The essential festival guide for filmmakers, producers, journalists, festival pros, and fans--from "Variety", the preeminent trade journal for the movie business.

Chris Gore reveals how to get a film accepted and what to do after acceptance, from putting together a press kit to putting on a great party.

As the digital revolution has democratised film production, a new hybrid model of distribution is the way independent filmmakers can take control of their own distribution. This approach is not just DIY or Web-based - it combines the best techniques from each distribution arena, old and new. In Think Outside the Box Office, Reiss explains audience identification and targeting, negotiating split-rights agreements, the new role of film festivals and more.

Movies, stars, auteurs, and critics come together in film festivals as quintessential constellations of art, business, and glamour. Yet, how well do we understand the forces and meanings that these events embody? This work offers an overview of the history, people, films, and functions of the festival world.

Established in 1955, the Leipzig International Documentary Film Festival became a central arena for staging the cultural politics of the German Democratic Republic, both domestically and in relation to West Germany and the rest of the world. Screened Encounters represents the definitive history of this key event, recounting the political and artistic exchanges it enabled from its founding until German unification, and tracing the outsize influence it exerted on international cultural relations during the Cold War.

Backed by the resources of Independent Feature Project/West, co-authors Nicole Shay LaLoggia and Eden H. Wurmfeld have written the definitive low-budget production manual. Using examples from the Swingers and Kissing Jessica Stein, this comprehensive manual offers the independent filmmaker a single volume reference covering every aspect of making a film: script rights and rewrites, financing, breakdown, scheduling and budgeting, pre-production, production, postproduction, and distribution. A resource guide listing useful references and organizations, as well as a glossary, complete this guide. The downloadable resources feature interviews with important figures in the independent film industry, including Billy Bob Thornton and Ang Lee. Forms that are illuminated in the text are also included on the downloadable resources for ease of use. The new edition is updated with thorough coverage of digital and HD-how to decide which to shoot on, what the financial impact is, and the effect on preproduction. There is also a new chapter on distribution and expanded material on postproduction.

Have you ever wondered...What's the deal with film festival programmers? What do they really think about your film? How do they make their decisions? And how can you improve your own film's odds of being picked? Why your film gets picked depends on a complex set of reasons, And it comes down to a single fact: film festivals, and programmers, aren't necessarily what you think! Jon Gann, founder of the DC Shorts Film Festival, questions his peers about their selection process, reactions to filmmaker behavior, industry concerns, and ultimately, how they create a festival experience that enriches both filmmakers and the audience. Insights by programmers from some of the world's leading festivals: - Ashland Independent Film Festival - Byron Bay International Film Festival - CineSlam/Pride of the Ocean - DC Shorts Film Festival - LA Comedy Shorts Film Festival - Napa Valley Film Festival - New York Film Festival - Prescott Film Festival - Razor Reel Fantastic Film Festival - Scottsdale Film Festival - Seattle International Film Festival - SILVERDOCS - Sonoma International Film Festival - Sundance Film Festival - Tallgrass Film Festival - Washington Jewish Film Festival