Bias in film festival selections/prizes? A couple examples

[adventusfilms]

I’m posting this because I hear about bias in film festival selections and winners time and time again. It’s starting to really frustrate me, to the point where I want to start blowing whistles to get it changed. So you know, this hasn’t directly affected me yet, that I’m aware of.

I’ll give you some examples. The Tacoma FF gave a best documentary award to a former projectionist at the Grand Cinema theater, located in downtown Tacoma, WA. Seeing how the Grand Cinema is one of the main theaters which screens the festival selections, It seems awfully unfair that this film would win, assuming that the director of this documentary still has ties with the selection and prize committee. He may have a really great film for all I know. But why even put the rest of the filmmakers who submitted in that position? There are THOUSANDS of festivals just in the U.S. and dozens just in WA state alone. It gives the filmmakers with ties plenty of opportunities to get their film screened elsewhere. If it’s good enough, you don’t need the people associated with your former employer to give you a prize that says so.

Here’s another one, and this was posted on this forum a few months ago: A director of the feature “Timid” submits to the Hoboken FF in New Jersey and is rejected. No big deal, except a lot of the film was actually shot in Hoboken and the festival’s programmer had a film which WAS accepted. Again, I don’t know the quality of either film, but I honestly don’t think comparing the two films really matters. Everyone’s perception of these particular films are subjective but all that gets thrown out the window when you make it ok to give an edge to people with ties to the festival. There’s a reason why people who sell lottery tickets can’t legally buy lottery tickets.

I do believe that some of these festivals do this because they’re simply greenhorns. Tacoma FF for example is only in their 4th year, and having attended this year and seeing how mediocre it is gives me the opinion that they have lots of room for improvement ethically and logistically. Their rating system alone raises an eyebrow, but that’s another story.

Anyway, I’d like to hear anyone’s experiences with this sort of bias. I think if your work is good enough, you WILL be recognized. But independent filmmakers don’t need yet another obstacle to get over before showing their work.

 

[Nathyn]

I agree, but it doesn't matter because the programmer's friend would simple enter, and their film would be shown. The industry is all about who you know.

-Nate

 

[Martay]

There are a lot of anecdotal examples I could give you from not only local film festivals that I'm close to but national film festivals as well. I agree with your sentiment but have come to accept it as a fact of life in the indie world.

-M

 

[Chris Santucci]

You're talking about festival programmers who had their own films selected by their own festival?

I wouldn't waste my time with festivals like that. Maybe it's time we all started our own film festivals so we could accept our own films?

.

 

[David W. Richardson]

I don't know how other festivals work, but I can tell you about the one I was on the board of a few years back.

First, we had a group of about a dozen people on the board. We split up into 4 separate groups, and each group reviewed films for certain categories -- shorts, features, etc. The people in these groups viewed the films individually, not as a group. In other words, we didn't all gather together, watch a film, and discuss it. We each viewed the films privately and made our notes and ratings.

The top points-getters from each group were then viewed by the entire board, which decided on which films to include in the festival and what prizes to award.

There certainly was some bias in that process, but there was no one person who controlled which films won or lost.

I entered a film in that same festival that same year. But because I was on the board, I did NOT allow the film to be considered for competition or prizes. I just wanted it screened. And I made sure to wait until the slate of films was set before asking the board if my film could also be screened, so as to not bump someone else's film out of the show.

 

[Steve House]

If you can come up with some truly objective measure of a film's worth, I'd love to hear it. Matters of taste are ALWAYS going to be subjective, based on the attitudes and perceptions of those doing the judging. Why is "This film deals with a theatre that holds strong emotion for me" not just as valid as basis of judgement as my own prejudice that finds the comedy of Carol Burnett's character Eunice to be highly offensive?

 

[adventusfilms]

Not sure how that totally relates, Steve. But I’m sure there's a glimmer of value somewhere hidden in that post.

 

[Steve House]

Not sure how that totally relates, Steve. But I’m sure there's a glimmer of value somewhere hidden in that post.

The discussion was about favouritism among festival programmers. Just pointing out that such influences are inevitable when making selections based on a subjective judgement call.

 

[Martay]

If you can come up with some truly objective measure of a film's worth, I'd love to hear it. Matters of taste are ALWAYS going to be subjective, based on the attitudes and perceptions of those doing the judging. Why is "This film deals with a theatre that holds strong emotion for me" not just as valid as basis of judgement as my own prejudice that finds the comedy of Carol Burnett's character Eunice to be highly offensive?

Well, there's a difference between personal bias based on subject matters, reaction to particular cast, etc. and Bias based on, this film was made by a Board Member, or a good friend, etc. Which isn't based on the films in question at all. I think that was the original posters beef.

-M