40

ILM FESTIVALS give us inspira-

tion, hope, and sometimes a

huge break—things we could all

use right now.

We’re writing this year’s list of

50 Film Festivals Worth the En-

try Fee in a different way than

it’s ever been produced before—in relative

isolation. Staying out of large public gather-

ings is one of the many precautions people all

over the world are taking because of the public

health emergency that, at the time of this writ-

ing, is almost the only thing anyone is talking

about. Film festivals, like so many large-scale

events, have taken big financial hits, a sacrifice

they’ve accepted, as have so many others, in

the name of the greater good.

When we emerge from our current

struggles, it will be more important than ever

to support the things that celebrate beauty

and humanity. And for us, because we love and

revere movies, nothing celebrates beauty and

humanity like a film festival.

We researched a wide swath of festivals to

compile this year’s list, and, as usual, had to

make some tough decisions about what to

include and what not to. We’re very conscious

BY MM EDITORS

of the fact that celebrating one wonderful

festival means leaving out another. We made

these decisions based on a rubric intended to

highlight the festivals that provide the best

possible return for moviemakers—on their

valuable time, on their intense effort, and of

course on their money.

We relied on questionnaires from the festi-

vals themselves, their track record of helping

moviemakers, our own additional research

and, whenever possible, first-hand experience

with the festivals. Some of the festivals on

this list were disrupted or delayed even as we

compiled this list. (We’d recommend checking

dates online, as some may change before we go

to print.) Of course festivals didn’t lose points

for cancellations or delays this year, and we’re

looking forward to their return. And of course

some festivals, when they return, may need to

adapt, scale down, or shift priorities—this list

is based on their past performance, and we

have no way of knowing, at the time of this

writing, how much things will change.

With all that said, here is our list. As mov-

iemakers and movie lovers, let’s commit to

supporting and celebrating these festivals as

much as they support and celebrate us.

KEY

A C A D E M Y

QUALIFYING

SCREENWRITING

CONTEST OR

COMPETITION

VR SHOWCASE

OR CATEGORY

PITCH COMPETITION

OR FACILITATED

SESSIONS

5050

FILM FESTIVALS WORTH

THE ENTRY FEE 2020

F