List of companies that will help get your film into festivals
Film festivals can be the gateway to success for independent filmmakers, but navigating the complex world of festival submissions requires strategy, expertise, and often professional guidance. Whether you're a first-time filmmaker or a seasoned creator looking to maximize your film's festival potential, numerous companies specialize in helping films reach the right festivals and audiences.
My take on this: If you've made a strong film but don't know how to navigate submissions, these companies can be a huge advantage. Even if you have a basic idea of how things work, having someone guide the process and give you confidence in your campaign is worth a lot. Once you've learned the ropes in independent film, you can often run a decent campaign yourself. But if you don't know what you're doing, it can go wrong quickly.
Film Festival Management & Strategy Companies
The Film Festival Doctor
The Film Festival Doctor stands out as one of the most established festival management services, led by industry veteran Rebekah Loudon. The company offers comprehensive festival management services including strategy development, direct submissions, lobbying to festival programmer contacts, and organizing deliverables. With a track record of helping clients win over 2,500 awards and achieve three Oscar success stories, they provide silver, gold, and platinum packages for feature films, short films, documentaries, music videos, VR content, and more.
The Festival Agency
The Festival Agency has been a reference point in festival and alternative distribution worldwide since 2009. Founded by Leslie Vuchot, they provide filmmakers and sales agents with full consultancy services on international and festival strategies. The agency serves as a one-stop shop for film programmers, offering access to over 1,500 prestigious films while helping filmmakers build the right festival strategy and maximize exposure.
Festival Formula
Festival Formula blends strong industry knowledge with a creator's sensibility to help filmmakers navigate the film festival landscape. They provide honest, experienced strategies for festival journeys, offering detailed bespoke strategies created by industry experts to help films find appropriate homes. The company also provides jury support, talks, masterclasses, and expert help for festivals and film schools.
The Festival Key
The Festival Key was created by Sandra Lipski, filmmaker and founder of the Mallorca International Film Festival. The consultancy offers film festival strategies for filmmakers and consulting services for film festivals themselves. Their expertise comes from running MIFF, which has been recognized as one of the "100 Best Reviewed Film Festivals" on FilmFreeway and "Top 50 Film Festivals Worth The Entry Fee" by MovieMaker Magazine for seven consecutive years.
Public Relations & Marketing Companies
PR companies bring more than just knowledge. They have relationships with festivals, which can tip the balance if a film is on the fence. Beyond that, there's the workload: submissions, deliverables, and constant communication. A PR company can effectively become a member of your team, freeing you to focus on promotion and creative strategy.
ARPR (Award-Winning PR & Marketing)
ARPR is an award-winning boutique PR and marketing agency that has been nominated and won awards at the Screen Awards for six consecutive years. They specialize in festival publicity, theatrical campaigns, TV launches, Oscar and BAFTA campaigns, and have represented critically acclaimed films at major festivals including Cannes, with experience handling films in competition and various sections.
Premier Public Relations
Premier is the UK's leading full-service strategic communications consultancy for entertainment, arts, and culture. They have extensive experience with film festival publicity, including handling global premieres at prestigious festivals like the Locarno Film Festival and supporting various film and TV festivals with PR, production, and curation services.
Emma Griffiths PR
Emma Griffiths PR is headed by Emma Griffiths, a publicity expert with over 20 years of experience in theatrical, unit, festival, VOD, DVD, TV, and special event publicity. The company has managed hundreds of film campaigns during unit, theatrical, festival, and award season stages, working with major distributors and handling festival publicity for films at leading international festivals.
MEDIAPLAN PR
MEDIAPLAN PR is a full-service boutique public relations firm specializing in international film and festival publicity. They focus on domestic release distribution publicity, festival publicity for international films, and promoting European films in America.
London Flair PR – Specialist PR for Short Films
London Flair PR is an international entertainment publicity agency with offices in both London and Los Angeles, specializing in film festival publicity, particularly for short films and awards season campaigns. The agency is run by Catherine Lyn Scott, an acclaimed publicist with a 17+ year track record leading Oscar and BAFTA campaigns for both features and shorts. London Flair PR has supported five Oscar-winning shorts in the last seven years and has a strong reputation for working closely with filmmakers, producers, and actors to devise festival and publicity strategies that maximize industry and press visibility.
I saw this firsthand during An Irish Goodbye when we worked with London Flair PR. They explained the Oscar campaign process in the US, which was completely new territory for us, and connected us with local PR and reporters we wouldn't have reached on our own. That kind of guidance and access makes a real difference, especially when you're entering unfamiliar territory.
