The folks at the Toronto Film Festival have just posted my keynote from their annual Filmmaker Boot Camp, a sort of retreat where they prepare filmmakers for their experience at TIFF. This is the second time they’ve asked me to do this, and given that Toronto is one of my favorite festivals, I’m glad to be of service.
The information I presented is a summary of some presentations I’ve made in my classes at Columbia, and at various other events. It’s a quick overview of the current marketplace, followed by some specific strategies one might use to navigate a festival like Toronto, and to make the best of the experience. I hope those of you who couldn’t be there will find something useful in it.
Feel free to chime in with your thoughts.
You can spend a year on the festival circuit and not learn what’s covered here in 30 mins. Remarkably concise, Ira!
I’m glad you found it useful. Thanks for the kind words.
Thanks Ira! Good stuff – and practical.
Thanks Ira for sharing your knowledge! Super helpful as I’ve just started the festival circuit and in need of distribution for my first feature I produced.
Please be my mentor when I start Columbia in Fall 2014