. Like everything in the film industry, your network is the most important thing. If you know Bubba at Cannes is looking for that great gay-themed short, then talk to him. Many of the festivals or events or organizations, I choose below because they have some track record of being gay inclusive or are gay centric festival power centers. Without further discussion, they are: Get Real screened London lesbian and gay fest San Francisco International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival Outfest Sundance Slamdance Berlin Newfest, New York Gay and Lesbian Film Festival Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival Independent Feature Project Market Toronto Film Independent's Fest and various programs Powerup (not a festival but good for money for lesbian films. If only there was an equivalent for gay men- but I digress and pin over my own financial circumstances) There are many, many more, and figuring out which is right for you is a matter of guesswork and luck. A festival may not be on this list, such as Austin (both the general and gay festivals), Cannes, Aspen, Palm Springs, Hamptons or Woodstock, which if you get into these festivals, they can also bring excellent opportunities to network and build relationships for your next project. I was once told that in the film business, "they say you are only as good as your next project."