Film Festival Strategies

Navigating the festival circuit is critical for documentary success, but with hundreds of options, where do you start? In this session, festival strategist Jon Gann shares smart, effective strategies to help filmmakers target the right festivals, maximize exposure, and avoid common pitfalls. Designed specifically for documentary fellows, this talk will help you craft a focused, impactful festival plan that supports your film's unique goals.

Jon Gann is a film producer and director, creating award-winning commercial, documentary and narrative films since 2000. His most recent award-winning productions include the feature documentary "Karen Carpenter: Starving for Perfection", exploring the singer's career and struggles through never-heard recordings, and the short documentary, "Miss Alma Thomas: A Life in Color," detailing the incredible life of the DC-based Black Woman abstractionist painter. He is the Founder of DC Shorts, a non-profit organization championing short filmmaking, and the creator of the DC Shorts Film Festival. Jon is also a founding Board Member and former Executive Director of the Film Festival Alliance, the first organization to professionalize the festival space.

$20 for WIFV Members (must be logged in) and Students / $35 for public

This is a meeting held on Zoom. You will receive login information with your registration confirmation. You MUST register at this link: https://www.wifv.org/calendar/#id=32240&cid=783&wid=401&type=Cal