Trailer Research and Planning - Film Festivals

Sundance Independent Film Festival 

• Founded in 1978, now held in Park City, Utah, Sundance is of the largest US independent film festivals. Featured films include A Streetcar Named Desire and Deliverance.
• The chairperson is Robert Redford which adds prestige and eliteness to the festival.
• It highlights the potential of independent films, and acts to increase visibility for filmmaking while presenting a series of retrospective films and filmmaker panel discussions.
• The festival also highlights the work of regional filmmakers who work outside of the Hollywood system.
• More than 60 films were screened in its second year, however when the festival was bought to The O2  in 2012 for the first time, 14 films were screened. In 2013 the UK version of the festival was sponsored by Jaguar, suggesting how recognisable the festival is.
• Quentin Tarantino, David O'Russell and Darren Aronofsky are directors who got their big break after their films being premiered at Sundance.
• Films include; Saw, Reservoir Dogs, Little Miss Sunshine, (500) Days of Summer and Napoleon Dynamite.

Venice Film Festival

• First ever major festival which were held in 1932.
• Considered highly prestigious and awards filmmakers such as; Al Pacino, Sylvester Salone and Spike Lee.
• The Golden Lion Award is presented for Best Film, for which previous winners have been The Wrestler and Brokeback Mountain. 
• The festival is international and therefore other recipients are relatively unknown to the Hollywood system.
• A Silver Lion Award for the Best Director and the Volpi Cup for Best Actor and Actress are also awarded.

Cannes Film Festival

• Founded 1946 the festival is prestigious and invitation-only.
• Golden Palm prize for best picture, Best Short Film, Actor, Actress, Director and Screenplay awards are also given out.
• Best first feature film and Student films are also rewarded.
• Huge media exposure and is a good source of publicity for film producers to launch new films and attract distributors from around the world.
• Previous winners include The Tree of Life in 2011 which adopts experimental elements and The Pianist. Taxi Driver and Apocalypse Now from the 1970's are also previous recipients.

Berlin International Film Festival

• The festival was founded in 1951 and has been held annually since 1978.
• Golden Bear award for best film and Silver Bear awards for various acting accolades.
• The Generation section showcases films targets at youths.
• Previous films screened at the festival are; Marley, The Land of Blood and Honey, The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate and a restored version of The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, showing the variety of film the festival showcases. 

Raindance Film Festival

• UK's largest celebration of independent film making, takes place in London in October.
• Founder of the British Independent Film Awards.
• Pulp Fiction debuted at Raindance in 1994, Whats Eating Gilbert Grape 1993, Momento 2000 and Once 2007.
• The festival holds a jury which has previous members such as Lou Reed, Judi Dench and Iggy Pop.

Tribeca Film Festival

• Founded in 2002.
• Festivals mission is to enable the international film community and the general public to experience the power of film by redefining the film festival experience.
• In 2006 and 2007 it screened 1500 films and featured a variety of documentaries, narrative features and short films.
• Festival draws around 3 million people including elusive celebrities from the industry.

South by Southwest

• Began in 1987, the festival showcases new directing talent in his film section, however in more recent years, mainstream films such as The Incredible Burt Wonderstone and Spring Breakers held their premieres there.

London Film Festival

• First held in 1956, it is now held annually by BFI and sponsored by The Times.
• UK's largest film festival screening 300 films and documentaries from around 50 other countries.
• Hosts high-profile awards contenders, public forums, educational lectures and Q&A's with filmmakers and film talent.
• The Sutherland trophy is awarded to the Best film of the year and isn't exclusive to the UK unlike festivals such as the Vancouver Film Festival.

The festivals most suited for our film would be the Raindance Film Festival and the Sundance Independent Film Festival UK. This would be due to the focus on independent films and the fact that they are London based meaning that these are the most likely ones it would be screened at.