Great fests for finding your film a buyer, best friend, or biggest fan Film festivals are a lovely break from your life at home — but they can also be the place your film finds a home. Our list has been created for and published by MovieMaker magazine, in 2022.

Women’s Day arrives in early March each year not long after the major awards ceremonies of BAFTA and The Academy. So it’s perfectly placed as a litmus test to see how the film industry is improving representation of women both in front and behind the camera. 

A day dedicated to representing half of the population is a challenging task. One could see International Woman’s day as an opportunity to praise society’s journey with women’s rights and for others a day to highlight the many issues that still occur.

Festival Formula knows as well as anyone just how many short film festivals there are in the world – more than 12,000 listed on FilmFreeway alone – but when you go to Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, with its dedicated Short Film Market, you really feel it.

Based in Berlin, Germany. British Shorts Lichtspielklub Kurzfilmfestival has run for 16 years and is a celebration of British short film productions screening in this vibrant, larger than life city. The delightful Aaron shares his experience and the best way to get the most out of British Shorts Film Festival.

Climate change has turned us into tribes, with feelings ranging from “it’s about time!” to “this is a nuisance!” but can a film production be climate conscious without the bauble-ache?

When a short film wins rave reviews, it is the director and creative departments most likely to be acknowledged, while the pivotal role often overlooked and underappreciated is that of the Producer.

Although the pandemic seems a fading memory, some festivals are still having their first ‘normal’ event since it began. Our strategy client Alfie sends this postcard from the fantastic This Is England over in Rouen.

If you’ve yet to take a stab at the genre, here are a few reasons why you should absolutely make a horror film.

When someone utters “horror film” a vast mix of emotions evoke us. From immense disdain to utter admiration, it is arguable the most opinionated genre in the filmmaking world.

Horror is a genre catered for not just with specific strands within broad festival programmes, it also boasts a number of high profile festivals entirely dedicated to horror, all born of a deep-rooted love of the genre.

Some of the challenges our clients had to face when making a low-budget film came down to the filmmaking saying TIME = MONEY.

Is it still possible to make a festival-worthy film without significant funding and in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis? Absolutely.

Short films are arguably the purest form of filmmaking. They’re projects of unbridled and uncompromised imagination, wrapped in passion and ingenuity, created almost entirely out of sheer will. They’re also incredibly difficult to fund.

There are many differences between a festival run for a short film and one for a feature film, and Festival Formula client Martin Abildgaard has experienced both with us - his short Lovebirds and feature A Beautiful Curse.

Even the most experienced of directors can find the global festival circuit to be something of an unknown beast. Thomas Hescott brought his second short film, The Act, to Festival Formula after taking on the circuit solo with his first short.

If proof was ever needed that making and taking short films onto the festival circuit continues to be one of the most effective ways to launch a career, look no further than former Festival Formula client, Kate Herron.

Since working with us and her short film Five by Five, Kate has gone on to direct episodes of Sex Education on Netflix before taking the reins as series director of Loki on Disney+.

Support vs Censorship in a time of war.
When a war for democratic and free-thinking is literally being fought as I write this, we’re in a moment where the boycotting of Russian films, filmmakers and festivals is something some argue is the least that can be done to show solidarity with the people of Ukraine.

While we may feel powerless to stop the conflict in Ukraine, it is within our power to offer aid to those who have had their homes and livelihoods taken away from them.

At Festival Formula we strongly believe it is through the art of storytelling we can understand people and bring empathy to those who need it most. Check out festivals who curate programmes in support of Ukrainian filmmakers and cinema.