Filmmaking / Directing : July Filmmaker's Club, Week 2: The festival circuit... by Curt Samlaska

Curt Samlaska

July Filmmaker's Club, Week 2: The festival circuit...

As some of you know, I completed my short film Forgiving Retribution in April and submitted it to over 120 film festivals worldwide. I have been overwhelmed actually with the response, and within a few weeks the accolades started coming in...

The film has won numerous awards from Cannes, Rome, Marina del Rey, Hollywood, New York, etc. and this has just been three months. I was honored to achieve Best Director in the New York Film Legacy Festival, Best Drama, Best Director in the Sunset Boulevard Festival, Best Actor and Best Director in the Accolade Global Film Competition, Best Production Design in the Marina del Rey Film Festival and today I was notified that I have won Best Indie Short Film in the Hollywood Best Indie Film Awards. So, I will be busy this month just managing all of these festivals, which is the best way I believe to get my film out there.

My plans are to continue with the festivals for a year, hoping for a distribution deal. If that does not materialize I will launch it to the public. I have been asking if anybody had any other recommendations on how to approach distribution, but I have not had any responses, so I am continuing with my plan. Best of luck to all of you filmmakers out there! Geterdone...

Maurice Vaughan

Congratulations on all the success with Forgiving Retribution, Curt Samlaska and everyone who worked on the film! I hope your film continues winning awards and you get a distribution deal for it!

Curt Samlaska

Thank you Maurice! Will keep you posted...

Maurice Vaughan

You're welcome, Curt Samlaska. Ok, thanks.

Smith Ade

Congratulations, what an incredible run so far! Your dedication and results are truly inspiring. Wishing you continued success on the festival circuit and hope that distribution deal comes through soon!

Curt Samlaska

Thank you for the comment Smith Ade... Appreciate the support! It would be interesting to hear from other creatives about their experiences with film festivals. So far I have been having a lot of fun with them. Seeing my film on the big screen at Marina del Rey was a highlight so far. Really fun festival...

Sandra Isabel Correia

Keep the amazing work you are doing Curt Samlaska

Curt Samlaska

Thank you Sandra Isabel Correia. I wish you luck on your short also. I know nothing about VIMEO, might not be a bad idea to tell us how you plan to use it for marketing and distribution? Curious.

Sandra Isabel Correia

I will Curt Samlaska. Just let me gather more experience and I’ll share it!

Christopher Wells

Curt Samlaska getting distribution for a short is sort of a tricky thing since there really isn't any money in it. Depending on the genre, there are some online distributors but they don't usually share in the profits since the platforms that show shorts pay so little so it's more for your exposure than anything. Not saying you can't get a short distributed, I know a filmmaker who has a short playing on planes which is great. Vimeo, YouTube are good for shorts but if it's on your own channel you'll have to do all the marketing. Not sure if that helps or not.

Imola Orbán

Wow, congratulations! :)

Curt Samlaska

Thanks Christopher Wells for your experience. I know that you can also possibly put them on like Amazon, I think they have a shorts section where you get a little something. I think the YouTube link is probably the most likely, hoping it goes viral and then get some revenue from that. We shall see. I really mainly wrote, produce, directed this short with getting attention in mind. My real goal is to get my feature film Jingle Bell Rock done. That's my objective. I'm hoping by receiving some significant attention from my short that a good producer will ask me what else I have in the hopper. It's all a crap shoot, I know. I really want that feature done. I don't care if I make a dime off of it. I just want that story out there about these kids with epidermolysis bullosa... The film is dedicated to the memory of Jonathan Pitre.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuYxGtuBSgk&t=15s

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