Is The Film Festival Dead? An Examination of The Internet Age

{Originally published in Loomings}

        Is the film festival dead? The casual reader may very well wonder “Who cares?” Indeed, most outside the cinephile set rarely if ever attend a film festival in their lifetime, and most, if pressed, would hardly be able to name more than a handful. Film professors nation-wide scoff at such a notion, and are likely to respond with something akin to “Well, you should care! That’s how new films are discovered! That’s where new talent gets showcased!” and indeed, such is true of indie and hipster darlings like Napoleon Dynamite and Juno, films that would have fizzled and died were it not for festival buzz. Indeed, this year the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short (also known as “Time to go to the bathroom” in most homes) went to Luke Matheny’s God of Love, a film he made while still a student at NYU which gained massive exposure through festivals.

            But is that necessarily true anymore, the idea that that’s how films are discovered? Isn’t one more likely to stumble across a hidden gem on Netflix Instant or a video streaming site than in some small column in the Village Voice packaged between phone sex ads? Indeed, is it perhaps better for the burgeoning young filmmaker to let his creation loose on the internet than ship it off to 1,001 festivals in hopes that one excepts? Undoubtedly its more cost-effective monetarily (posting on the internet is free whereas most film festivals charge $30 to $50 just to submit without a guarantee of acceptance), but is there a different cost one pays for taking the digital route?

       I chose to speak with two filmmakers on campus who are on opposite sides of the argument. Joshua Paige, a recent graduate of CW Post, told me the choice to send their film Super/Heroes (the review of which is featured on page 8) through the festival circuit was a unanimous one. “{It} was a group decision. We decided to go the 'festivals route' in hopes that we could spread the film to critics and audiences throughout the country and get our name out there the old fashioned way.” Super/Heroes, the story of a retired superhero mourning in the wake of the September 11th attacks, was a highlight of this past year’s crop of student films at Post, being nominated for 15 Loomings film awards and winning four, including on for director Paige. “It's more professional” Paige said of usin film festivals to promote the film “…and will most likely reach out to more people who have enough passion for film to want to submit or pay admission to go see a film on the big screen.”

            Conversely, some filmmakers like Jae Kim, director of last year’s Shadow play (review on page 9), feel there is another route to be taken with regards to gaining an audience. “Unfortunately Shadowplay wasn't met with the desired festival responses I had hoped for, so in turn we looked to internet exposure. Though unintended at first, it seemed like the next right thing to do. It seems today filmmakers are able to popularize their work solely through sites such as Youtube and Vimeo, in some cases more then those on the festival circuit. In the end I was happy with the route we chose.” Kim seems optimistic about the potential for great exposure through the internet, stating “There will never be an audience as big as the online community. Millions are constantly online 24/7 across the globe. If one person enjoys it, he or she can pass it on to the next person with ease. Before you know it, people can catch on like wildfire. Also it is easily accessible and free of charge to view; I'm sure people wouldn't mind that.” When asked if Super/Heroes would ever make the leap to the digital world, Paige replied “I don't see why we would post it online. We've promoted trailers, websites and other information dedicated to the film online that should be enough to make people want to get up and see the film for themselves.” 

       While Paige was right about the trailers and websites available on the internet (as I discuss in my review of the film) I wondered where exactly Paige had hoped these people would go when the ‘got up and saw’ the film. When asked how the reception’s been for the film, Paige replied “Super/Heroes is going extremely well. It's been sent to quite a few festivals. It was recently screened at the Long Island Fringe Festival and NewFilmmakers NY Film Festival for a 9/11 special program. So that was really exciting.” However, despite Paiges sentiments, the film’s website (www.superheroesfilm.com) reveals that these are the only two festivals the film has screened in, making it difficult for one to see the film should one want to. Indeed, Paige’s statement of the film being sent to “quite a few” festivals indicates that perhaps the film has heard more “no” than “yes” in its struggle to find a fanbase. Yet, Paige seems optimistic even in the face of rejection, stating “I mean, it's obviously a disappointment when your film gets rejected from festivals but that's why we keep trying and do the best we can to spread the film.”

            So Super/Heroes may not be the next God of Love in the festival world, it would seem. One might think Shadowplay took the better route. Indeed, it’s a lot easier for people to see a film from their laptops than on a screen in the ever elusive film festival. However, don’t think Kim is celebrating his decision. Every answer he gave was tinged with regret. When asked simply how the film had been received, he replied “Although we haven't had much opportunity to show the film to as many people as we liked, from the small crowds we usually gathered the reception was fairly good.” Kim added “I wanted the film to have a successful festival run, but not everything always turns out the way you want it to.” When Shadowplay was screened last year it was nominated for 16 Loomings film awards, taking home 10 (the most of the night) including Best Picture. However, despite the enthusiasm of Post voters, the film has failed as of yet to pick up a huge following online. “I can say for certain Shadowplay is currently not an internet sensation” Kim said “…but we are slowly getting more views as time goes by. I think it has about 173 views now, but that could be 173 individuals or just one person like myself clicking on it 173 times. Who knows?”

        Kim’s humor masks an obvious sense of regret (though he doesn’t always hide it, in statements like “Of course there are downsides. It seems as though once the film goes online, it loses it's ‘prestige’. It won't be able to compete in the festival circuit anymore. And with the online video community growing everyday, it gets harder and harder to fight for those views.”), while Paige never lets his optimism drop when discussing his film (”People seem to be emotionally moved by the concept. A lot of people can see all the hard work and dedication that went into making the film so that's obviously a good thing.”) Even when we talked about his other film, Raw Umber, which he described as “Two people fall in love in a mental institution and attempt to break out”, he told us he intended to send it out to festivals as well.

             It seems like a bold, brave new world, this thing we call the internet. Careers can be launched, messages heard, lives changed. Indeed, one thing in Kim’s favor is that a lot more people who read this article can see Shadowplay should they like than have a chance of seeing Super/Heroes (as of printing there are no upcoming screenings). However, after being online 3 months, the film has failed to crack 200 views, despite a newly released music video for “Parachutes” by Face The King (read the review of their new EP here) featuring footage from the film. But what carries more prestige, to label your film with “Official Selection” wreaths from festivals, or to have been mentioned by an actor in Soap Opera Weekly (which recently happened when the publication interviewed Shadowplay actor Michael Derek)? Which brings more attention to the film? Sure, the difference between Super/Heroes’ 38 fans on Facebook v. Shadowplay’s 23 may not seem like much, but for one film that has been screened twice in festivals and one that is available for viewing every day online, one would think the fan base discrepancy would be no only greater, but in the other film’s favor. However, it appears that while there’s a larger potential audience out there for films on the internet as opposed to the festival screen, without those magical little olive leaves on your poster, the average ‘net user will skip your film for some Farmville, at least for now. If the internet truly is a new frontier for films, then it is a frontier without many pioneers.