Film
Festivals
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A
film festival is the presentation or showcasing
of films in one or more movie theaters or screening
venues. The films are usually of a recent date
and, depending upon the focus of the individual
festival, can include major international releases
as well as those made outside a country's established
film industry. Sometimes there is a focus on a
specific genre (e.g. film noir) or subject (e.g.
gay and lesbian film festivals). Film Festivals
are typically annual events.
History
The
world's first major film festival was held in
Venice in 1932; the other major film festivals
of the world (Berlin, Cannes, Moscow and Karlovy
Vary) date back to the 1940s and 1950s.
The
Edinburgh International Film Festival in Scotland
was established in 1947 and is the longest continually
running film festival in the world.
The
first North American film festival was the Columbus
International Film & Video Festival, also
known as The Chris Awards, held in 1953. According
the Film Arts Foundation in San Francisco, "The
Chris Awards (is) one of the most prestigious
documentary, educational, business and informational
competitions in the U.S; (it is) the oldest of
its kind in North America and celebrating its
54th year".
It
was followed shortly thereafter by the San Francisco
International Film Festival held in March 1957
whose emphasis was on feature-length dramatic
films. The festival played a major role in introducing
foreign films to American audiences. Among the
films shown in its founding year were Akira Kurosawa's
Throne of Blood and Satyajit Ray's Pather Panchali.
Entry fee
Most
film festivals require filmmakers to pay an entry
fee to have their works considered for screening.
This is especially commonplace among larger film
festivals, such as the Cannes Film Festival, Toronto
International Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival,
and even smaller "boutique" festivals
such as the Sonoma Valley Film Festival.
However,
not all film festivals require an entry fee. Rotterdam
Film Festival, for example, does not charge an
entry fee to submit work. There are also many
smaller film festivals in the United States, such
as the Sansevieria Film Festival in Ohio or the
Stony Brook Film Festival in Long Island, New
York, or the Sicilian Film Festival in Miami which
do not charge entry fees, however, acceptance
of films is usually more limited, and such film
festivals do not necessarily attract big names
in their audiences like Sundance and Telluride
do. In some cases, such as the Portland Film Festival,
there is an entry fee, but it is waived for filmmakers
within a certain region, such as the Northwestern
United States.
Significant or notable festivals
* "A" Festivals: The festivals in Cannes,
Venice, Berlin, Shanghai, Moscow, San Sebastian,
Montréal, Locarno (since 2002), Karlovy
Vary, Mar del Plata, Cairo and Tokyo are listed
as "A festivals", or "category
one" by the International Federation of Film
Producers Association (FIAPF).
* Experimental films: Ann Arbor Film Festival
was started in 1963. It is the oldest continually
operated experimental film festival in North America
and has become one of the premiere film festivals
for independent and, primarily, experimental filmmakers
to showcase their work.
* Independent films: In the US, Telluride Film
Festival, Sundance Film Festival, New York City's
Tribeca Film Festival, WorldFest-Houston (founded
in 1961), the Sonoma Valley Film Festival, and
the Vail Film Festival[citation needed] are all
considered significant festivals for independent
film. Raindance Film Festival in London, is the
largest independent film festival in the UK and
is connected to the British Independent Film Awards.
* Latin American significance: The Festival de
Gramado (or Gramado Film Festival) Gramado, Brazil
along with the Guadalajara International Film
Festival in Guadalajara, Mexico are considered
to be the most important film festivals of Latin
America. It was first held in 1973, awarding Brazilian
and Latin American films. While the Expresión
en Corto International Film Festival is the largest
competitive film festival in Mexico, specializing
in emerging talents, and is held each year during
the last week of July in the two colonial cities
of San Miguel de Allende and Guanajuato. Among
Spanish speaking countries the Valdivia International
Film Festival is held annually in the city of
aldivia. It is arguable the most important film
festival in Chile.
* North American significance: Toronto is internationally
renowned for its film festival, The Toronto International
Film Festival. Begun in 1976, is now the major
North American film festival and the most widely
attended worldwide, while Toronto's Hot Docs is
the leading North American documentary film festival.
Also of significance, the Seattle International
Film Festival is the largest film festival in
the United States.[citation needed] Meanwhile,
the New York Film Festival only show few films
in each year, but it still has big impact in the
United States.
* Student films: Fresh Film Festival in Karlovy
Vary is one of the largest student film festivals
in Europe, Ivy Film Festival at Brown University
in Providence, Rhode Island is the largest student
film festival in North America, KAN festivalin
Poland the largest film festival in Poland organized
by students. (Credit:
Wikipedia).
Profiles
Greenfest
Film Festival
Flickerfest
Australian
Surf Film Festival
Sony
Tropfest
Cannes
Film Festival
Nice
Shorts
Broad
Humor Film Festival
Filmfestivals
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