NYWIFT Blog

By Cameron Kit

Filmmakers who spend a lot of time submitting to festivals can have a twisted view of what programmers actually do. The surprising secret? Many of them are filmmakers and buffs just like us, sitting in a room, watching films on a computer. Sometimes 20 short films in one day.

NYWIFT member Cameron Kit, founder of YOYOS, a documentary storytelling company, interviewed 4 different film festival programmers from big and small festivals to get the inside scoop. What do programmers actually do? What goes on behind the laptop screen?

Here are the Top 8 Programmer Secrets she discovered:

 

 

1) Programmers are Dying to See Something funny

“I’m on long flights to Europe crying my heart out,” shared Ruth Somalo, a programmer for DOC NYC. “I do cry a lot, I’m very emotional.”

It’s an inherent part of programming, especially for documentary films. There is a large amount of emotional labor that goes into watching these deeply painful and serious stories.

Ruth continued, “I think all of us programmers are dying to see funny or weird films, ones that are not gonna make us cry – if you make a documentary that is humorous, you’re in.”

This goes for narrative films as well. Drama is more commonly seen than comedy. If you can craft a short, funny film, you have a better chance of getting programmed, because funny or light films help break up the tension in a block of shorts.

 

 

2) HBO and Netflix submit to the major festivals just like everyone else.

 “If you’re asking me for secrets,” Brandon Harrison of DOC NYC said, leaning in, “here is a good one. If we’re unveiling things…HBO and Netflix submit films. They have a budget, and they submit, but sometimes we don’t like it. Sometimes we have two films that are very similar. There is no special extra privilege. We have emails…people can email you. You still have to submit it.”

For the 2023 DOC NYC festival, Netflix submitted “Stamped From the Beginning” just like everyone else.

 

3) Every film gets screened by someone

(Unless your festival is a scam, which is rare.)

This is a sore spot for filmmakers. Some have fears that their film isn’t watched. After four programmer interviews, we can assure you, they do get seen.  

Many large festivals have a team of screeners that involve volunteers who screen the first round and paid staff who review the selections from there.

“At DOC NYC we receive 2000 films, there are a group of pre-screeners who watch them all first, filmmakers or critics, they give 1-5 and we watch the 3-5 rated ones,” explained programmer Ruth Somalo. “Each of the feature programmers watches about 100 films, we talk every week about what we love and ask people to watch it, when two or three of us watch it and are all in agreement.”

But every festival is different. For smaller or local film festivals, sometimes the head programmer or festival founders screen everything themselves! On top of other people!

“Everyone is surprised when I say I really watch all the films. Not all programmers do that,”Sibyl Santiago, NYWIFT Board Member and Head of the Soho Intl. Film Fest.

James Oxford, head of the Tonkawa Film Festival, said, “We have screeners but I watch every film myself. I watched 280 films last year.”

 

 

4) A Film Festival is actually a Party (with film screenings)

“The world is simpler than we think it is. A lot of time festivals have sections for a reason. We are trying to get people to come, have a cool party. Olympic hurdler hanging with a scientist guy? People want the vibes. Think about the vibes. 90% of entertainment is a party. Hanging in a room with people.”

-Brandon Harrison, DOC NYC

 

 

5) The Tragedy of Programming

Choosing just a few films from a huge pool of talent is painful, challenging, and heart-breaking. Making decisions is hard because there are so many great films to choose from.

But even further than that, there is the phenomenon of “twin films,” where multiple films on a similar topic are released in the same year.

“Every year it’s like ‘Oh we’re making horse movies’ and that is tragic because how do you balance that in a program? How do you pick one film about a war, who told it better, who had access? What fits best for your festival?” -Brandon Harrison, DOC NYC

 

6) If you don’t get selected, it’s not because your film is bad 

Brandon Harrison said, “Remember, the film has to be good, that’s #1. But there are a lot of films that are good, say passing. If I’m choosing between a Wyoming- and a New York-based film, I’ll likely program the one that is good and fits the festival best.”

Think of the festival programming like a playlist. The programmers are looking to make a cohesive set of songs that flow together. Sometimes that means their favorite songs don’t make it.

