46 SPRING 2020 MOVIEMAKER.COM
50 FILM FESTIVALS WORTH THE ENTRY FEE 2020
festival celebrates the culturally-rich
area of Oak Cliff and includes op-
portunities to cocktail and croquet
at one of Oak Cliff ’s most beautiful
properties, as well as attend post-
screening concerts. There’s also a
panel on filmmaking in Texas hosted
by Austin Film Society. The 2019
edition last summer hosted the Texas
premiere of Lulu Wang’s The Farewell
and regional premieres of films like
The Mountain and docs Love,
Antosha and The Infiltrators.
OMAHA FILM FESTIVAL
OMAHA, NEBRASKA / MARCH 2-7
2021 / OMAHAFILMFESTIVAL.ORG
The Omaha Film Festival just
wrapped its 15th edition, and it’s
appropriate that it has so much
history—because it emphasizes the
artistic, educational and historic
significance of motion pictures. It
champions newcomers and aspiring
moviemakers, and its biggest draw
might be its screenplay competition:
All screenplay finalists receive a live-
read with professional actors, and
the winners go home with software
packages. The Best Screenplay
winner receives a critique and subse-
quent mentorship from a renowned
industry screenwriter. Screenings
take place at the luxurious, locally
owned Aksarben Cinema. Premieres
and award-winning films that have
shown at the festival include Hotel
Mumbai, The Invitation, and The
Lobster, and guests have included Bill
Plympton, Shane Black, Famke Jans-
sen, Jaime King, and Chris Klein.
OXFORD FILM FESTIVAL
OXFORD, MISSISSIPPI / TBD /
OXFORDFILMFEST.COM
“We are here to celebrate your film
and to make sure you are overly fed,
a little tipsy and a little motivated to
keep making movies by the time you
leave Oxford,” says executive director
Melanie Addington. Founded in
2003 by the Yoknapatawpha Arts
Council, the festival has gained a
global reputation for its impressive
organization and commitment.
Twenty-one of the programmed
short films compete for the Artist
Vodka Film D’Or Prize which is
decided by an audience and jury
vote and holds a cash prize of
$15,000. Additionally, the winners
for Best Narrative Feature and Best
Documentary Feature both receive a
$15,000 camera package from
Panavision, which was bumped up
from $10,000 last year. It also cel-
ebrates a range of voices with prizes
for narrative and documentary fea-
tures and shorts, Mississippi films,
animated and experimental films,
LGBTQ films, and student films.PHILADELPHIA FILM FESTIVAL
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA /
OCTOBER 22-NOVEMBER 1, 2020 /
FILMADELPHIA.ORG/FESTIVAL
The Philadelphia Film Festival is
committed to engaging with a city
that bustles with creative energy. It
starts with pre-games—happy hours
where Philadelphians can bask
in the brotherly and sisterly love
they share with the programmers.
Then a programmers’ panel offers
a sneak peak to the general public.
And the “Made in USA” sidebar for
American independent features and
the nonfiction sidebar for documen-
tary features are completely free
and open to all. Senior programmer
Trey Shields says opening events to
everyone encourages “a worldview of
understanding, empathy and com-
passion.” It draws industry titans like
Magnolia, Warner Bros., Lionsgate,
and Focus Features, and its advisory
board has included Adam McKay,
Aubrey Plaza and Mike Tollin.PORTLAND FILM FESTIVAL
PORTLAND, OREGON / OCTOBER 12-
18, 2020 / PORTLANDFILMFESTIVAL.COM
You don’t get much closer to heaven
than sipping coffee while listening
to moviemakers discuss their workat Powell’s Books, the world’s largest
independent bookstore. (Unless you
sample from Portland’s spectacular
food trucks after.) There are movies,
too! This all-submissions festival has
a strong community that includes a
podcast and in-house film journal-
ists, speed networking with other
filmmakers, a workshop on the art of
getting reviews, and countless other
creative touches in a city known for
creativity. There’s also a pre-festival
retreat for filmmakers, with trans-
portation and housing, that includes
advertising agencies that help create
promotional assets for filmmakers.
And there’s typically an event for
filmmakers to meet the governor and
mayor, who is not—despite what you
may remember from Portlandia—
Kyle MacLachlan.SAN LUIS OBISPO
INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIFORNIA / TBD /
SLOFILMFEST.ORG
Sometimes called “the happiest
place in America,” San Luis Obispo is
known for tranquil Central California
weather, wine and beer, and a festival
that boosts a personalized Film-
maker Concierge for moviemakers
and other special guests. That’s just
the start of the warm welcome. The
hospitality lounge offers local bever-
ages as well as musical performances
and weekend breakfast panels. SLO
also offers the truly unique Surf Nite
in which surfers and ocean-lovers
unite for an event that’s like a cross
between a ’60s surf movie screening
and The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
This year’s event was cancelled outof coronavirus caution, but passes
will be honored next year.SANTA FE INDEPENDENT
FILM FESTIVAL
SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO / OCTOBER 14-18,
2020 / SANTAFEINDEPENDENT.COM
Santa Fe would be a gorgeous
vacation spot even if there wasn’t
a tremendous film festival. But for
moviemakers and movie lovers, it’s
especially worth a trip to experience
the Albuquerque-Santa Fe corridor’s
commitment to film. (Albuquerque
was just named MovieMaker’s top
city for moviemakers, and Santa Fe
was No. 3 on the list of smaller cities
and towns.) It features five art house
theaters—and George R.R. Martin, a
frequent attendee, owns the beloved
Jean Cocteau Cinema. Santa Fe is also
home to outstanding restaurants, art
galleries, and all the outdoor fun you
could ever want, against spectacular
natural backdrops. Past honorees
have included Gena Rowlands, John
Waters, Jane Seymour, Wes Studi, Jac-
queline Bisset, and Shirley MacLaine.
You can chat up distributors at pres-
tigious gatherings that include Q&As,
a filmmaker brunch, a governor’s
mansion special reception, art gallery
reception, and more.SARASOTA FILM FESTIVAL
SARASOTA, FLORIDA / TBD /
SARASOTAFILMFESTIVAL.COM
Sarasota welcomes brilliant mov-
iemakers and astute audiences,
and provides generous assistance
with travel to—and lodging in—a
sandy paradise. The official parties
are supplemented with barbeques,
karaoke, and pub crawls, just part of
the festival’s sunny hospitality. For
all the fun, the films are serious—re-
cent past screenings have included
Academy Award-winner American
Factory. Sarasota offers educational
programming, panels, and work-
shops, not just during the festival but
year-round. The opportunities are
real too: Winners of the Jury Prize in
the Indie Visions category get special
consideration for distribution with
Factory 25.SCAD SAVANNAH FILM FESTIVAL
SAVANNAH, GEORGIA / OCTOBER 24-31,
2020 / FILMFEST.SCAD.EDU
This is about as friendly and well-
run as a festival can be: a walk-SAN LUIS OBISPO