Film Festival Submission Platforms
FilmFreeway
FilmFreeway has become the dominant platform for festival submissions, used by approximately 97% of North American festivals and many international ones. Founded in 2014, FilmFreeway allows filmmakers to submit entries for free, with event organizers paying only a 4-6% commission on entry fees. The platform offers a user-friendly interface with comprehensive project folders allowing HD presentation with posters, director bios, trailers, and more.
Festhome
Festhome sets itself apart by offering both festival submission services and monetization opportunities through their VOD channel, IndieHome TV. The platform provides multilingual support, security and streaming DRM, excellent customer support, and allows filmmakers to submit protected film links while maintaining distribution rights.
Specialized Consultation Services
RWI Films
RWI Films partners offer bespoke consultancy services for creating successful film festival strategies for short films, feature films, and documentaries. They provide full festival management including strategy creation, submissions, lobbying to contacts, and organizing deliverables, with experience helping filmmakers win awards including Oscars and BAFTAs.
Liz Harkman Consultancy
Liz Harkman provides strategic mentoring to all types of festivals, specializing in film festivals. She offers one-off focused sessions on any element of festival development or longer-term strategic work with goals and objectives. Her services include organizational setup, board development, staff structure, strategic development, and fundraising, with experience as a funding assessor for Creative Europe.
British Council Film Festival Consultancy
The British Council offers free 1:1 film festival surgeries designed to help plan festival strategies for feature films. These consultations are primarily aimed at new and emerging filmmakers and provide professional guidance for navigating the festival circuit.
Common Questions and Answers
Q: How much should I budget for film festival submissions?
A: Festival submission costs vary widely, from free submissions to $100+ for major festivals like Sundance. Most filmmakers budget $2,000-$5,000 for a comprehensive festival strategy, including submission fees, materials preparation, and potential travel costs.
Q: When should I start my festival strategy?
A: Begin planning your festival strategy during pre-production. This allows you to allocate budget appropriately, ensure your film meets technical specifications, and prepare marketing materials during production.
Q: Should I use a professional festival service or submit myself?
A: This depends on your budget, experience, and goals. Professional services offer expertise, industry connections, and save time, but cost significantly more. First-time filmmakers often benefit from professional guidance, while experienced filmmakers may prefer DIY approaches.
Q: How many festivals should I submit to?
A: Quality over quantity is key. Most successful campaigns involve 20-50 targeted submissions rather than mass submissions to hundreds of festivals. Focus on festivals that align with your film's genre, audience, and goals.
Q: What's the difference between festival management and PR services?
A: Festival management companies handle strategy, submissions, and logistics, while PR companies focus on publicity, media coverage, and marketing around festival screenings. Many filmmakers use both services for comprehensive support.
Q: How important are premiere requirements?
A: Many top-tier festivals require world, international, or regional premieres. Plan your festival strategy carefully to preserve premiere status for the most strategic festivals.
Real World Example: "Thunder Road" Success Story
"Thunder Road" provides an excellent case study of strategic festival planning leading to distribution success. After premiering at SXSW Film Festival, the filmmakers developed a strategic international festival approach focusing on festivals that operate as marketplaces. They worked with foreign sales consultant Marta Ravini and consolidated their strategy to focus on a two-month period between mid-September and mid-November.
The film played key festivals including The Deauville American Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival, Athens International Film Festival, Stockholm International Film Festival, CPH PIX, Festival du Nouveau Cinéma, Calgary International Film Festival, Milano Film Festival, Kerry Film Festival, Leiden International Film Festival, São Paulo International Film Festival, and Mar del Plata International Film Festival.
This strategic approach led to finding distributors in each territory where they played, demonstrating how a well-planned festival strategy can directly translate to distribution opportunities. The filmmakers combined market timing with curatorial appeal, using buzz from certain territories to generate interest in others.
The success of "Thunder Road" illustrates that festival strategy should go beyond just getting accepted. It should be designed as a stepping stone to broader distribution and commercial success. By working with experienced consultants and focusing on festivals with market opportunities, the filmmakers were able to turn festival success into tangible business outcomes.
Final Thoughts
My advice is this: if you're an early career filmmaker with a strong film, maybe you've got an A-list cast member or a high-budget production, invest in a festival PR company. Think of it as both an education and an investment in the film's future. Once you've learned the process and have more time, you can absolutely run DIY campaigns in-house. For short films, DIY often works fine. But for feature films, where the stakes and opportunities are bigger, I'd always recommend budgeting for a festival PR company or at least an independent PR specialist to help carry the load.
