Film Festival Insider™ Weekly
Film Festival Insider™ Weekly is your go-to guide to the festival circuit. Each week, Heather Brittain breaks down industry news and festival trends - then shows you what they mean for your film. Get clarity, context, and action steps to submit smarter and gain traction. Because strategy - not luck - is what gets films selected.
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HollyShorts Up Close, Fantastic Fest Goes Big
I spent last week at HollyShorts, where the value of a strong festival becomes very concrete. Fantastic Fest's new lineup shows why programmers remember a...
Netflix buys two shorts, Edinburgh backs local voices, and San Sebastián widens the race
Three developments caught my attention this week because they show three different ways a festival run can keep working after the first selection.
Two documentary...
TIFF goes wide, NYFF goes global, and Locarno gets down to business
Three major festivals made fresh announcements this week, and each one gives you a different way to study programming before you spend another submission fee....
Venice Goes Indie, Fantasia Awards Drop, and Big Changes at HKIFF
This week, three major festivals made moves that matter. Venice revealed a competition dominated by independent filmmakers. Fantasia handed out its top prizes mid-festival. And...
Film Festival Strategy: What Venice Immersive, NYFF 2026, and Sitges Are Telling Indie Filmmakers Right Now
This week is about what the major festivals are telling you : not just about the films they're selecting, but about where the industry is...
Palm Springs, Fantasia & TIFF Festival Insights
This week is about infrastructure.
The kind that does not show up on a red carpet but changes what is possible for filmmakers who understand...
Discovery, Access, and What Filmmakers Should Notice
This week is about attention.
Not just how to get it. How to understand where it is already gathering.
The smartest filmmakers are not...
Tribeca, Bentonville, and the Programming Pattern
Tribeca closes out this week.
Twenty-five years in, the festival has never looked quite like this - 103 world premiere features, a fully AI-generated film...
Cannes, Positioning, and What Actually Moves
This week is about clarity.
Because once you’re on the ground at Cannes, one thing becomes obvious very quickly:
The conversation is not about who...
Cannes, Marché, and Reading the Real Signals
This week is about proximity.
Not just who gets into Cannes.
Who gets into the conversations around Cannes.
Because while filmmakers tend to focus on...
Cannes, Santa Fe, and the Next Smart Move
This week is about access.
Not the kind people talk about vaguely at networking mixers.
Actual access - the rooms, showcases, markets, and submission windows...
Tribeca, Venice, and Your Next Move
This week is about positioning.
One lineup drop, one jury signal, and one strong submission window all point to the same truth - programmers are...
