For the second year running, I was honoured to moderate some interesting talks at Think Fest, the Jerusalem Film Festival's symposium gathering film festival professionals from around the globe. Think about how important film festivals are to the independent film ecosystem, and yet all the panels, networking events and lobbying groups are for producers or filmmakers or sellers or distributors or exhibitors. So it's great to see a platform for festival experts to share experiences. Well done to the JFF team especially Elad and Anna for pulling together this interesting group of speakers and attendees.
I've posted info and videos on the three Think Fest 2018 panels here for anyone who wants to catch up with them.
A FILMMAKER’S FESTIVAL LIFE
What do filmmakers need to know about the festival circuit, which festivals to target and when, what to do on the ground at a festival, and how to work with sales companies and publicists on a festival strategy.
Panelists: Anna Purkrabkova, Program Coordinator, Karlovy Vary International Film Festival Claudia Landsberger, Executive Partner, BaseWorx For Film Gordon Spragg, Partner, Wolf Consultants, PR & Marketing
FESTIVALS IN A COMPLEX WORLD
What is the role of film festivals considering global events and political upheavals, how do festivals face up to censorship or political pressure, and how are festivals tackling gender equality in the #metoo era? Can festivals juggle a pure audience experience with industry programs?
Panelists: Smriti Kiran, Creative Director, JIO MAMI Mumbai Film Festival Ahmet Boyacioglu, Festival On Wheels Karin Rywkind Segal, Artistic Director, Docaviv International Film Festival
THE CHANGING DYNAMICS OF PROGRAMMING
How do festivals cope with huge levels of open submissions, how are traditional film festivals making room for hybrid genres, VR work, TV episodes and webisodes, and how can they engage youth audiences?
Panelists:
Charles Tesson, Artistic Director, Cannes Critics’ Week, (Semaine de la Critique)
Javier Porta Fouz, Artistic Director, Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema (BAFICI)
Ilda Santiago, Executive Director Programming, Rio Film Festival
