Some of the most prestigious film festivals in the world are known as independent film festivals. Such a venue is a great way for an unknown writer, producer or director to get that big break in the film industry that he/she is looking for. They attract a lot of attention because the higher ups of film race to be the one to discover the raw talent that often lies untapped.
The festivals run for varying lengths of time and are usually designed not to conflict with one another. Therefore a schedule of independent film festivals exists so that anyone connected with the film industry knows which month of the year is connected with which event. The earliest of these each year is the Sundance Film Festival. This event showcases the work of almost 100 artists and has grown to have over 20,000 people attending the annual event.
The Cannes Film Festival is an international event with competitions rating the various films. When a film is submitted to the selection committee of this festival, it may or may not be placed in a competitive category. Those that are judged often go on to become Academy Award winners with the first screening at Cannes.
Some film schools also have their own independent film festivals to display the work of the students. Here you will find many people in the film industry scouting the films looking for new writers, directors and producers or just films that they can purchase and make a lot of money from.
With independent film festivals the entry requirements are usually not as strict as they are with other international festivals. Often just entering the festival gets your name known and even if you don’t have a raving success this year, you get your name out there for subsequent years.
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