First film festival of note - but what next?

T

ToTheBack

Active member
I got an email from the organizers of the Action On Film International Film Festival a few weeks ago announcing that a short film I wrote and directed will be playing in LA, around Pasadena. I was beyond stoked as this is the first film festival of note has ever accepted my work. I never applied much before to other festivals because of entry fees but I finally got in.

Now with the way it's organized, there's tickets available for showings of the various movies available but I don't believe it'll be shown in blocks with other shorts like other smaller festivals I've been to do. Notably, it's being billed with a movie called Dahmer vs Gacy 2 (which sounds ridiculously weird and charming). There's tickets below:

https://www.aoffest.com/store/Dahmer-vs-Gacy-Memorial-Saturday-II-Block-1-6p332.htm

However, I'm not really sure what I can do to market it and really get people in the seats. It's playing on a Saturday and I'll be flying in late Thursday, early Friday. The festival offered really expensive ad space in its magazine to promote but I can't afford the prices they offered. Are there any ideas you all have to really drive people there? I don't have a ton of LA connects I can get there and most festivals I've been to marketed the festival itself, for better or worse.
 
Just go an enjoy yourself. Speak to the organizers first and find out if there is a Q&A, if there isn't push for one. LEt them know you will be in the audience and request that the host call you out. Thats your chance to stand up in your seat, introduce yourself and get networking. Then afterwards meet and talk to as many people as you can. Have business cards ready even if you have to print them yourself. make sure they have you website address and if you don't have a site, get a free one on weebly.com done asap.
 
I recently got business cards ordered and they'll be arriving shortly before I leave. I don't have an official website but put on there my Youtube channel, where all my work is anyways
 
Yeah, you've really gotta push it to get people there. AOF screens a lot of films, on 4 screens at the same time. One normal thing is to have nicely printed flyers for your film that you then put stickers on with screening times for a given festival, so you pass those out. Just hang out around the theater and the Sheraton and meet as many other filmmakers as you can in the time you've got.

But at least I'm one person who knows about it already! Here's four shorts I worked on that are screening there. Come say hi at one or all of them! :)
Reue (WWII drama) - Thursday, 7/28 8pm screen 6
Eggsistential Issues (silent comedy/horror) - Friday, 7/29 2pm screen 4
A Taste of Love (hilarious horror comedy)– Friday, 7/29 8pm screen 6
Love Sick (comedy) – Friday, 7/29 8:45pm screen 4
 
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