 

 

7) Direct outreach with a marketing mindset actually does work.

Without being full of yourself or annoying, direct emails to programmers with relevant information can really help. Tell them how you’re going to make their festival better, and what you’re bringing to the table.

At a recent event Cameron programmed for the Brooklyn Sci-Fi Film Festival, filmmaker Sammy Verni offered to bring the actual dinosaur models he used for his stop motion film Low Down Larry vs. the Giant Dinosaur. He came with a full crew to the Q&A. The models made the event interactive and fun.

“You have to have a bit of a marketing mindset as a filmmaker. We don’t want endless emails, but the best thing you can do is email the programmer and say ‘I submitted, here is my tracking number and name, I have a great strategy for presentation, I’m working with the national adoptive parents organization (for example) and offering co-presentation…’ This makes it easier to say yes.”

-Ruth Somalo, DOC NYC

 

 

 

8) Not all programming is themed. Some festivals want to surprise the audience.

Film Festivals are important for filmmakers, but programmers think of their audience and their community.

For James Oxford, a New York City boy from a small town in Oklahoma, showing a diverse set of stories and voices is crucial for the town of farmers that show up to the theater. “These diverse stories wouldn’t be anywhere else. The film does it better than anything else, it doesn’t preach or say, ‘I need you to support this.’”

For NYWIFT Board Member Sibyl Santiago, the founder of Soho International Film Fest, programming is a way to talk to audiences that wouldn’t otherwise hear certain stories.

“We’re known for programming in a weird way, a different way. I like to tell a story through the programming. I don’t believe in grouping programs. Everyone says ‘Put LGBTQ together, animated together, drama’ – well, you are talking to their audience. There are audiences who won’t go to an LGBT program, but if they go to a regular program and a gay film is in there, they will watch it. We open people up.”

 

 

Cameron got some great tips from her interviews too. If you’re a filmmaker submitting to many a festival, here are some takeaways to keep in mind from the very people rating your work:

PROGRAMMER TIPS FOR FILMMAKERS:

 

Frontload the Riches.

“The first 15-20 minutes are crucial. I watch all the films I receive, people will sometimes only watch half an hour. Front load, well rather let me know the riches that I will miss if I don’t keep watching. Hint at what is coming.”

–Ruth Somalo, DOC NYC

Tell the Story in the Amount of Time Required

James Oxford, head of the Tonkawa Film Fest suggests, “If it’s a 5 minute idea, 10 minutes feels like 2 hours. If it’s a 30 min film crammed into 3 minutes, it feels rushed. Think about STORY and let that show you the length it needs to be.”

 

Don’t fret about making custom Vimeo links for every fest!

They will get screened. It’s better to have one screener link and skip all the custom passwords that could lead to a technical error. Just share the link and chill.

“Do not change your links, do not be so f**king precious with your link! We watch this film more than once and share it with other programmers. If your film isn’t a fit for something I’m programming right now, I will recommend it to someone else at a different fest, and if they can’t open your link because you changed it, you lose out on that opportunity.”
–Ruth Somalo, DOC NYC

Email the programmer your tracking number and interesting info on how your film will support the festival.

How can you add to the vibe, the party? Will the astronaut you interviewed be able to come for an event? Tell them!

“When you email me, don’t tell me it’s played all over the world and in New York twice. Think about the story of your film and how that translates. Where are you from, where is your subject from. Think marketing-wise. Think about where it fits. Is your film about an astronaut and he’s going to BE there at the festival opening night and can do a talk? Tell me that!”

-Brandon Harrison, DOC NYC

 

Film Festivals are a party, a celebration of art, and a way to open up communities.

Cameron and NYWIFT wish to thank all the brave filmmakers and buffs who work as programmers, giving many hours of their lives to watch the films we make.

Programmers, thank you for your service.

Featured Programmers Interviewed:

Sibyl Santiago – Soho International Film Fest

Ruth Somalo – Doc NYC

Brandon Harrison – Doc NYC

James Oxford – Tonkawa Film Fest