What were your key takeaways about establishing a film festival (ours and any others) – its mission, themes and name – when starting from scratch?
Prior to enrolling in this studio, if I were to have been asked the question of what is primarily required to establish and mount a film festival, I would have suggested that the first steps are to source films and select the best ones for screening. However, after engaging in the weekly readings and learning about the different facets of film festivals, it is now evident that in order to begin building a film festival from scratch, ‘it is crucial to set the first milestone – the subject of the film festival’ (Pnacekova, Nicola, & Pritchard 2012, p. 6). More importantly, establishing the overall theme and mission for your festival can give rise to other side events that function as an extension to your festivals theme. These include club screenings, warm-up events, competition sections, awards and performances.
Following the weekly workshops and lengthy discussions we have had in class to establish our festivals mission, everyone collectively agreed that our festival be genre-based and specifically showcase international horror films. Our festivals name, Séance International Film Festival, particularly makes use of the word séance as it consists of numerous meanings that associate with the identity and theme of our festival. In particular, the term originates from the French language meaning a session or sitting, whilst the alternative definition emphasises the attempts made to communicate with spirits of the dead. As emphasised by Stevens (2016), events appealing to specific audiences and niche markets can sustain the existence and longevity of festivals globally. With the ‘narrowed focus of specialised events’ such as Australia’s Little Big Shots children’s festival, they are able to further highlight the ‘heterogeneity of film festival galaxy’ and provide audiences with a unique and unrepeated experience of cinema (Stevens 2016, p. 183). Therefore, specialised events such as our own Séance International Film Festival, can be considered as a unique exhibitor to film exhibition that not only offers audiences traditional sites of viewing, but rather present itself as a site for film culture where various celebratory events and programmes are embedded within the festivals atmosphere.
In addition to this, another key element to consider when constructing a film festival is to observe the current trends in film culture and attend other festivals to gain knowledge on what a film festival should entail. I believe the festival experiences everyone shared in class have helped in the creation and construction of our festivals identity, mission and theme. With the many perspectives, outlooks and skill-sets we have combined, we have been able to create a shared vision and use our passion of the horror genre to form the basis of our festivals name, designs, and work as a guideline for the creation of other aspects including planning and production.
References
Participants of the Bright Young Screens Workshop 2012, ‘Festival Programming and the Ways Young Festivals and Youth NGOs See it’ in Pnacekova, M Nicola, M & Pritchard, M (eds), Bright Young Screens: Developing Intercultural Dialogue and Non-Formal Education Through Youth Film Festivals, NISI MASA and FEST, Espinho, pp. 6-9.
Stevens, K 2016, ‘A Festival for Every Occasion: Niche Programming, Event Culture, and Vertically Integrated Film Festivals’, Australian Film Festivals: Audience, Place, and Exhibition Culture, Palgrave Macmillan US, New York, pp. 171-199.