42 SPRING 2020 MOVIEMAKER.COM
L-R: COURTESY OF BENTONVILLE FILM FESTIVAL; PHOTO BY MICHAEL GRONDIN; COURTESY OF CINEQUEST;
OPPOSITE L-R: PHOTO BY ANDREW BUNTING; COURTESY OF HAMPTONS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVALquestionnaire to make sure it lives
up to its goals on gender parity,
diversity, and inclusion. One of its
most helpful programs is a retreat
that pairs filmmakers with each
other or distributors for informative
off-the-record discussions. There’s
also a plethora of very much on-the-
record get-togethers, including red
carpets, Q&As, panels, workshops,
opening ceremonies, and an award
ceremony. Its high profile has drawn
big-time distributors including Para-
mount, Lionsgate, Universal, Samuel
Goldwyn Films, and Lifetime.BIG SKY DOCUMENTARY
FILM FESTIVAL
MISSOULA, MONTANA / FEBRUARY
19-28, 2021 / BIGSKYFILMFEST.ORG
Big Sky means big opportunities: to
learn, to see incredible docs, to win
awards and prizes, to find distri-
bution. The sky’s the limit at this
annual 10-day fest, which in 2019
welcomed the Oscar-nominated short
documentary “St. Louis Superman,”
about Bruce Franks Jr., a battle rap-
per, Ferguson activist, and elected
leader. Besides a five-day filmmakers
forum, pitch sessions, and awards
and prizes (including $25,000 in
production support for the winner of
the Tribeca IF/Then Shorts Pitch), Big
Sky celebrates indigenous moviemak-
ers with its Indigenous Filmmakers
Meetup. Visiting filmmakers get free
bikes to get around, and boundless
outdoor opportunities include skiing,
snowshoeing, and visits to the local
hot springs.CALGARY INTERNATIONAL
FILM FESTIVAL
ALBERTA, CANADA / SEPTEMBER
23-OCTOBER 4, 2020 / CALGARYFILM.COM
Calgary International Film Festivalis all about engaging the audi-
ence—before the movies even start.
Its Festivalscape program “brings
experiential activations to festival
lobbies,” says programming adminis-
trator Adam Keresztes. Those efforts
include live performances from visit-
ing musicians and local performers.
CIFF also hosts field trips to local
industry hubs to promote Alberta
as a moviemaking destination. This
fall the fest is planning trips to both
the Bleeding Art workshop—a horror
practical effects company known
worldwide for its fake blood—and the
Calgary Film Centre. Practice your
scales before your visit, because you
might just find yourself singing kara-
oke alongside your fellow moviemak-
ers. With a number of cash prizes
and more than ten Audience Choice
Awards, a programmed moviemaker
has a good chance at going home in
distinction.CAMDEN INTERNATIONAL
FILM FESTIVAL
CAMDEN, ROCKPORT, AND
ROCKLAND, MAINE / OCTOBER 1-4, 2020 /
CAMDENFILMFEST.ORG
Picturesque doesn’t begin to describe
the setting of this town on Penobscot
Bay, during the prettiest time of the
year. You’ll also see some fantasti-
cally challenging and inspiring
documentaries, programmed with
love and care. The fest is home to
masterclasses with great movie-
makers, insightful panels, and the
Points North Forum, one of North
America’s biggest documentary pitch
sessions. So your trip north may
yield you distribution or backing.
Heavy-hitter distributors who have
attended in the past include A&E
IndieFilms, American Documen-
tary’s POV, CAA, ESPN Films,National Geographic, Participant
Media, and Showtime Documentary
Films, and funders and financiers
have included the Ford Foundation,
Sundance Institute, and the Tribeca
Film Institute.CHAGRIN DOCUMENTARY
FILM FESTIVAL
CHAGRIN FALLS, OHIO / OCTOBER 6-11, 2020 /
CHAGRINFILMFEST.ORG
The festival was founded a decade
ago in memory of young filmmaker
David Ponce, who grew up in this
pretty small town on the edge of
Cuyahoga County. His mother, Mary
Ann Quinn Ponce, is the founder
and executive director of the festival.
“This is more than just another
film festival,” says attendee Dianne
Fukami, director of Norman Mineta
and His Legacy: An American Story.
“The people who started it and
continue to sustain it believe in the
power of documentary storytelling
and its potential impact.” She felt “a
spirituality and warmth about all
the festival staff and volunteers that
make you feel more than welcome
and that you’ve been friends forever.”
It offers powerful panels about how
to make better films and a better
world. It hands out more than
$16,000 in prizes, from a wonder-
ful anonymous donor, and this year
features partnership with Gravitas
Ventures in which the winners in
two categories are guaranteed U.S.
distribution.CINEQUEST FILM
& CREATIVITY FESTIVAL
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA /
AUGUST 16-30, 2020 / CINEQUEST.ORG
This year’s Cinequest was resched-
uled partway through, due to
coronavirus precautions, but theTexas.) You’ll have no trouble getting
your work in front of the knowledge-
able and influential: Past jurors
include Tom Skerritt, America Fer-
rera, and Leigh Whannell, as well as
representatives of Gravitas Ventures,
Showtime, CNN Films, Oscilloscope
Laboratories, Pixar Animation
Studios, the Sundance Institute, and
on and on. Want more names? Okay.
Speakers have included Ron Howard,
Frank Marshall, Nancy Meyers, Judd
Apatow, Larry Wilmore, Gale Anne
Hurd, Paul Feig, Elaine May, Issa Rae,
Paul Thomas Anderson, Shane Black,
Vince Gilligan, and Norman Lear.
BENDFILM FESTIVAL
BEND, OREGON / OCTOBER 8-11,
2020 / BENDFILM.ORG
Offering visiting moviemakers a
complimentary stay at the acclaimed
Oxford Hotel, this Pacific Northwest
fest maintains a filmmaker-friendly
atmosphere that’s celebrated with
raucous parties throughout the dura-
tion of the fall weekend. It’s deeply
committed to emerging moviemak-
ers, and learning. Bendfilm hosts a
“First Features” program in which
established moviemakers come and
present the first film of their career,
and are paired with a first-time mov-
iemaker on a panel. It creates a sense
of reflection, organic mentorship,
and fascinating lessons for everyone
in attendance. The strong sense of
community is reflected in a bonanza
of local partners.
BENTONVILLE FILM FESTIVAL
BENTONVILLE, ARKANSAS / AUGUST 5-8,
2020 / BENTONVILLEFILM.ORG
Co-founded by Geena Davis and
Trevor Drinkwater, Bentonville
focuses on diversity, and uses a
diversity and inclusion qualifier
50 FILM FESTIVALS WORTH THE ENTRY FEE 2020
BENTONVILLE^ CALGARY^ CINEQUEST