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Truly Free Film

Life After the Circuit (A New Way Of Doing A Film Festival)

By Antonia Opiah

After the close of our 2011 run last year, we at the Beneath the Earth Film Festival asked ourselves, “What happens to all the films on the festival circuit once their run is over?”

We quickly came to the realization that if a filmmaker isn’t part of the lucky 1% that get distribution, once he’s off the circuit no one really sees his film again. We also realized that even those that get into festivals are likely not seen by a vast number of people. Filmmaker Tod Miro, for example, spent a year on the circuit and estimates his film was seen by about 1,500 people.

Consequently, we decided to make a big change in our submission requirements.

Categories
Truly Free Film

Crowdfunding: Getting Beyond your Family and Friends

Crowdfunding: Getting Beyond your Family and Friends

By Antonia Opiah

Recently, we at the Beneath the Earth Film Festival hosted a panel discussion on financing film through crowdfunding.  It was the first talk in our Film 2.0: the Digital (R)evolution” series, which takes a look at the Internet’s impact on the film industry.

With all of the filmmakers on the panel confirming that much of their pledges came from their family and friends, I wondered:  Does a successful Kickstarter campaign mean that a film has a built-in audience or just a really supportive network?

For our panelists it was a mixture of both but each was able to go beyond their family and friends.  Here are some of the ways they did so: