Film festivals

A film festival is an organised, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single locality. Film festivals are highly popular and involve a range of films, from feature to short to documentary etc. Film festivals date all the way back to 1932 where the first festival was held, in Venice. Since then they have became increasingly popular, with festivals held in nearly all the major cities including Berlin, Edinburgh, Toronto, Melbourne and San Fransisco. Perhaps the most renowned festival, is the 'Cannes Film Festival' which previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from around the world. A lot of film festivals have specific focus, a number specialise in short films, each with its defined maximum length. Film festivals are typically annual events.

There are also film festivals dedicated to particular types of films, including short films. Short film festivals are usually held in a lot smaller venues, but are still scheduled annually and share the purpose of exhibiting the hottest short films of the year. These festivals were once a rather rare occasion but have recently gained some prominence and have found themselves on almost all of our continents, including Asia, Australia, Europe and most commonly in North America. The continent to hold the most popular short film festival is Europe, hosting the 'Short film Rain Dance festival', derived from their larger 'Rain Dance festival' (Europes largest indie film festival). The short film Rain Dance festival was voted the best short film festival on the globe. This festival offers many opportunities for prospective film makers hoping to make it on the big screen with their projects, many 'short film buyers' attend events like the Rain Dance, desperately searching for content for the dozens of fledgling websites. Screening at a film festival is simply a sure way to start creating a buzz around both your film and (hopefully) your soon to be career.