Making a film of any genre or length requires a very high level of perseverance and commitment –even passion. As a filmmaker you find yourself juggling a wide variety of details, overseeing departments and making creative decisions. You and your team are working tirelessly towards what seems to be the end goal – the completion of the film. Now the film is ready to be shown to the world, but how?
Many filmmakers and producers – even experienced ones –focus on production, without thinking about festival promotion and publicity from the start of their project. As a result they find themselves playing catch-up once the film is ready. But by creating a strategy for festival promotion and publicity from the outside, it’s possible for even a first short film to maximise its potential once it’s finished.
This lecture provides you with the tools to create such a strategy, so that you are ready to promote the film as soon as it’s finished. Even without the services of a professional publicist, who usually comes on board for feature-length films at festival premieres, you can work at increasing the chances of festival audiences and press seeing your film – especially by including social media components in your outreach.
The lecture includes examples of successful campaigns and promotional materials, as well as the possibility to ask questions about festival submissions, how to work with festivals, and the publicity process – whether you do your own promotion or work with a professional publicist.
Thessa Mooij (Silversalt PR – New York)
With a background in journalism (Screen International, The Hollywood Reporter) and film programming (at the Goethe-Institut in London), Thessa Mooij is a multilingual, New York-based publicist whose company Silversalt PR handles campaigns for festival premieres in North America and Europe, theatrical releases and awards seasons.
Some of Thessa’s high profile clients include Spike Lee, Michael Imperioli, Rutger Hauer and Michelle Yeoh. Her Oscar campaign for Finland’s Concrete Night resulted in the Spotlight Award for the film’s DoP Peter Flinckenberg from the American Society of Cinematographers. Most recently she handled the Oscar campaign for The Ukrainian Sheriffs.
Silversalt PR has also worked for IDFA and the Helsinki International Film Festivals, bringing international press to these leading European events.
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